Civil Justice Student Fellows

In 2022, the Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession launched the Civil Justice Fellows program. Designed to engage Stanford Law School students in research, writing, and policymaking across various aspects of the civil justice system, the Fellows program reflects the core values and goals of the Rhode Center. The Fellows play a critical role in shaping the Center’s priorities and pushing our thinking forward. We are proud of their contributions to original scholarship, impactful projects, and vital discussions at Stanford Law School and beyond.

Rhode Center Fellows Tackle Access to Justice

Learn more about our Civil Justice Fellows program in this short video

Current Fellows

Dana Alpert

Dana Alpert is a second-year law student at Stanford, where she serves as a member editor of the Stanford Law Review, the Co-Director of the Prisoner Legal Services Pro Bono Project, and the Vice President of SLS OutLaw. Prior to law school, Dana worked in the California State Legislature, passing landmark legislation on access to justice, gun violence prevention, and food safety. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Amy Elizabeth Cass

Amy Cass is a second-year law student at Stanford where she is involved with the Social Security Disability Pro Bono Project, Stanford Law Review, and the SLS Musical. Before law school, Amy graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in History of Science and then worked as a consultant at Bain & Company where she focused on healthcare cases. Amy is interested in administrative law and civil rights litigation. She spent her 1L summer at whistleblower protection nonprofit.

John Curry

John Curry is a second year law student at Stanford where he serves as a Senior Editor of the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Co-Director of the Project Clean Slate Pro Bono, and Co-President of the Law and Political Economy club. John graduated from Morehouse College summa cum laude with a degree in philosophy. His interests include legal philosophy, ethics, and political theory. John spent his 1L as a legal intern for International Bridges to Justice in Geneva, Switzerland.

Owen Foulkes

Owen is a second-year law student at Stanford, where he has been involved with the Clean Slate Project, the Stanford Law and Policy Review, and Law and Political Economy. Before law school, he worked as a criminal defense investigator at the Tulsa County Public Defender’s Office in Oklahoma. Owen received a BA from Harvard University with Highest Honors in History & Literature.

Harrison Hurt

Harrison Hurt is a second-year law student at Stanford. He is currently a member editor of the Stanford Law Review and volunteers with the Social Security and Disability Pro Bono Project. He spent his 1L summer interning for Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in the Southern District of New York. Harrison is a graduate of Georgetown University and prior to law school, he worked at as a management consultant at Bain & Company.

Kelsea Jeon

Kelsea Jeon is a third-year law student at Stanford. She is an editor of the Stanford Law Review and during her 2L year was a student in the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. Before law school, she worked at the Self-Represented Litigation Network and served as a Court Navigator in New York City. Kelsea holds an M.Phil in Socio-Legal Research from the University of Oxford and a B.A. in History from Yale College. After law school, Kelsea will clerk for Judge John B. Owens of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Micah W.J. Smith of the U.S. District Court of Hawaii.

Nicole Kozlak

Nicole Kozlak is a third-year law student at Stanford. She has served as Women of Stanford Law (WSL) Co-President, If/When/How Vice President, and board member of Stanford Law Association. Prior to law school, Nicole worked as a business and non-profit strategy consultant at Accenture Strategy. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in public policy in 2017. After law school, Nicole will be clerking for Judge Julie Rikelman on the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Lisa Lu

Lisa Lu is a third-year law student at Stanford. She spent her first summer at the ACLU of Northern California and her second summer at Keker, Van Nest & Peters and the California Attorney General’s Office. Before law school, she earned a BA in Computer Science from Harvard University and worked as a Research Fellow at the Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab and as a Software Engineer at Lyft. Her interests include equitable development, technology and civil rights, and access to justice.

Maya Rodriguez

Maya Rodriguez is a second-year law student at Stanford. She serves as Executive Vice President of the Stanford Law Association and in leadership roles of the Stanford Law Latinx Students Association, the American Constitution Society, and If/When/How. She spent her first summer with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Prior to law school, Maya worked in campaigns and advocacy in Washington, most recently managing a $7 million Independent Expenditure program for the 2022 midterms at EMILY’s List. She has her B.S. from Yale University.

Sarah Ryan

Sarah Ryan is a second-year law student at Stanford involved with the Workers’ Rights Pro Bono, Outlaw, the Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Association, and Stanford Law Review. Sarah spent her 1L summer at the Department of Labor’s New York Regional Office of the Solicitor. Before law school she worked as a legal assistant at Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, a plaintiff-side employment firm. She holds a BA in Social Studies from Harvard College.

Molly Shapiro

Molly Shapiro is a third-year law student at Stanford and a senior editor of the Stanford Law Review. She has spent her law school summers at the Center for Appellate Litigation and the Federal Defenders of New York. She was a finalist in the Stanford Law School Kirkwood Moot Court Competition, where she won the awards for Best Brief and Best Oralist. After graduation, Molly will clerk for Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and Judge Alison J. Nathan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Ross Snyder

Ross Snyder is a third-year law student at Stanford. He is Executive Editor of the Stanford Law Review and has served as a leader of the Social Security Disability Pro-Bono Project, Co-President of the Stanford Law & Political Economy Club, and a research assistant at the Stanford Center for Racial Justice. Ross spent his summers in law school working at the Appellate Section in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and defending against evictions in New York City with LSNYC. He completed a MPhil in comparative politics at Oxford and a B.A. in Government and History at Georgetown before starting at SLS. After graduating, Ross will be clerking for the Honorable Charles R. Breyer on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Jessica Wang

Jessica Wang is a second-year law student at Stanford where she is involved with the Housing Pro Bono Project and the Stanford Law Review. She spent her first summer externing in the District Court in DC and in the US Attorney’s Office, Civil Division, in the Northern District of California. Before law school, Jessica was a management consultant at Oliver Wyman. She holds a B.A. in Economics and Rhetoric from UC Berkeley, where she researched access to civil justice.

Brian Xu

Brian Xu is a second-year law student at Stanford. He is a student director of the Workers’ Rights Pro Bono Project and a member editor of the Stanford Law Review. Brian spent his 1L summer at the ACLU of Northern California and Legal Aid at Work. His interests include workers’ rights, First Amendment rights, and civil procedure reform. He earned a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and is pursuing a concurrent Master of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.