Twenty-three members of the Class of 2026 were recognized in April for completing Vanderbilt Law School’s Pro Bono Pledge, through which students commit to complete at least 75 hours of pro bono legal work and community service during their law school careers. At least 50 of those hours must be served in law-related activities and at least ten hours must be performed in Nashville. The program is administered by the Public Interest Office.
Collectively, Vanderbilt Law students reported a total of 10,750 pro bono and community service hours through the Pro Bono Pledge program during summer 2025, fall 2025, and spring 2026. Students also perform thousands of hours of pro bono legal work each year in Nashville through summer and semester externships with local government offices, district attorneys and public defenders, and legal nonprofits, and through their work in the Woodbine Legal Clinic, the Shade Tree Clinic, Woodbine Immigration Clinic, Community Justice Legal Project, and other Law School programs.
Three students received special recognition for logging over 900 hours of pro bono and community service work during their time at Vanderbilt Law—Aaron Lam (968), Anna Espinoza (939), and Jessica Bumgarner (917).
Four members of the class of 2026 were recognized for completing the pledge in 2025 and again in 2026:
- Aaron Lam
- Anna Espinoza
- Funmi Oguns
- Jessica Bumgarner
Twenty-three members of the class of 2026 completed the law school’s Pro Bono Pledge this year:
- Brook Whitley
- Caroline Spencer
- Chujie Xu (LLM)
- Dani Brody
- Daniel Goicouria
- David Becker
- Delaney Beck
- Delaney Edge
- Elizabeth Wehby
- Elizabeth Woods
- Emily Meaney
- Emma Okey
- Evy Stein
- Jack Justice
- Jess Cooper
- Joshua Vituszynski
- Kaitlyn Hammond
- Kelly Hall
- Kyle Smith
- Raquel Palacio
- Swayam Nanda (LLM)
- Taylor Foster (LLM)
- Zixuan Li (LLM)
Fourteen members of the Class of 2027 completed the Pro Bono Pledge during this academic year:
- AJ Johnson
- Anokhi Patel
- Catherine Carpenter
- Erin Melton
- Hannah Kupfer
- Kaitlyn Fox
- Max Kalsner Kershen
- Olivia Hatch
- Rubi Rivera-Miguel
- Samuel Shideler
- Sara Manian
- Tiffany Rhodes
- Tori Mitchell
- Vivian Boe
“We are inspired by the level of commitment our students dedicated to pro bono work this year,” said Beth Cruz, Assistant Dean and Martha Craig Daughtrey Director for Public Interest. “With 149 students serving 399 individuals locally and across the U.S., the culture of service at Vanderbilt Law is alive and well.”
