Saturday, February 1, 2025

Presented by the Public Interest Law Union and Career Development Office
Hosted at Cornell Law School, Myron Taylor Hall, 524 College Ave, Ithaca, NY 14850

The Public Interest Law Union and Career Development Office are hosting a Public Interest Law Career Academy at the Law School on Saturday, February 1, 2025, from 12:00-5:00 pm. We have an exciting program planned, including a virtual keynote address by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Panelists are attorneys with experience in fields including immigration, environmental, labor, human rights, disability, child welfare, and other areas of public interest law. Participants will hear from the panelists on how they decided to go into public interest law, what career pathways they took, and how they navigated financial and other personal decisions along the way. Lunch will be served at 12 noon, and a reception will follow the event in the Gallery from 5-7 pm. All Cornell Law students are invited to participate.

View more details, including speaker bios, here.

12:00 PM-12:55 PM

Check In and Lunch

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, The Gallery

1:00-1:10 PM

Opening Remarks from Melissa Fergusson & Carrie O’Malley,
Co-Presidents of the Public Interest Law Union

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, Room 184

1:10-1:20 PM

Keynote Address from U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (Virtual)

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, Room 184

1:30 PM- 2:25 PM

Panel 1: Choosing Your Career Path in Public Interest Law

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, Room 184

Hear from attorneys in a variety of areas of public interest law in how they decided to go into public interest law, how they navigated finances and loans, any career transitions, and things that kept them grounded in a public interest profession.

Moderator: Carrie O’Malley, Co-President, Public Interest Law Union

Panelists:

  • Tyler Press (Georgetown Law ‘12), Chief Legal Programs Officer, Public Law Center
  • Leemie Kahng-Sofer (Cornell Law ‘92), Executive Director of Case Management, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
  • Lauren McSwain (Cardozo Law ‘07), Director of Immigrant Services and Language Affairs, Division of External Affairs, NYC Administration for Children’s Services
  • Daniel Nesbitt (Cornell Law ‘18), Associate, Cohen Weiss and Simon LLP

2:30 PM-3:25 PM

Panel 2: Pivoting to Address Obstacles and Unexpected Challenges in Your
Public Interest Career

Location: Myron Taylor Hall Room 184

Hear from panelists on how they navigated unexpected challenges in their work as a public interest attorney and how they stayed the course in their public interest job even when their values were challenged or when they faced personal obstacles.

Moderator: Akua Akyea, Associate Dean for Career Development, Cornell Law School

Panelists:

  • Doug Lasdon (Cornell Law ‘81), Executive Director of Urban Justice Center & Cornell Adjunct Professor
  • Matthew Faiella (Cornell Law ‘05), Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Section, DOJ Civil Rights Division
  • Sandra Babcock (Harvard Law ‘91), Clinical Professor of Law, Cornell Law School
  • Beth Lyon (Georgetown Law ‘94), Associate Dean for Experiential Education, Clinical Professor of Law, and Clinical Program Director, Cornell Law School

3:30 PM-3:55 PM

Coffee Break

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, The Gallery

4:00-4:50 PM

Panel 3: How To Build Your Network as a Young Attorney In Public Interest
Law

Location: Room 184

Hear from panelists as to how they built their networks as a new public interest
attorney and successfully made connections to shift career paths or types of legal
work to their desired type of legal work.

Moderator: Melissa Fergusson, Co-President, Public Interest Law Union

Panelists:

  • Mimi Goldberg (Cornell Law ’24), Legal Fellow, National Employment Law, Cornell Law Rhodes Scholar
  • Miriam Mars (Cornell Law ’24), Law Clerk at Broadway Immigration Court
  • Jessica Wang (Georgetown Law ‘24), Equal Justice Works Fellow at MacArthur Justice Center

4:50 PM-5:00 PM

Closing Remarks from Carrie O’Malley & Melissa Fergusson,
Co-Presidents of the Public Interest Law Union

Location: Cornell Law School, Myron Taylor Hall, Room 184

5:00 PM- 7:00 PM

Reception

Location: Cornell Law School, Myron Taylor Hall, Room 184

Participants will have a chance to mingle and network with panelists at the reception.