PILA Fellows Advocate for Impact in the Public Interest

2024-25 PILA Fellows gathered for a photo in William H. Gates Hall.

Public Interest Law Association Fellows share the impact of their experiences and the contributions they are making in the public interest

UW Law is proud to announce 15 projects by students who received fellowships through the Public Interest Law Association (PILA), thanks to contributions by UW Law friends, faculty and staff.

PILA is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting legal work that serves the public and improves the quality of life for individuals in Washington and the world. Public interest law fellowships allow students to engage in life-changing work and to ensure that the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our society receive more equitable access to justice.

Read about the 2024–2025 PILA Fellows' summer projects in which they served alongside public interest organizations, legal services offices, social service agencies, public defender officers, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies and tribal entities.


The PILA Fellows


Project Descriptions

Jasmine Bolte, 2L

Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation
Honolulu, HI

Jasmine Bolte

The PILA Fellowship empowered me to take an out-of-state opportunity that I would have been unable to do otherwise. As a result, I was able to accept my dream summer internship with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, which is dedicated to protecting and advancing Native Hawaiian identity and culture.

This summer, I had the opportunity to work on several advocacy projects and write numerous memos that helped to familiarize me with the unique work of Indigenous rights advocates. I was able to do hands-on work with different legal documents and rules and honed my legal research and writing skills. Most importantly, I was able to observe and shadow so many amazing Indigenous women and women of color attorneys and advocates. I am so grateful to have received their guidance and their ‘ike (knowledge). I am excited to one day follow in their footsteps doing public interest work. ‘A’ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia! (“No task is too big when done together by all!”)

August Brown, 3L

Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington & Idaho
Yakima, WA

August Brown

The PILA Fellowship allowed me to pursue an opportunity to learn and engage in direct client advocacy at a federal level, which I otherwise would not have been able to do.

Under the supervision of a team of experienced attorneys, I did issue-specific research for ongoing cases, prepared memos, and drafted motions. I also conducted and shadowed client interviews, assisted with preparations for a trial at the end of July, and represented clients directly at initial appearances and a detention hearing. I learned a lot over the course of the summer, and it left me with a taste for public defense that I hope to pursue after graduation as well.

Elena Hubbell, 3L

Federal Trade Commission, Northwest Regional Office
Seattle, WA

Elena Hubbell

Thanks to the PILA Fellowship, I was able to discover a love for antitrust law! I learned from the amazing attorneys at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through meetings and negotiations with opposing counsel as well as through legal research on novel antitrust issues involving cutting-edge technology and writing memos for FTC attorneys.

The attorneys eventually allowed me to conduct interviews as a part of confidential FTC investigations. Lastly, I was able to collaborate with the FTC Office of International Affairs to determine the ethical issues regarding speaking with individuals abroad for the purpose of an FTC investigation.

Allison Johnson, 2L

King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
Seattle, WA

Allison Johnson

The PILA Fellowship enabled me to take an unpaid position, helping me pay for expenses over the summer as I gained invaluable hands-on experience preparing for and assisting attorneys in the courtroom.

I worked in the Special Assault Unit of the Gender-Based Violence and Prevention Division. In this role, I assisted attorneys in preparing questions for witnesses, summarizing and scouring evidence, in jury selection, and preparing pre-trial motions and trial briefs. This position affirmed my passion for public service. It was fulfilling to help provide justice for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and I am very interested in continuing this work in my future legal career.

Manpreet Kaur Kalra, M.J. student

Global Rights Advocacy
Seattle, WA

Manpreet Kaur Kalra

The PILA Fellowship afforded me the opportunity to immerse myself in international human rights law and engage in corporate accountability advocacy, an area of law that aligns with my professional interests and experience.

During my fellowship with Global Rights Advocacy, I gained invaluable insights into the complexities of international human rights law and advocacy, particularly when considering corporate accountability mechanisms.

My primary project was focused on detention conditions at Northwest Detention Center, which is operated by a private contractor. I engaged with civil society organizations and policy makers to address concerns including excessive force to prolonged detention and solitary confinement. I drafted detailed reports for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and contributed to the drafting of a CRCL complaint based on testimonies by detained immigrants. This work resulted in a historic two-day visit by the IACHR in Tacoma. Additionally, I supported urgent needs around a case regarding the enforced disappearances of environmental defenders in Mexico. This included contributing to a report published by Global Witness and drafting advocacy letters to further support efforts around corporate accountability domestically.

This experience deepened my understanding of using human rights mechanisms to hold corporations and governments accountable and taught me the importance of strategic legal advocacy. My experience with GRA will inform my ongoing work in business and human rights, equipping me with invaluable experience to pursue impactful, long-term change.

