last year, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Arizona State University elected 18 students as its first public interest fellows.

The law school’s first fellowship program was established in 2020 by uniting ASU legal leaders and donors to create opportunities for students to participate in social justice programs. Law schools fund these opportunities. Public Interest Fellowship Fundwhich is powered by donors like t.He is the Patton Boggs Squire Foundation.

Public Interest Fellowships at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law resume this summer with 25 students.
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This summer, the number of members increased to 25.

Among them is Julian Putenprair. first student from Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law to earn Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Fellowship. Mr. Putenprair is one of 30 fellows this summer in a program established in 2005 to advance legal and public policy issues in non-profits, government agencies, national and international organizations. He is currently serving his talents with the Yuma County Bureau of Elections. During his stay, he drafts and amends motions, observes court proceedings, and works hands-on with clients.

Helping others was the whole reason Mr. Putenprair went to law school in the first place. His sophomore year in law school, he hopes to become a federal advocate when he graduates.

“I wanted to enter the legal profession because I wanted to work with the criminal justice system, which I learned as an undergraduate and graduate student, and because I wanted to work with and help individuals,” he said. . “Prior to law school, I enjoyed working with people facing these issues as a counselor in a prison alternative drug treatment facility.”

Julian Putenprair

Mr. Putenprair met with some of the other participants and learned about their activities around the country. He also maintains connections with former colleagues who have become mentors. To support public interest internships, Yuma County has called on its attorney members to find interns housing and assistance during their summer stays. Ptenprair was able to secure housing with former court reporter Adam Gage.

“The opportunities are really great because these positions often don’t offer the same benefits as the private sector, and students may want to try public interest opportunities but may not be able to turn down competing offers.” he said. “So far, this exchange has been very beneficial.”

This fellowship program and other similar programs give law students the opportunity to help others through public service rather than foregoing this type of internship for financial reasons.

“We created the Public Interest Fellowship Program to help students explore careers in the public interest that may not have been financially viable. Now they not only have hands-on experience, but We have the ability to assist communities and organizations in need of legal assistance,” said Stacey Rees, Willard H. Pedrick Dean and Regents Law Professor. “And with funding from partners like the SPB Foundation, we can continue to provide these diverse opportunities to our students.”

Public interest law is a non-profit area of ​​law that often helps underrepresented people with legal matters or makes a difference for the public good. The law school’s focus on clinical programs and employment opportunities speaks to the ASU Act’s mission to advance justice.

Focus on supporting diverse communities and interests

Another ASU law student, Levi Bevis, decided to apply his legal talents to the public good this summer through an internship at the ACLU in Arizona.

Levi Bevis

An up-and-coming law sophomore, he had grown up on a cattle farm in rural Alabama and had seen first-hand how lack of legal resources and access affected low-income communities. After college, he worked in Washington, D.C., only to be convinced of his desire to help.

He chose ASU Law because of its location and programs that focus on LGBTQ+ civil rights and immigration law. Currently, Beavis is a staff attorney legal intern at the ACLU, working on First Amendment and civil rights litigation.

“The opportunities are out there, there are a lot of opportunities to really get to know the people who are doing great work and helping,” he said. “You can join communities from all backgrounds, and you can join the communities you live in.”

Similarly, Natalie Huhn discovered her passion for the environment and sustainability in high school, before learning about the impact of law and policy on environmental issues. She set her sights on law school, opting for Energy and Water Law classes and her ASU Law, which gave her a Sustainability Law certificate, to reach where she wanted to go in her career.

This summer, she completed an internship at the State Center for Energy and Environmental Impact at New York University School of Law.

Natalie Hune

She is working with the New York State Attorney General, writing memos on energy regulation, and researching papers to be published on the Center’s website as an educational resource. Mr. Hung encouraged students not to miss out on these important public good opportunities for financial reasons.

“Securing funding for these positions can be difficult and sometimes limiting, but there are great opportunities through the ASU Act, such as the charitable fellowship funding we were lucky enough to receive. she said. “If you’re interested in an internship like this, I encourage you to look into your funding sources.”

The ASU Law Public Interest Fellowship Fund is donor-supported and offers scholarships to students of all backgrounds who wish to engage in social justice research and reform.

ASU law student Charles Miller, from Arizona, wanted his home state to focus on issues he cares about, such as climate change and immigration. That led him to a summer internship in the office of Democratic, RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

“I worked at a nonprofit public interest law firm in Washington, DC before moving back to Arizona and starting law school,” he said. “During that job, I became familiar with the work of the White House senators, particularly the work of climate and money in politics.

Charles Miller

“When I saw the senator hiring a legal clerk on the staff of the judiciary committee, this was the perfect time to tackle an issue that interested me, as I have spent much of my career working on the same issue. I was convinced that it was an opportunity for

Miller, also a growing sophomore, said he’s learned a lot about how to use his skills to give back and make a difference since coming to ASU Law School.

“‘Public interest’ can mean many different things,” he said. “There are so many different areas of advocacy, but I don’t think I knew anything about the law until I started school and started looking for a job.”