Public Interest Law Career Academy: Pathways to Public Interest Law

Check In and Breakfast

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, The Moot Court Room 390

Opening Remarks from Gabriela Dimaté & Paxton Trevett,
Co-Presidents of the Public Interest Law Union

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, The Moot Court Room 390

Keynote Address from Jessica H. Kim

Distinguished Practitioner in Residence and Rule of Law Fellow, Former U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression.

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, The Moot Court Room 390

Panel 1A: Public Defense

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, The Moot Court Room 390

Learn from attorneys working in different areas of public defense as they discuss the wide range of work the field encompasses, the rewards of client advocacy, and the challenges they encounter in the field.

Moderator: Gabriela Dimaté, Co-President, Public Interest Law Union

Panelists:

• Molly Lauterback (Cornell B.A. ‘10, NYU Law ‘16), Senior Staff Attorney, Brooklyn Defender Services (Immigration Unit)
• Rachel Goldberg (NYU Law ‘12), Clinical Professor of Law, Appellate Criminal Defense Clinic
• Miriam Mars (Cornell Law ‘24), Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society (Immigration Unit)
• Carlton E. Williams (Wisconsin Law ‘06), Associate Clinical Professor of Law. Movement Lawyer (pro bono criminal and civil defense)

Panel 1B: Public Interest in Academia

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, Room 290

Join Cornell Law faculty as they share their paths through public interest law, reflect on the experiences that shaped their careers, and explore how they continue to champion public interest work in academia.

Moderator: Carrie O’Malley, Student Advisor, Public Interest Law Union

Panelists:

• Estelle McKee (Columbia Law ‘95), Clinical Professor of Law, Asylum and Convention Against Torture Clinic
• Sheri Lynn Johnson (Yale Law ‘79), James and Mark Flanagan Professor of Law, Death Penalty Project
• Angela Cornell (Washington Law ‘89), Clinical Professor of Law, Labor Law Clinic
• Jessica H. Kim (Ohio State Law ‘11), Distinguished Practitioner in Residence and Rule of Law Fellow

Lunch Break

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, The Atrium

Panel 2A: Public Interest Universes

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, Room 290

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

Moderator: Paxton Trevett, Co-President, Public Interest Law Union
Panelists:

• Julia Mizutani (Georgetown Law ‘19), Law Research, Instruction, and Liaison Librarian; Adjunct Professor of Law. Former civil rights attorney at the ACLU of Washington.
• Nav Dayanand (Cornell Law ‘04), Senior Director, The Nature Conservancy
• Mimi Whittaker (Cornell Law ‘24), Legal Fellow, National Employment Law, Cornell Law Rhodes Scholar
• Leslie Wheelock (Cornell Law ‘84), Tribal Strategy and Business Advisor, Wheelock Consulting PLLC

Panel 2B: Government Work

Location: Myron Taylor Hall, Room G90

Hear from seasoned attorneys who have served across various sectors of government as they share what they’ve enjoyed, the challenges they’ve faced, and the key lessons they’ve learned from their public service.

Moderator: Sydney Jessup, Vice President, Public Interest Law Union

Panelists:

• Mackenzie Hayes, (Vanderbilt Law ‘19), Assistant District Attorney, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
• Julie B. Friedman (Cornell B.S. ‘88, Cornell Law ‘93), Deputy Chief Attorney (Mental Hygiene Legal Services), NYS Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department.
• Daniel R. Alonso (Cornell B.A. ‘87, NYU Law ‘90), Adjunct Professor of Law, Former Chief Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan District Office and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York

Financing a Career in Public Interest Law: Understanding Cornell’s LRAP Program

Location: Cornell Law School, Myron Taylor Hall, Room 290

A presentation by Cornell Law School’s Financial Aid Office on the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) and the financial strategies that make long-term public interest careers possible.

Closing Remarks from Gabriela Dimaté & Paxton Trevett,
Co-Presidents of the Public Interest Law Union

Location: Cornell Law School, Myron Taylor Hall, Room 290