Lucy Levine, 2L

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Seattle, WA

Lucy Levine

Thanks to the PILA Fellowship, I was able to spend my summer working with immigrant youth to help them win relief and avoid deportation. This work would not have been possible without the PILA grant, and I am so grateful for this meaningful experience!

Working in the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) Unaccompanied Children Program, I conducted client intake and assisted clients with various immigration petitions such as asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and Temporary Protected Status. I also compiled and filed a petition for immigration relief under the Violence Against Women Act and researched and wrote portions of a pre-hearing statement for an asylum hearing. This was a great introduction to immigration law and non-profit work. I learned a lot about our country's immigration system and about the immigrant rights movement here in Washington.

Patrick Mahoney, 2L

Executive Office of Immigration Review, Department of Justice
Seattle, WA

Patrick Mahoney

Thanks to my selection as a PILA Fellow, I was able to financially support myself over the summer, which allowed me to more easily connect and network with professionals and to gain valuable legal skills and knowledge.

Last summer, I worked at the Seattle Immigration Court as a legal intern for the Executive Office of Immigration Review within the Department of Justice. As an intern, I worked closely with immigration judges and other attorneys in the office to draft opinions related to requests for asylum. My summer internship not only provided me an in-depth understanding of asylum law in the United States, but it also gave me the opportunity to sharpen my legal writing skills through the opinions I wrote and submitted to judges. The experience also provided me the chance to observe immigration hearings inside the courtroom and see how advocates approach the job of representing asylum applicants, something I hope to do someday as a practitioner.

Melissa O'Sullivan, 3L

Eastside Legal Assistance Program
Bellevue, WA

Melissa O'Sullivan

Before coming to law school, I worked as a legal advocate for survivors of domestic violence. I saw how difficult it was for survivors to find support in navigating the civil legal system, and this influenced me to go to law school. The PILA Fellowship was able to fund me this summer as I returned to working with survivors as a Rule 9 intern.

ELAP provides civil legal aid to survivors of domestic violence. I worked alongside their amazing domestic violence staff attorneys on protection order and family law cases. Many survivors look to the civil legal system to seek legal relief that will bring safety to them and their families, but unfortunately there are not enough resources available to survivors to help them navigate the legal system. It was very meaningful to be able to be part of ELAP's effort to expand legal aid for survivors and to be a support person to survivors in their journeys towards safety and stability. I hope to continue this work after graduation, and this internship helped me develop valuable skills that will equip me to work in this field as a future attorney.

David Nguyen, 2L

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Seattle, WA

David Nguyen

Thanks to the PILA Fellowship, I was able to pursue an incredibly rewarding opportunity to give back to the community and advocate for immigrant rights. I am grateful to gain the expertise to protect those in need.

At the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, I was proud to assist clients in filing for naturalization. I learned about the many stages of the federal system, statutes, and regulatory agencies. I conducted interviews, filed naturalization applications, and drafted briefs of 9th Circuit case law. I focused on research on issues such as the overturning of Chevron; permanent residence; adjustment through K-Visas; specifically, K-1 and K-2; grounds for inadmissibility and their exceptions; executive orders; the Haiti Relief Act; and wave-throughs for admission. Additionally, I conducted research into Gambian Law child custody, and on whether a lawful permanent resident must be "admitted" for subsequent entries to the United States to meet the "lawfully admitted for permanent residence" requirement for naturalization.

Hannah Claire Schuh, 3L

Communities for a Better Environment
Los Angeles, CA

Hannah Claire Schuh

The PILA Fellowship allowed me to spend the summer working for an organization that aligns with my values and my ultimate career aspirations. Without the financial support from the program, it would not have been feasible for me to accept an unpaid position in a different state.

My summer with CBE offered a broad range of experiences that deepened my understanding of environmental justice work. I had the privilege of joining CBE counsel, other environmental justice organizations, and youth organizers from across California for lobbying days in Sacramento, where we brought community concerns about pending legislation directly to lawmakers and their staff. I also helped organizers communicate community needs to various governmental bodies by drafting comments for the federal register, responding to federal agencies' requests for information, and meeting with state agencies. This was my first professional experience working directly with clients, which gave me valuable insight into the real-world application of advocacy. Additionally, I completed an independent research project examining the intersection of the environmental justice movement and housing policy. Throughout the summer, I was inspired by the passion and dedication of the community and youth organizers I worked with, and I remain inspired by their tireless commitment to their communities.

Ivan Seo, 2L

King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office / Most Dangerous Offender Project
Seattle, WA

Ivan Seo

I have always desired to work as a prosecutor, and the PILA Fellowship helped me take a step further toward fulfilling this goal.

