2019 LL.M. Public Interest & Government Fellowships
María José Martínez ’19 LL.M. Awarded LL.M. Public Interest and Government Fellowship at the New York City Commission on Human Rights
Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Laws from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Law School
Experience: Misión País and Trabajo País, coordinator; Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Law School Legal Clinic, co-founder and director; Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Law School, research and teaching assistant for constitutional law; Carey y Cía Ltda., senior associate; Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Law School, lecturer; Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute, research assistant; New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR), legal intern
Motivation: “As a law student, I cocreated my university’s first legal clinic program, which has provided legal advice to hundreds of people living in poverty, including victims of domestic violence. That experience was life-changing: I realized that my true passion is promoting gender justice and fighting to eradicate violence against women in Chile’s conservative and discriminatory society. As an intern at the NYCCHR, I have worked on the application of legal antidiscrimination protections and the creation of gender-related policies.”
Goals: “As a fellow at NYCCHR, I will become a well-rounded, resourceful, and effective advocate for women’s rights and gender justice. I will assist with the drafting of the NYCCHR’s final rules on discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, and reproductive health decisions; engage with advocacy organizations; develop policy recommendations; and research new gender-related areas and opportunities to plan and rules to advance human rights. Upon the completion of the fellowship, my goal is to apply these experiences at Chile’s Ministry of Women and Gender Equality to design public policies that will transform people’s lives in Chile.”
The office of Social Justice Initiatives (SJI) guides Columbia Law School students who want to pursue public interest work throughout their academic careers and after graduation. SJI also assists in the process of applying to prestigious postgraduate fellowships. Read about other 2019 LL.M. public interest and government postgraduate fellows.
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Published May 13, 2019