In 2022, 75 law students received stipend awards or course credit for summer pro bono work serving as interns in judicial chambers, U.S. Attorney offices, governmental agencies, NGOs, non-profit legal aid organizations and federal public defender offices. Read more
Amy Price Garrison (BA'79) and Frank M. Garrison Jr., '79 (BA'76) generously established the Amy and Frank Garrison Social Justice Law Fund to support Vanderbilt Law students providing services to or for the general benefit of individuals who may have been disenfranchised, dispossessed, discriminated against, or economically disadvantaged. The Fund also supports students interested in serving the broader public interest in positions such as interns in judicial chambers, U.S. Attorney's Offices, government agencies, or non-governmental organizations. Read more
Class of 2017 Garrison Scholar, Abby Moskowitz
Class of 2018 Garrison Scholar, Alana Seixas
Class of 2019 Garrison Scholar, Wesley Dozier
Class of 2020 Garrison Scholar, Amber Banks
Class of 2021 Garrison Scholars, Annie Capetta and Eileen Bautista
Class of 2022 Garrison Scholar, Kate Uyeda
Class of 2023 Garrison Scholar, Tasia Harris
Class of 2024 Garrison Scholar, Natalia Wurst
The Barrett Social Justice Fellowship honors the legacy of renowned Nashville civil rights attorney George Barrett ’57 by enabling a Vanderbilt Law graduate to carry out a one-year public interest project under the supervision and sponsorship of a host organization. Read more
Class of 2016 George Barrett Fellow, Nathan Walsh
Class of 2017 George Barrett Fellows, Marian Mikhail and Carly Myers
Class of 2018 George Barrett Fellows, Alana Seixas and Lynn Stopher
Class of 2019 George Barrett Fellows, Holly Thompson and Vanessa Zapata
Class of 2020 George Barrett Fellow, Funmi Akinnawonu
Class of 2021 George Barrett Fellows, Allen King and Vel Lewis
Class of 2022 George Barrett Fellows, Jackson Hill and Brian Ruben
In 1963, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Gideon v. Wainright that state courts are required under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to provide counsel in criminal cases to represent defendants who are unable to afford to pay their own attorneys. That same year, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in our nation’s capitol. Both occurrences marked a monumental shift towards equality in the justice system and social infrastructure in our country. The Gideon's Promise mission is to transform the criminal justice system by building a movement of public defenders who provide equal justice for marginalized communities. Read more
Class of 2014 Gideon's Promise Fellows, Leo Costales and Will Howell
Class of 2015 Gideon's Promise Fellows, Clarke Agre and Nakeisha Jackson
Class of 2018 Gideon's Promise Fellows, Kevin Coker and Sean Dowling
Class of 2019 Gideon's Promise Fellows, Sam Heller and Jordyn McCarley
Class of 2020 Gideon's Promise Fellows, Joe Sandford and Willoe DeFuccio
Public service law is challenging, rewarding, and, all too often, low-paying. Most law graduates need to repay student loans, which can provide an additional challenge to taking public service employment upon graduation. To help ease the burden for graduates who take public interest employment, Vanderbilt Law offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) that pays from 20 to 50 percent of your annual loan repayment obligation for up to ten years. Read more