Working as an extern in the Most Dangerous Offender Project Unit of the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, I have learned so much. I performed legal research and writing for prosecutors, worked on discovery, listened to jail calls, and helped prepare for trial. I was able to sit at the legal counsel table during a 4-week-long trial, observing and helping my supervising prosecutor with the case. In addition to the work done in the office, the wider extern group was invited on multiple field trips to further enhance our understanding of the roles of a criminal prosecutor and to gain real-life hands-on experiences. This included going to the Medical Examiner's office, a shooting range, a fingerprint examiner's office, and the King County jail. Overall, this experience taught me a lot about the criminal legal system and the responsibilities prosecutors have, and I am thankful that PILA was able to help fund this opportunity.

Lincoln Sherwood, 2L

Heart of America Northwest
Hanford, WA

Lincoln Sherwood

The PILA Fellowship allowed me to focus on helping my community without having to be too distracted by financial stresses.

I worked on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation located on Yakama Nation ceded territory. Hanford is the most polluted site in the Western Hemisphere, as it was where all the plutonium was produced for nuclear weapons. At Heart of American Northwest, I worked in collaboration with the Yakama Nation to ensure the Tribe's cultural and biological resources were protected, preserved and enhanced. This work was the perfect intersectionality of environmental justice and Indigenous justice. It involved working with the public to educate them on the issues facing the Tribe and the region's ecosystem. This allowed the public to submit comments on proposed changes to Hanford's nuclear waste clean-up, ensuring that the federal and state governments are held accountable to their promises. This opportunity, thanks to the PILA Fellowship, allowed me to gain valuable skills in working with diverse clients, engaging in community development, and the importance of public participation.

Kioko Soneda, 2L

King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
Seattle, WA

Kioko Soneda

The PILA Fellowship allowed me to pursue my dream externship! Many 1L externships in criminal law are unpaid, which disincentivizes interested students from taking these jobs. I am so grateful that I didn't have to make the difficult decision between pursuing my passion and selecting a paying job. After a wonderful summer at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (KCPAO), I will be returning as a Rule 9 intern this summer!

This summer, I was an extern in the Violent Crimes Unit at the KCPAO. While there, I worked with a team of accomplished, passionate, and dedicated prosecutors who put the office's mission to "do justice" at the forefront of every decision. During my time there, I sat at counsel table for an assault trial, sat in on staffing, attended defense interviews, helped redact personally identifiable information from evidence, completed a comparability analysis of out-of-state convictions to determine a defendant's offender score, and authored a brief assessing whether exigent circumstances were present in a warrantless search. In addition to this, I attended various job-shadowing and "field trip" opportunities to develop a better understanding of the various agencies and offices that work together to advance just outcomes in our criminal justice system: AFIS, the King County Jail, the King County Medical Examiner's Office, and the KCPAO Juvenile Division. This externship provided me with invaluable experience in research and writing, but also with a deeper understanding of our criminal justice system.

Macy Stormont, 2L

The Chambers of Chief Judge Bastian, District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Washington
Yakima, WA

Macy Stormont

The PILA Fellowship is the only reason I was able to do my externship last summer. My externship was unpaid, and I did not have the means to be able to accept the externship without assistance from this fellowship.

During this externship, I was able to write and prepare memos to assist Judge Bastian in both civil and criminal cases of all types. I attended hearings for those cases and was able to see how a federal district court judge makes his decisions. This was an incredibly rewarding and educational experience. I learned about areas of the law that I had yet to touch on in law school and saw how the law I did study impacts each and every person who goes through the court. It showed me how good legal advocacy can change a case, and likewise for bad advocacy. The experience allowed me to narrow down what kind of law I want to practice after I leave law school, and what areas I'd prefer to avoid. It was a truly invaluable externship.

David Vascones, 2L

King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Civil Division
Seattle, WA

David Vascones

Thanks to the PILA Fellowship, I had the freedom to pursue an externship at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and learn about the legal issues faced by the county government.

I had the pleasure of working this summer as an extern at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Civil Division. As part of the County Services team, I got to work with a fantastic group of lawyers whose job it is to represent and advise county departments and agencies. I really enjoyed working with County Services, since it gave me a unique window into how these agencies think about legal problems, and a great opportunity to improve my legal research and writing skills. I drafted memos on topics such as jail policy, environmental compliance, law enforcement oversight, and public records access. One benefit of representing clients that deal with so many different areas is that the legal issues that come up likewise cover a lot of ground. The experience taught me to approach statutory and regulatory research with an eye to what a client could or could not do in light of past cases, while also keeping in mind current policy priorities. I benefited tremendously from the confidence of my supervisors and colleagues to pursue research projects that I found engaging. I came away from the externship with gratitude for the skills I gained and excitement about building the foundation for my career as a future attorney.