The William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law will host the Law School’s second annual ice cream social to celebrate public service and to recognize student accomplishments on Monday, April 23, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Sheffield Room (TNH 2.111). The event is open to the entire Law School community and to family and friends of the honorees.
Interim Dean Stefanie Lindquist will introduce the 2012 Justice Center Graduating Student Award winners: Kimberly Ashworth, Hannah Liddell, Christine Nishimura, Alissa Parsley, Jordan Pollock, Amelia Ruiz Fischer, and Emma Quintero. Last year the Justice Center inaugurated the awards program to honor students who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to using the law to serve others. Recipients of the award are selected by a faculty committee. The award winners will receive five hundred dollars. In addition, Barbri has generously provided the award winners with five hundred–dollar discounts for bar review courses.
The event will also celebrate the 2012 Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellows—Gabriella Gonzalez, Lara Manor, Nikiya Natale, Dave Mauch, Salima Pirmohamed, and Hannah Zimmermann—and the members of the class of 2012 who have been awarded public interest post-graduate fellowships—Michael Cowles, Christine Nishimura, Jordan Pollock, Amelia Ruiz Fischer, and Keegan Warren-Clem.
In addition, Tina Fernandez, director of the Law School’s Pro Bono Program, will recognize students for extraordinary pro bono accomplishments. Members of each class will be honored for reporting the most pro bono hours. These “Pro Bono Superstars” include 1Ls Tecuan Flores (101 hours); 2Ls Margaret Cheu (890 hours) and Maggie Poertner (887 hours); and 3Ls Michael Gramer (673 hours), Martha Aranda (256 hours), and Jared Staples (252 hours).
According to Fernandez, fifteen 3Ls have reported over one hundred hours of pro bono service. Those students and over 150 students who have met their Pro Bono Pledge benchmarks will also be recognized.
The Justice Center and the Pro Bono Program encourage all members of the Law School community to come to celebrate these students and to enjoy Amy’s Ice Cream.
Related Links:
William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law
Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships
Contacts: Mary Crouter, assistant director of the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, UT Law, 512-232-7855, mcrouter@law.utexas.edu; Tina Fernandez, Director, Pro Bono Program, William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, 512-232-6170, tfernandez@law.utexas.edu