Alice Min ’25 has earned a coveted Skadden Fellowship, a two-year fellowship supporting recent law graduates working in public interest law. Skadden fellows address unmet civil legal needs of people living in poverty in the U.S.
After she graduates from Texas Law in May, Min will work with the Legal Aid Society in New York City. The Legal Aid Society describes its work as “increasing access to justice for low-income New Yorkers,” through direct legal representation, affirmative litigation, and legislative and policy advocacy. Min’s fellowship project will allow her to address legal issues raised by the New York Police Department’s use of surveillance technology, and she will assist individuals who may have been harmed by such surveillance in expunging their information from police department databases.
Min’s interest in the potential negative consequences of surveillance grew from her experience working as an investigator at a New York City public defender’s office before law school. “I want to fight against unjust surveillance of immigrant and minority communities so that everyone can move through the city they call home without being criminalized,” she says.
Min credits her Texas Law mentors and professors, including those in the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law and the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program, with helping her develop and direct her professional goals. “I moved to Austin without knowing anyone in Texas, and the staff and faculty in the Justice Center and Pro Bono Program have really become a public interest family to me,” says Min.
She also feels indebted to the school’s clinical faculty. “Beyond teaching me the practical skills of lawyering, my clinical professors have modeled the type of advocate I hope to be—empathetic, creative, and determined—even in the face of great injustices,” she says.
Public Interest Dedication
Min, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College in 2017, majoring in Spanish and history. During her time at Texas Law, Min has worked in four different clinics: Civil Rights, Criminal Defense, Environmental, and Immigration. She has been on the executive board of both If/When/How and Law Students for Black Lives, is a Pro Bono Scholar, and serves on the Justice Center’s student advisory board. Her long-term ambition is to work in direct services as either an immigration attorney or public defender.
“This is an incredibly prestigious honor and a testament to Alice’s dedication and talent,” says Nicole Simmons, director of the Justice Center. “She truly has an unwavering commitment to serving the public interest. We’re proud of her and look forward to seeing the positive change Alice will undoubtedly bring to the world.”
Mary Murphy ’11, a counselor in Texas Law’s Career Services Office who advises students hoping to enter the public interest arena, also praises Min for her commitment. “Alice has been a force in supporting and encouraging her fellow students while sharing her dedication to public service with the Texas Law community,” she says. “Time and time again, Alice did not hesitate to take action to champion justice. She is going to be an invaluable asset to her clients and the public interest community as a whole.”
The Skadden Fellowship Foundation began awarding fellowships in 1988 and, since then, has selected just over 1,000 fellows. The foundation reports that more than 90% of them have continued their legal careers in public service law.
Skadden Fellowships are considered the most prestigious and competitive national public interest postgraduate fellowships. “They are in many ways the public interest world’s version of Supreme Court clerkships,” noted legal analyst David Lat in his Original Jurisdiction newsletter.
This year, students from 18 law schools across the country have been selected for Skadden Fellowships. Previously, nine Lawhorns have earned these prestigious fellowships: Jill Applegate ’21, David Giannaula ’21, Scott Marks ’94, Nelson Mock ’98, Wendy Parker ’90, Meredith Shytles ’11, Lisa Snead ’09, Ian Spechler ’07, and Professor Heather Way ’96.
Investment in Public Interest
The Skadden Fellowship is just one of many opportunities available to Texas Law students interested in pursuing a public service or public interest career track.
“At Texas Law, we are deeply committed to supporting our students who aspire to make a meaningful impact through public service,” says Simmons.
The law school recently created four new public service fellowships, and also increased the salary for existing fellowships. In addition, Texas Law’s Summer Public Service Program guarantees students a summer public service or public interest position with a stipend of up to $8,000 per student. The SPSP builds on—and partners with—the longtime foundation of summer public interest support at the law school, the student-led Texas Law Fellowships.