Pierce Law Awards 10 Public Interest Coalition Fellowships

Franklin Pierce Law Center recently awarded fellowships to ten students to perform pro bono legal work for nonprofit organizations in New Hampshire and throughout the United States. The fellowships are made possible through funds raised by the school's Sixteenth Annual Public Interest Coalition Auction, which raised nearly $50,000 this year.

"The fellowships provide students with summer internships at non-profit law firms and public sector offices that improve access to justice for individuals and organizations," according to Social Justice Institute Interim Director Megan De Vorsey. "These students recognize the importance of public service within the legal profession and will undoubtedly continue to do pro bono service for the disadvantaged after law school graduation."   

Three of the 2008 Public Interest Fellows were awarded "named" scholarships, sponsored by law firms, organizations, or individual donors of full or partial fellowships. The students selected to receive this year's fellowships and the organizations they will work for are: first year students: Mitchell Bragg of Arcade, NY, (Cindy Lonergan Fellow) New Hampshire Legal Assistance; Elizabeth Lahey of Laconia, NH, (Orr & Reno Fellow) Civil Division of the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office; James O'Shaughnessy, Manchester, NH, New Hampshire National Education Association; and Hanna Wason of Hampton, NH (New Hampshire Bar Foundation Fellow) New Hampshire Legal Assistance.

Second-year students are: Megan Douglass of Ardmore, PA, Hillsborough County Prosecutor's Office; Andrea Lamy of Manchester, NH, Eviction Defense Collaborative, San Francisco, CA; Tyler Obenauf of Fairport, NY, Georgia Capital Defender, Atlanta, GA; Jessica Roche of Chevy Chase, MD, (Johnson Fellow) Monroe County Legal Assistance, Rochester, NY;  Kiera Slye of Fairport, NY, Public Defender Services, Washington, DC; and Alex Witteveld of Indianapolis, IN, Colorado Legal Services.