2019 Postgraduate Fellowships
Experience: Columbia Law School Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration Clinic, advanced student; Szaferman Lakind Blumstein & Blader PC, paralegal; Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel, Large Business and International Division, honors intern; United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, Investigations Division, intern; Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, online editor
Motivation: “My passion for consumer law litigation—including financial fraud and regulation enforcement, product liability litigation, and utility ratepayer advocacy—began when I was a paralegal. At Szaferman Lakind, I worked on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and Investment Company Act class actions brought on behalf of plaintiffs who were systemically charged excessive fees by behemoth investment firms to manage their retirement savings. Large corporations’ ability to deceive, exploit, and prey on consumers inspired me to become an advocate for those who are unable to hold corporations accountable on their own and to seek a role with a regulator, such as New York State, where can advocate as effectively as possible.”
Goals: “During my time as a New York State Excelsior Service Fellow, I aspire to become a stronger oral and written advocate for consumers, particularly uninformed consumers who are ill-equipped to challenge corporations’ activities through litigation on their own. I seek to become a stalwart and empathetic advocate for New Yorkers and to better understand the New York consumer regulatory schemes. This two-year fellowship will lay the foundation for my legal career in consumer protection through the vast professional development resources that it offers and the numerous opportunities to litigate and advocate in a number of different fora.”
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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 public interest postgraduate fellows.
Published on May 9, 2019.