From racial justice and gender and sexual-orientation equity to immigration, and employment, Law School alumni are serving as leaders, advocating for laws that work to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable society. To engage with the law as a changemaker is a powerful privilege, and we are proud to highlight the pathbreaking work of our graduates – Penn Carey Law’s Advocates for Good.
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.
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.
Dwayne Bensing GEd’09, L’12: From Philadelphia public school teacher to civil rights advocate
Dwayne Bensing GEd’09, L’12 is a Staff Attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Delaware focusing on policy advocacy.
Public interest fellows to advocate for civil and criminal justice worldwide
Upon graduation, eighteen 2021 graduates will pursue important and diverse public interest work with the support of prestigious fellowship funding.
Fellowship experience: Haley Pritchard L’20
Haley Pritchard L’20 is a Langer, Grogan, & Diver Legal Fellow with the Pennsylvania ACLU.
Damon Hewitt L’00 named President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Hewitt continues the Law School’s historic connection to the Lawyers’ Committee that dates back to the organization’s founding in 1963 under President John F. Kennedy.
Mira Baylson L’08 balances her Big Law billables with a parallel pro bono workload
Mira Baylson L’08 built a strong foundation of pro bono service during her time at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where she worked on prisoner education and reproductive rights student pro bono projects.
Kat Welbeck L’14, Civil Rights Counsel at the Student Borrower Protection Center, tackles racial equity in student loan debt
At the SBPC, Kat Welbeck L’14 works with researchers to create reports that help articulate the ways in which racial and economic justice should play into conversations about student loan debt policy.
Deuel Ross L’09 says facts are on the side of expanding voting rights
Ross co-led the team in People First of Alabama v. Merrill, which had a direct effect on Alabama voters’ accessibility to absentee voting in 2020.
Cynthia Soohoo L’92 works to make human rights an American value
Soohoo is a professor of law and co-director of the Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law.