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Board
Members, 2011-2012
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Christopher Wahl, Class of 2013
President
Hometown: Wellington, FL
Undergrad Institution: University of Florida
Legal Interests: Litigation
Favorite Philly Hangout: Rittenhouse Square
Best Philly Food: Audrey Claire
Hobbies: Yoga, reading the New Yorker, being a linguistics nerd
1L Summer Job: Research Assistant for Professor; Intern, U.S. District
Court, Southern District of Florida
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CJ spent his undergrad years in the Swamp (a.k.a.
Gainesville, FL) double majoring in Russian and Spanish at the University
of Florida. During this time he had the opportunity to live and study in
both Andalucia and Siberia, and he wrote his
thesis as a comparative analysis of Dostoyevsky's "Brothers
Karamazov" and Unamuno's "San Manuel Bueno,
martir." Before bidding farewell to the
South, he roadtripped through Savannah, Atlanta,
Ole Miss, and New Orleans. He spent the next year in Philadelphia
volunteering at a local LGBT legal services organization and teaching LSAT
courses. At Penn Law, CJ has advocated on Lambda's Williams Institute Moot
Court team and is a chair for Y'allSA.
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Molly Rhodes, Class of 2013
Executive Vice-President
Hometown: Del Mar, CA
Undergrad Institution: UCLA
Legal Interests: Complex commercial litigation and federal prosecution
Favorite Philly Hangout: Good Karma Cafe
Best Philly Food: A Mandarin Hobbies: Baking, reading
1L Summer Job: Intern, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
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Molly was born in Newport Beach, California, and grew up in
San Diego. She graduated in 2010 from UCLA with a BA in English. In
undergrad, she was an active member of Delta Gamma sorority and the Surfrider Foundation, an international environmental
nonprofit. At Penn, Molly has been an active member of Lambda Law,
participating on the Williams Institute Moot Court team and attending the
majority of social and academic events. She will be an Associate Editor on
the Journal of Constitutional Law starting in Fall 2011.
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Gail Lee Ellis, Class of 2013
Academic Co-Chair
Hometown: Manhattan, KS
Undergrad Institution: University of Kansas
Legal Interests: Litigation, Intellectual Property, Civil Rights
Favorite Philly Hangout: Dock Street Brewing Company
1L Summer Job: Intern, Senior District Judge Joseph Irenas
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After being born, raised, and educated in the great state
of Kansas, Gail came East with her now-husband in August 2010. She received
a degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with minors in Art History
and Public Policy from the University of Kansas in May 2010. At Penn, Gail
is the Co-Chair of the National Lawyers Guild, a Morris Fellow, and an
Associate Editor on the Journal of Constitutional Law. When she is not at
the Law School, a place where she hopes to spend less of her time this
coming year, you can find Gail enjoying extremely long naps and eating her
way through Philly restaurants.
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Taylor Gooch, Class of 2013
Admissions Co-Chair
Hometown: Salem, OR
Undergrad Institution: University of Oregon
Legal Interests: Patent and employment law
Hobbies: Rowing on the Schuykill
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Tom Martin, Class of 2013
Admissions Chair
Hometown: Erie, PA
Undergrad Institution: Penn
Legal Interests: Constitutional Law, Contracts, Health Law
Favorite Philly Hangouts: Frankford Hall in Fishton,
Time at 13th and Sansom
Best Places to Eat in Philly: City Taphouse,
Dock Street Brewery
Hobbies: Long-distance running and cycling
1L Summer Job: Intern for the Hon. Lisa Rau, First Judicial District,
Philadelphia
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Sean Grammel, Class of 2013
Membership Outreach & Technology Chair
Hometown: Gardner, MA
Undergrad Institution: University of Notre Dame
Legal Interests: Health Law, Litigation
Favorite Philly Hangout: Northern Liberties
Best Philly Food: Lazaro's
Hobbies: Music pretension, cardigans, awesomely bad reality TV
1L Summer Job: Intern, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
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Sean graduated from Notre Dame in 2010 with a degree in
English. At ND, Sean hosted a weekly radio show on campus radio, studied
abroad in London, and was an avid football and hockey fan. He came straight
through to Penn Law, where he has been an active member in Lambda Law, an
advocate in the Williams Institute Moot Court, and will be an associate
editor on the Law Review as well as a Morris Fellow.
