Alumni Voices
Hear from some of our distinguished alumni.
Alumni voices
Championing Health Care Equity and Justice
For Michelle Banker L’10, Director of Reproductive Rights and Health Litigation at the National Women’s Law Center, “reproductive healthcare is healthcare.”
David Perla C’91, L’94 drives diversity in litigation through finance
As a Co-COO at Burford Capital, Perla believes that finance can – and will – play a vital role in diversifying leadership in the legal profession.
Olivia Bethea L’21 argues for intellectual property reparations for African American inventors in forthcoming essay
Bethea’s “The Unmaking of ‘Black Bill Gates’: How the U.S. Patent System Failed African American Inventors” will be published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online.
Wendella P. Fox L’ 76 works to even the playing field for students at the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights
Fox emphasizes empathy and respect in her investigation of civil rights complaints against educational institutions within the Philadelphia Office’s jurisdiction.
Advancing Civil Rights
The continuation of decades of tireless work, current civil rights efforts are alive throughout the country — with women marching en masse for gender equity, people of every background protesting against anti-Black police violence, and LGBTQ+ advocates mobilizing to advance legal protections. The fight for a fairer, more just society surges on. At the center of these movements stand many Law School alumni from Penn. Every week, we post a new profile to shine a light on the important work some of these graduates.
Civil Rights Profiles
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Lauren Davis L’21 advocates for safe and healthy housing in Philadelphia through Independence Fellowship
After college, Lauren worked as a paralegal at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, which inspired her to attend law school.
Margaret Zhang L’15 advocates for pregnancy and lactation rights at the Women’s Law Project
Zhang’s own experience of attempting to obtain lactation accommodations to take the bar exam helped inspire her career path.
Rekha Nair L’12 named Executive Director of the Phoenix Legal Action Network
For Rekha Nair L’12, standing alongside a person as they navigate the American immigration system offers something powerful: unity in a world of separation.