Public Interest News
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Allen King named 2021 George Barrett Social Justice Fellow
King will develop an online intake system to help attorneys at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, a nonprofit immigration law office, serve more clients. Read MoreJun. 3, 2021
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Vel Lewis named 2021 George Barrett Social Justice Fellow
Lewis will work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington, D.C., where she will serve in the U.S. Protection and Solutions Unit. Read MoreJun. 3, 2021
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15 members of the Class of 2021 complete Pro Bono Pledge
Vel Lewis ’21 was recognized for logging the highest number of pro bono hours—654—as a VLS student. Emily Burgess ’22 and Toni Cross ‘23 led their classes in pro bono hours worked with 561 and 70 hours, respectively. Read MoreApr. 28, 2021
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Kira Benton ’21 to join Still She Rises Tulsa criminal defense team
Still She Rises Tulsa is a holistic legal advocacy organization serving indigent mothers with an array of legal services, including criminal defense, family law and civil legal services. Benton worked as an intern for the organization during summer 2020. Read MoreApr. 23, 2021
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Margaret Schmucker ’94 featured in “The State of Texas vs. Melissa,” a documentary about death row inmate Melissa Lucio
Schmucker has been working on Lucio’s case for 10 years. The documentary about her case was an Official Selection of the 2020 Tribecca Film Festival and is now available on Hulu. Read MoreApr. 20, 2021
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VLS students work pro bono for TN Free Legal Answers as part of attorney teams
Emily Burgess ’22 and Anya van Soestbergen ‘22 worked with Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services to launch a new volunteer program through which students work on attorney teams to answer legal questions. Read MoreApr. 20, 2021
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First Amendment expert G.S. Hans on how social media companies moderate user content
Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Gautam Hans, who directs the First Amendment Clinic, is featured as part of Vanderbilt University's "Ask an Expert" series. Read MoreMar. 23, 2021
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Jim Cuminale to endow Public Interest directorship in honor of Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey
Cuminale’s gift provides permanent funding for the leader of Vanderbilt’s Public Interest office, which provides all students opportunities for pro bono legal service and mentors those seeking careers in public advocacy. Read MoreMar. 2, 2021
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Government and Public Interest Virtual Fair features 31 legal employers
Allen King has been named a 2021 George Barrett Social Justice Fellow. King will serve his one-year fellowship on the legal staff at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, a Nashville-based nonprofit that provides free or low-cost immigration legal services to immigrants. King’s appointment as a George Barrett Social Justice Fellow… Read MoreMar. 2, 2021
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Criminal Justice Clinic Fellow Joshua Stanton works with students to represent criminal defendants in challenging times
Stanton works with Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Sue Kay ’79 to supervise students in the Criminal Justice Clinic as they represent indigent clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read MoreJan. 28, 2021