Justice for All: Public Interest, Pro Bono, and the Law, held during orientation by the Public Interest Office, drew more than 75 first-year Vanderbilt J.D. students.
The event explored the ways in which lawyers use the law to advance the greater good in society. Students interacted with Vanderbilt Law faculty and practicing attorneys who work in a variety of practice areas.
Assistant Dean and Martha Craig Daughtrey Director for Public Interest Beth Cruz and David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law Lauren Sudeall opened the event with an overview of public interest law at Vanderbilt, the access to justice gap, and the public responsibilities of lawyers.
The introduction was followed by breakout discussions held by faculty and attorneys, including several Vanderbilt Law alumni, based on the following practice areas:
- Actual Innocence was led by Jason Gichner ’02 from the Tennessee Innocence Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating and litigating claims of actual innocence.
- Civil Rights / Civil Liberties was led by Stella Yarbrough ’14 from the ACLU of Tennessee, an organization dedicated to translating the guarantees of the Bill of Rights into reality for all Tennesseans.
- Criminal Defense was led by Casey Pacileo from the Nashville Defenders.
- Immigration Advocacy was led by Bethany Jackson from TN Justice for Our Neighbors, which provides free or low-cost, high-quality immigration legal services to survivors of persecution, violence, and poverty.
- Prosecution was led by Alissa Marque Heydari, Research Professor and Director of the Vanderbilt Project on Prosecution Policy.
- Youth Advocacy was led by Jordyn Conley ’19 from Education Rights at Nashville Defenders, which provides advocacy and legal representation to students with disabilities at no cost to the family to help students succeed in school and stay out of the juvenile court system.