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Cory Tischbein, Class of 2013
Political & Speaker Events Co-Chair
Hometown: Queens, NY
Undergrad Institution: CUNY Queens College
Legal Interests: Litigation, specifically non-patent IP and criminal law
Favorite Philly Hangout: New Deck Tavern, Sangkee,
movie theaters, restaurants, & bars around the city
Hobbies: Running, traveling, coffee, being a news junkie, spending time
with friends, and the occasional baseball game
1L Summer Job: Intern with the Appeals Bureau of the Queens County
District Attorney's Office
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After graduating from Queens College with a double major in
history and political science in 2010, Cory came directly to Penn.
Throughout college, Cory worked in journalism - with local papers and also
as editor-in-chief of his college newspaper - in New York City. As a
journalist, he discovered his interest in studying and practicing law (as
well as his hatred for writing bios). At Penn, Cory is involved in the
Journal of Constitutional Law, the Public Interest Mentoring Initiative,
the Latin American Law Student Association and, of course, LAMBDA.
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Madeline Gitomer, Class of 2013
Political & Speaker Events Co-Chair
Hometown: Flemington, NJ
Undergrad Institution: American University
Legal Interests: Civil Rights, Child Advocacy, Education Law
Favorite Philly Hangout: Sidecar Bar and Grille
Hobbies: Rugby, Bowling, Biking, Hiking
1L Summer: Penn Law Civil Practice Clinic
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Madeline grew up in New Jersey and then headed to DC for
college, graduating in 2006. After school, she lived in D.C for four years
and was an education policy staffer for Senator Chris Dodd and the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. In addition to Lambda,
Madeline is the Development Director for the Custody and Support Assistance
Clinic, a Morris Fellow, a member of the University of Pennsylvania Law
Review, and an avid bowler in the Penn Law Bowling League. Outside of law
school, Madeline likes to bike, hike, and eat and drink with friends and
family.
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Stephanie McHughen, Class of 2013
Social Chair
Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Undergrad Institution: McGill University
Legal Interests: Intellectual property, the intersection of science and
the law
Favorite Philly Hangout: Local coffee shops (Good Karma, Cake and the
Beanstalk, Betty's Speakeasy) or anywhere with a good happy hour (Dos Segundos)
Hobbies: Exploring Philly, traveling, NHL Hockey
1L Summer Job: Intern, California Superior Court
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Stephanie has descended from the Great White North of
Canada to grace us with her presence. Her route to Penn Law included a stop
at the University of California at Irvine where she got her PhD in
neurobiology in 2010, where she first became interested in the intersection
of law and science. She is basically the Robin Scherbatsky
of Penn Law.
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Member Profiles
Lambda consists of over 60 members. Below are the
profiles of a few members to provide a glimpse of some of the people who
comprise this group. Past profiles of members can be found here. If you are a member who would like to be
included on the website, we'd love to have you! Please send a picture
and profile to lambda@law.upenn.edu.
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Dwayne J. Bensing, Class of 2012
Hometown: Springdale, AR
Undergrad Institution: University of Arkansas
Legal Interests: Civil Rights
Favorite Philly Hangout: Dos Segundos (NoLibs)
1L Summer Job: PA Human Relations Commission
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Dwayne came to Philadelphia with his partner, Christopher
(L'10, President of Lambda 08-09), in 2007 from the University of Arkansas
where he studied Political Science and Communication. While he was at the U
of A, he was the president of their LGBT student group, the Young
Democrats, and the University programming board. Dwayne deferred his
admission to Penn to join the Teach for America corps in Philadelphia,
where he taught middle-school science. Dwayne has served as Lambda's
first-lady, 1L rep, and is now excited to lead Lambda in the '10-'11 school
year. Dwayne loves to eat, drink, and be merry!
