76 Vanderbilt Law students receive summer stipends to support pro bono work

Sue Kay, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs

Seventy-six Vanderbilt Law students received summer stipends to support their volunteer work in positions with government agencies; the chambers of federal and local judges; federal and state district attorneys and public defenders’ offices; and public interest and advocacy organizations. Students receiving Vanderbilt law stipends are working pro bono for 70 legal offices and organizations in 17 states, the District of Columbia, and in five foreign nations.

Summer stipends, which are sponsored by Vanderbilt Law School and the Vanderbilt Legal Aid Society, help defray the travel and living expenses of students who serve in unpaid legal internships with government or non-profit organizations. Students may only receive stipend support for work for which they do not receive course credit or pay.

“Vanderbilt Law students are working pro bono and gaining invaluable experience in many areas of law with support from stipends funded by the law school and by the Vanderbilt Legal Aid Society,” said Susan Kay, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. “Their work experiences will enrich their careers and their legal education and, for many, will help them decide on a career path.”

Students received Vanderbilt Law stipends to support their legal work with the following organizations:

Federal Government

  • Department of Energy, Assistant General Counsel for Labor & Pension Law, Washington, D.C.
  • Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, Washington, D.C.
  • Department of Homeland Security, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Compliance Branch, Washington, D.C.
  • Department of Housing & Urban Development, Office of the General Counsel-Enforcement, Washington, D.C.
  • Department of Justice, Madison, Wisconsin
  • Department of Justice, National Courts Section, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, Washington, D.C.
  • Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service, Office of General Counsel, Washington, D.C.
  • Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Counsel, Nashville
  • Federal Communications Commission, International Bureau, Strategic Analysis and Negotiations Division, Washington, D.C.
  • Federal Communications Commission, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Washington, D.C.
  • Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina – Army
  • Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Mayport, Florida- Navy
  • Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C.
  • Securities and Exchange Commission, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Securities and Exchange Commission, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Transportation Security Administration, Office of Chief Counsel, Arlington, Virginia

U.S. Attorneys’ & Federal Public Defenders’ Offices

  • US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California , Los Angeles
  • U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, Washington
  • U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville (2)
  • US Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, San Antonio
  • Office of the Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville (2)

State Attorneys General

  • Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Chicago
  • Iowa Attorney General’s Office, Des Moines
  • Office of the New York State Attorney General, New York
  • North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Health & Public Assistance Section, Raleigh
  • Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, Nashville (2)

Judicial Chambers

  • Judge Oswald Parada, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Los Angeles (DLA)
  • Judge Kristen L. Mix, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington
  • Judge Clarence Cooper, U.S. District Court for Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta
  • Judge Jane R. Roth, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Judge John Bryant, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
  • Florida First District Court of Appeal, Chief Judge’s Workers’ Compensation Unit, Tallahassee
  • Judge Gary Andrews, Georgia Court of Appeals, Atlanta

International

  • Federal Ministry of Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja
  • Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, The Hague, Netherlands
  • International Legal Institute – African Center for Legal Excellence (ILI-ACLE), Kampala, Uganda
  • International Justice Mission, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Irish Centre for Human Rights, Galway, Ireland
  • United Nations Legal Affairs, Department of Field Support, New York
  • World Legal Forum, International Criminal Legal Network, The Hague, Netherlands

City & District Attorneys’ Offices

  • Office of the City Attorney, Compton, California
  • Chicago Department of Law, Employment Litigation Division, Chicago, Illinois
  • Worcester County Office of the District Attorney, Massachusetts
  • Clark County District Attorney’s Office, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • The School District of Philadelphia, Office of General Counsel, Pennsylvania
  • Department of Law, Metro Government of Nashville & Davidson County
  • District Attorney General, 20th Judicial Circuit, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Family Justice Division, Austin, Texas
  • District Attorney’s Office, Harris County, Houston, Texas

Public Defenders’ Offices

  • Office of the Primary Public Defender, Juvenile Delinquency Division, San Diego, California
  • Office of the Public Defender, 9th Judicial Circuit, Orlando, Florida (2)
  • New York County Defender Services, New York, New York
  • Public Defender’s Office, Metro Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee (2)
  • Office of the Public Defender, 21st Judicial District, Franklin, Tennessee

State Agencies

  • Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Nashville (2)
  • Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Nashville (DLA)
  • Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Nashville (DLA)

Advocacy and Non-Profit Organizations

  • Advocacy and Benefits Counseling for Health, Madison, Wisconsin
  • American Bar Association, Center for Human Rights, Washington, D.C.
  • American Civil Liberties Union, Phoenix, Arizona
  • American Civil Liberties Union, LGBT & AIDS Project, New York
  • Americans for Immigrant Justice, Miami, Florida
  • Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Georgia
  • The Bronx Defenders, Bronx, New York
  • Missouri Coalition for the Environment, St. Louis (DLA)
  • Neighborhood Justice Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Sierra Club Environmental Law Program, San Francisco, California
  • Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, Nashville
  • Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts, Nashville (2)