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Model Summer Fellows gather for conversation about government service

November 14, 2016

Philadelphia City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante (center) discusses his career in government with Penn Law's Model Summer Fellows.
Philadelphia City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante (center) discusses his career in government with Penn Law's Model Summer Fellows.
This past summer, six Penn Law students — three 2Ls and three 3Ls — had the opportunity to work in various areas of the government as Model Summer Fellows.

This past summer, six Penn Law students — three 2Ls and three 3Ls — had the opportunity to work in various areas of the government as Model Summer Fellows.

Penn Law is committed to funding all students who commit their summers to public service and one of its funding sources is the Model Government Service & Public Affairs Initiative.

This year’s six Model Summer Fellows were Meredith Mill L’17, who worked at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office; John Parron L’17, who worked at the Office of the District Attorney in Philadelphia; Jennifer Reich L’18, who worked in the Criminal Division of the Office of International Affairs at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.; Paul Stephan L’18, who worked at the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Division Regional Office in Philadelphia; Bryan Williamson L’18, who worked at the Environmental Protection Agency Regional Office in Philadelphia; and Michael Wood L’17, who worked at the King Country Department of Public Defense in Seattle.

These fellowships are designed to prepare students to launch their careers in all levels and areas of government, whether immediately after graduation or at some point later in their careers.

“As I stepped away from the classroom where the rules are clear, and everything fits into a perfect box, the rough-and-tumble nature of everyday justice became apparent,” said Parron of his time in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. “Was it perfect? No, but I learned that there are many people who are fighting for justice in our criminal courts. I learned that when good people are given the ability to fill in the cracks, our criminal justice system can work.”

“The international financial crime cases engaged my language skills, ability to solve complex puzzles and identify relevant patterns being put forward by the facts of a case, and taught me to distill often disparate information into a summary that captured the heart of an issue,” said Reich of her work at the Office of International Affairs in Justice Department. “My internship exposed me to an entirely new world of international financial crime in which I might not otherwise have developed an interest.”

In addition to the Model Summer Fellows, the Law School supported approximately 50 additional 1Ls and 2Ls in government internships this past summer.

This fall, the Model Summer Fellows joined Allen J. Model, the benefactor who established the Model Initiative, and Philadelphia City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante for an event celebrating the students’ service and discussing legal careers in government.

During the event, Tulante, who is also a lecturer at Penn Law, spoke with the fellows about his own path to government service. Tulante was born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and came to Philadelphia as a refugee with his family as a child. He attended Philadelphia public schools, then graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Tulante joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia after working as a commercial litigator and becoming a partner at Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller. Tulante spent five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney before being appointed City Solicitor.

After Tulante’s remarks, where he spoke candidly about his upbringing in North Philadelphia and how it shaped his commitment to public service, Penn Law professor and chair of the faculty Government & Public Affairs Committee Cary Coglianese, who also directs the Penn Program on Regulation, moderated a roundtable discussion about the students’ takeaways about their summer of service and the philosophy and life of a government lawyer. Joining Model, Tulante, Coglianese, and the students for the discussion were Penn Law Associate Dean for Student and Professional Engagement Heather Frattone L’98, Associate Dean for Public Interest Programs and Executive Director of the Toll Public Interest Center (TPIC) Arlene Rivera Finkelstein, Director of Penn Law clinical programs Louis S. Rulli, TPIC Associate Director of Public Sector Careers and Director of Government Programs Neta Borshanksy, and TPIC Assistant Director and Director of Pro Bono Programs Hillary Wiesel.

Model praised the students for the work they did during their fellowships, and also encouraged them to go forth among their peers and be ambassadors for a life of government service.

“We are extremely grateful for Allen Model’s support of this program and thrilled that both Sozi Tulante and Allen Model were able to join us for an evening of thoughtful conversation about the critical need for government service in our society,” said Borshansky. “We will continue to host more events such as these in order to put students in touch with inspiring public figures who reinforce the value of this work and the fulfilling career options that exist in the public sector.”