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Benjamin Probber, Class of 2012
Hometown: White Plains, NY
Undergrad Institution: Tulane University - Roll Wave!
Legal Interests: Litigation and Environmental Law
Hobbies: Traveling, cooking/eating Italian food, reading the New York
Times
1L Summer Job: Intern, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of LA
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After spending the past four years down in New Orleans, Ben
decided to head back up North (to freeze) for law school. He
graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. in Political Science and
minors in French and History. Following the evacuation for Hurricane
Katrina, he studied abroad in London, UK for the semester before returning
for the rest of his freshman year. While in undergrad, he became
involved in a variety of recovery efforts and worked part-time at a local
law firm. Here at Penn, Ben is a member of the American Constitution
Society in addition to his involvement with Lambda, but in his spare time
you’ll likely find him exploring Philly with other 1Ls or catching up on
the latest episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, The Office, and Top Chef.
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Stephanie Rivetz, Class of 2012
Hometown: Dix Hills, NY
Undergrad Institution: Syracuse University - Orange for life
Legal Interests: Corporate Law, Intellectual Property, Criminal Law
Favorite Philly Hangout: Bards, Love Park, Gehris
Lanes (Yeah Penn Law Bowling Club!)
Hobbies: Jazz, Traveling, Karaoke (We hear she does a pretty mean
Cher...)
1L Summer Job: Philadelphia District Attorney's Office
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Steph studied TV, Radio &
Film and Spanish at Syracuse University. There, she was a peer adviser,
member of the curriculum committee, and an alto 2 for the university's
vocal jazz group. In her spring semester of junior year, she studied abroad
in Madrid and was so inspired by her experience abroad that she decided to
take a year off before coming to Penn to go back to Spain to teach English.
Here at Penn, in addition to her involvement in Lambda, Steph
is the Treasurer of CSR, a volunteer for the Prisoners Legal Education
Project, and a proud member of the Penn Law Bowling Club. Make sure to
catch her at the lanes on Wednesday nights as she takes on former Lambda
Social Chair, the legendary Natalie Georges, for the title of #1 female
bowler.
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Daniel Tabib, Class of 2012
Hometown: Valparaiso, IN
Undergrad Institution: University of Southern California
Legal Interests: Real Estate, Bankruptcy
Hobbies: Running, TV, traveling, USC everything
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Daniel graduated from the University of Southern California
in 2005 with an accounting degree. At USC, Daniel was a member of the
Trojan Triathlon Club, Troy Camp where he mentored inner-city youth, and
sat on the 50-yard line for many USC football games. Daniel attended
graduate school at the London School of Economics and has continued to
visit London at least once a year since leaving in 2007. Prior to law
school, Daniel worked for two years as a public accountant at KPMG in
Chicago. Daniel is an avid runner, completing four marathons (London, San
Diego, and Chicago twice) and plans to run the Chicago and Boston Marathons
this year, running for the AIDS Marathon Team and raising money for the
AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Daniel is also an avid traveler having visited
every continent and trying to find the funds to visit Antarctica very soon.
At Penn, Daniel is a member of the Penn Law bowling and basketball leagues.
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Katy Gregory, Class of 2012
Hometown: Jamison, PA
Undergrad Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Legal Interests: Criminal law
Hobbies: English riding, crochet, and an unnatural love of slow-cooking
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Prior to coming to Penn, Katy studied Classics at Penn
State, where she also minored in Latin and History. Despite her best
efforts, she eventually "drank the punch" and became a rabid Nittany lions football fan. When not studying, she can
be found sneaking away from law school for home games in State College. In
her spare time, she enjoys long walks with her Sheltie, watching The
Office, and crocheting. This year, in addition to Lambda, Katy is involved
in the Journal of Law & Social Change and the Federalist Society.
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Brian Simons, Class of 2012
Hometown: Newark, New Jersey
Undergrad Institution: Rutgers University
Legal Interests: Civil Rights, International Law
1L Summer: Judicial Internship, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Hobbies: Road Trips, Coffee, Canasta
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Brian grew up in the wonderful state of New Jersey -
birthplace of Frank Sinatra, Queen Latifah, and
former president Grover Cleveland. After graduating from the state
university with the help of a scholarship from Point Foundation, Brian
worked for Planned Parenthood as a sexual health educator, spent a short
time teaching English as a second language in Santiago, Chile, and then
became the managing director of Garden State Equality, New Jersey's LGBT
civil rights organization. Passionately committed to equality, Brian is
thrilled to serve on the Lambda Board and looks forward to helping the Penn
community make an impact in advocating for LGBT rights.
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Whitney Bernstein, Class of 2012
Social Co-Chair
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Whitney Z. Bernstein hates writing bios, mass
incarceration, gluten, and bigotry.
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Alex Naito, Class of 2012
Hometown: Portland, OR
Undergrad Institution: Lafayette College
Legal Interests: Corporate Litigation
Hobbies: Playing sports (specifically baseball and golf), going to Philly
sporting events, drinking microbrews, going to movies.
1L summer job: Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP
(Portland)
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Alex graduated in 2008 with a joint degree in political
science and philosophy. His senior project explored the legal issues
surrounding gay marriage in California. After college, Alex spent a year
working in Portland, where he eventually hopes to return to practice law.
At Penn, Alex plays intramural sports, works with the Domestic Violence
Assistance Project, and is a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Student�s
Association.
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Rachel Miller, Class of 2012
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Legal Interests: Civil Rights, Child Advocacy, Environmental Justice
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Rachel studied anthropology and psychology at the
University of Maryland. She then briefly joined Americorps
and discovered her distaste for camping in the snow, and started working at
the Children�s
Law Center in DC. There she discovered her love for the law and child
advocacy, and decided to apply to law school to become a force for change.
She is currently involved in the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project, the Equal
Justice Foundation, the Journal of Law and Social Change, and of course,
Lambda. In her [rare] free time, Rachel enjoys mountains, rugby, and
chocolate milkshakes.
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Alumni Profiles
Below are the profiles of a few alumni to provide an idea
of what some former members of Lambda have gone on to do. Past
profiles of members can be found here.
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James Welch, Class of 2011
Hometown: Mobile, AL
Undergrad Institution: University of Alabama
Legal Interests: Health Law, Education Law, Business Law
Favorite Philly Hangout: Bob and Barbara's
1L Summer Jobs: Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLC, Birmingham, AL; Johnston Barton
Proctor & Rose, Birmingham, AL.
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James was born in New Orleans and raised in Mobile with his
four siblings. He studied International Relations and minored in
Spanish. He studied as a foreign exchange student in Alcala de
Henares, Spain, participated in Model UN, and was a member of the Million
Dollar Band (saxophone). James interned for one summer at Steptoe
& Johnson in Washington, D.C. while taking sociology classes at
Georgetown on inner-city poverty. After graduating, he worked for two
years as a high school special education teacher in inner-city Miami with
Teach for America, teaching science and math. Besides Lambda, he is a
member of the American Constitution Society and Y'alLSA.
He enjoys college football (Roll Tide!), running, and watching
movies.
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Gary Yen, Class of 2011
Hometown: Morganville, NJ
Undergrad Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Legal Interests: intellectual property, litigation, civil rights,
internet law
Hobbies: Ultimate Frisbee, sci-fi / fantasy, cooking, movies
Favorite Law School Moment: Friday lunch at New Delhi
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Gary really enjoyed studying engineering in Illinois, but
he is also glad to be back on the East Coast for law school. In
addition to being a part of Lambda, he is also a member of the Penn
Intellectual Property Group, the Asian Pacific American Law Student
Association, Geeky Law Students, and Civ
Throw. He also serves on the Journal of Constitutional Law as the
Research & Technology Editor. When he's not in class or doing other
law-related things, he enjoys trying new food and watching geeky
movies.
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