Every year at about this time I receive a report (and a thank-you note) from one of the Equal Justice Works fellows that ALM, the parent company of The American Lawyer, supports. These are bracing and satisfying moments. On one level this is personal: We help some terrific young lawyers start their careers. My grandmother would have called my reaction kvelling. But on another level, this is patriotic, even philosophical: By underwriting their two-year projects, we help support and extend the rule of law to those who otherwise would be left outside our system.
At the moment, we fund two splendid young lawyers: one in Pittsburgh, who helps foster care children receive their statutorily guaranteed educations, and the other in North Carolina, who is battling against state laws that limit the ability of ex-felons to get jobs in a host of trades. A third fellow, Sandra Mayson, finished her two years at the New Orleans Office of Public Defenders (OPD) last autumn. She’s now bound for a Third Circuit clerkship. Here’s an excerpt from her summary report:
