TO RACIAL JUSTICE
SUSTAINING OUR COMMITMENT
“We felt a heightened moral imperative to really be thoughtful about the issue because we've taken an oath as lawyers and we have an ethical obligation to promote justice through the fellowship program.”
Mitch Zuklie
Chairman and CEO, Orrick
Chief Talent Officer, Orrick
Siobhan Handley
“What you say and what you do and how you act matters. And if you say you want to make an impact and you say you want to make change, you have to be willing to do something bold. You have to be willing to do something different.”
CEO, Common Future
Rodney Foxworth
“We're going to be able to begin deploying $800,000 of capital directly into communities because of the work that Walter has been able to do.”
“There's one thing about writing a check, and there's another thing about really creating real change and sustainable change.”
2021 Orrick Fellow who joined the White House Counsel’s Office in 2022
Tiffany Wright
Orrick Associate and 2021 Fellow with Common Future
Walter Alarkon
“Reducing these inequalities is not just something that we can talk about and end up changing. It’s something we have to work on every day.”
Executive Director, NYU Law School Policing Project
Farhang Heydari
“After it's out of the news and out of the headlines, how do we make sure that
long term we're setting the country up for meaningful change? I think one of the ways to do that is partnerships between non-profits, the private sector and communities.”
TO RACIAL JUSTICE
SUSTAINING OUR COMMITMENT
A NEW APPROACH TO PRIVATE SECTOR IMPACT
“There's one thing about writing
a check, and there's another thing about really creating real change and sustainable change.”
Founder, A New Way
of Life
Susan Burton
“I have found the last year to be extraordinarily meaningful both personally and professionally because it’s exactly what I feel like I need to be doing at this time, and a way to use my talents and my skillset to work on issues that I really, really care about.”
Orrick Associate and Fellow with Howard University School of Law’s Human
and Civil Rights Clinic
Tiffany Wright
“Reducing these inequalities is not just something that we can talk about and end up changing. It's something where we actually need to go and work day by day.”
Orrick Associate and
Fellow with Common
Future
Walter Alarkon
“We're going to be able to begin deploying eight hundred thousand dollars of capital directly into communities because of the work that Walter has been able to do.”
CEO, Common Future
Rodney Foxworth
“After it's out of the news and out of the headlines, how do we make sure that long term we're setting the country up for meaningful change? And I think one of the ways to do that is partnerships between non-profits, the private sector and communities.”
Executive Director,
NYU Law School Policing
Project
Farhang Heydari
“We felt a heightened moral imperative
to really be thoughtful about the issue because we've taken an oath as lawyers and we have an ethical obligation to promote justice through the fellowship program.”
Chairman and CEO,
Orrick
Mitch Zuklie
“What you say and what you do and how you act matters. And if you say you want to make an impact and you say you want to make change, you have to be willing
to do something bold. You have to be willing to do something different.”
Chief Talent Officer,
Orrick
Siobhan Handley
Meet Our 2023 RACIAL JUSTICE Fellows
MacArthur Justice Center
Rachel Shalev
Planned Parenthood
OLADOYIN
OLANREWAJU
NYU Law’s Policing Project
Sarah Sloan
Common Future
Nathelie Ashby
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Nunu Luo
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
New York
Rachel represents clients in high-stakes, complex litigation. She has argued successfully in federal and state appellate courts and has focused on tough questions of constitutional and administrative law as well as statutory interpretation.
Her pro bono impact has ranged from a successful Fourth Amendment case before the U.S. Supreme Court dealing with unreasonable seizures to a successful First Amendment challenge to New Orleans’s fines-and-fees regime.
Rachel draws on this experience to support the MacArthur Justice Center’s mission to make the justice system fair, accessible and accountable to all.
“I am grateful for Orrick’s support of my pro bono efforts and am eager to take that work to the next level, supporting a talented team at the MacArthur Justice Center that works tirelessly to transform aspirations of a more just legal system into a reality.”
As a member of Orrick’s market-leading cyber & privacy team, Oladoyin helps companies develop best-in-class privacy compliance programs while mitigating and addressing cyber risks.
She brings those skills to Planned Parenthood in a Racial Justice Fellowship to address issues at the intersection of privacy and reproductive health care.
Associate
Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation
Seattle
OLADOYIN OLANREWAJU
As a high school teacher in New Orleans, Sarah saw the legal system ensnare her students in a way that fueled her desire to become a lawyer – and now, an Orrick Fellow.
As a lawyer in Orrick’s Supreme Court & Appellate group, Sarah handles high-stakes appeals across the United States. She also has an active pro bono practice that has included work on death penalty cases.
“I am deeply committed to the Policing Project’s goal of encouraging transparency and racial justice in policing. I believe that the system can and must be changed, and I am eager and ready to do the work to create that change.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Sarah Sloan
Nunu’s practice at Orrick focuses on representing financial institutions in complex commercial disputes and enforcement matters. She also has handled a variety of pro bono cases, including asylum claims.
As a Racial Justice Fellow, Nunu works with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to try to secure equal justice for all.
“Through my work, whether defending a bank or working on an asylum petition, I have come to understand just how effective and powerful a tool storytelling can be in bringing about legal reform.”
Senior Associate
Financial & Fintech Advisory
Washington, D.C.
Nunu Luo
2022 IMPACT REPORT
Nathelie Ashby
Common Future
In Their Own Words
“The fellowship undoubtedly prepared me for my next role as Associate Counsel to the President of the United States. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity.”
Founder, A New Way of Life
Susan Burton
A NEW APPROACH TO PRIVATE SECTOR IMPACT
Common Future
Nathelie Ashby
Ciarra Carr
Associate
White Collar, Investigations, Securities Litigation & Compliance
New York
With experience both prosecuting and defending criminal cases, Ciarra knows the impact a single person’s actions can have on both sides of the law for generations to come – and the pressing need for policy-driven legislative efforts to address racial and economic injustice administered through the law. She will support the Civil Rights Center’s vital litigation and legislative advocacy efforts relating to police accountability, reparations and mass incarceration.
“The criminal justice system is not broken; it is working exactly as intended. I have witnessed this truth over the last seven years through both personal experiences and pro bono work in the criminal justice sphere. The criticality of federal and local policy-based support cannot be understated.”
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Nunu Luo
Sarah Sloan
Planned Parenthood
OLADOYIN OLANREWAJU
As a public finance lawyer, Nathelie represents public institutions in innovative financings for the public good. As an Orrick Fellow, she brings her finance background to support Common Future in its mission to deploy capital to underrepresented social entrepreneurs in underserved communities.
“As I’ve become a more experienced attorney, I look for ways to use my legal expertise and experience to make a meaningful, positive impact in communities of color. Orrick’s strong commitment to pro bono and social justice creates the perfect opportunity to help shift the balance of equity and make a real difference.”
Of Counsel
Public Finance
Austin
Nathelie Ashby
MacArthur Justice
Center
Rachel Shalev
Ben began his career teaching English at a public high school for three years before moving to education policy advocacy for a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. During law school, he was a fellow in UVA’s Program in Law and Public Service and completed internships with Legal Aid, the Department of Justice and the New Orleans Public Defenders Office. And as an Orrick associate, he has maintained an active pro bono practice while also driving our Washington, D.C., office’s annual Legal Aid fundraiser. Ben will draw on his legal and advocacy work to support the Lawyers’ Committee’s Criminal Justice Project in its mission to challenge racial disparities within the criminal justice system that result from the criminalization of poverty and contribute to mass incarceration.
“I wanted to be an Orrick Fellow because I believe that an equitable justice system is necessary for the rule of law. I'm most excited about working to ensure all people, no matter their race or background, have access to equal justice.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
Ben began his career teaching English at a public high school for three years before moving to education policy advocacy for a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. During law school, he was a fellow in UVA’s Program in Law and Public Service and completed internships with Legal Aid, the Department of Justice and the New Orleans Public Defenders Office. And as an Orrick associate, he has maintained an active pro bono practice while also driving our Washington, D.C., office’s annual Legal Aid fundraiser. Ben will draw on his legal and advocacy work to support the Lawyers’ Committee’s Criminal Justice Project in its mission to challenge racial disparities within the criminal justice system that result from the criminalization of poverty and contribute to mass incarceration.
“I wanted to be an Orrick Fellow because I believe that an equitable justice system is necessary for the rule of law. I'm most excited about working to ensure all people, no matter their race or background, have access to equal justice.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
Ben began his career teaching English at a public high school for three years before moving to education policy advocacy for a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. During law school, he was a fellow in UVA’s Program in Law and Public Service and completed internships with Legal Aid, the Department of Justice and the New Orleans Public Defenders Office. And as an Orrick associate, he has maintained an active pro bono practice while also driving our Washington, D.C., office’s annual Legal Aid fundraiser. Ben will draw on his legal and advocacy work to support the Lawyers’ Committee’s Criminal Justice Project in its mission to challenge racial disparities within the criminal justice system that result from the criminalization of poverty and contribute to mass incarceration.
“I wanted to be an Orrick Fellow because I believe that an equitable justice system is necessary for the rule of law. I'm most excited about working to ensure all people, no matter their race or background, have access to equal justice.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
Ben began his career teaching English at a public high school for three years before moving to education policy advocacy for a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. During law school, he was a fellow in UVA’s Program in Law and Public Service and completed internships with Legal Aid, the Department of Justice and the New Orleans Public Defenders Office. And as an Orrick associate, he has maintained an active pro bono practice while also driving our Washington, D.C., office’s annual Legal Aid fundraiser. Ben will draw on his legal and advocacy work to support the Lawyers’ Committee’s Criminal Justice Project in its mission to challenge racial disparities within the criminal justice system that result from the criminalization of poverty and contribute to mass incarceration.
“I wanted to be an Orrick Fellow because I believe that an equitable justice system is necessary for the rule of law. I'm most excited about working to ensure all people, no matter their race or background, have access to equal justice.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
Meet Our 2022 Fellows
Common Future
Nathelie Ashby
The Orrick Racial Justice Fellowship Program is a four-year commitment to place five experienced Orrick lawyers each year with innovative organizations working on the frontlines to advance a more just and equitable society. The impact has been meaningful – but the work has only begun.
The Orrick Racial Justice Fellowship Program is a four-year commitment to place five experienced Orrick lawyers each year with innovative organizations working on the frontlines to advance a more just and equitable society. The impact has been meaningful – but the work has only begun.
Best Diversity Initiative
The American Lawyer
2022
Rachel Shalev
NYU Law’s
Policing Project
A New Way of Life
Andrea Mazingo
Lawyers’ Committee for
Civil Rights Under Law
Ben Aiken
Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Natasha Harper
NYU Law's Policing Project
Paul Meyer
Paul joined the litigation team at the Policing Project, an organization at NYU’s School of Law that works with police departments, local governments and communities to promote just and effective policing.
Paul’s casework ranged from fighting unconstitutional race-based police stops at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta to a South Carolina lawsuit alleging unconstitutional police surveillance. He drafted an amicus brief in a lawsuit challenging a DNA database in New York.
“To be immediately thrust out of my comfort zone as an appellate lawyer has been rejuvenating and rewarding,” he said. “It has been extraordinary for me to see just how much of an impact one fully dedicated, fairly experienced, totally immersed attorney can have on a small litigation team.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
San Francisco
Paul Meyer
At the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, Natasha focused on environmental justice for disadvantaged communities, including advocating for a neighborhood subject to lead pollution from a nearby airport.
She also challenged involuntary commitments to mental health hospitals, helped disabled clients pursue benefits and negotiated on behalf of an at-risk student facing expulsion.
“You see those things and think, ‘Oh, it’s a small thing I could do,’ but it makes a huge impact on that family and maybe changes the trajectory of that child’s life,” Natasha said. “Does he end up in juvenile detention later on or does he end up at a new school with a fresh start?
“We think about racial justice and it often evokes these big issues – mass incarceration and all the things that are on the news. What I’ve realized in my fellowship is that you can have a huge impact in smaller areas.”
Managing Associate
Employment Law
Los Angeles
Natasha Harper
Andi devoted a second year as a Racial Justice Fellow with A New Way of Life so she could continue to do important work with this Los Angeles nonprofit.
Andi helped the organization support formerly incarcerated women, including those seeking reunification with their children, fighting a practice of family separation that disproportionately affects Black and Latinx parents.
In addition to serving individual clients, she grew and strengthened a practice that connects clients with services like housing and substance-abuse programs. She also trained lawyers on family reunification law and advanced broader reforms to family separation policies at the local, state and federal level.
“I’m grateful to Orrick for giving me time as a Racial Justice Fellow to help confront systemic biases that threaten families,” Andi said. “Working together, we can make a difference.”
Senior Associate
White Collar
Los Angeles
Andrea Mazingo
In 2021, vandals targeted a mural of Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Virginia. Ben devoted part of his fellowship with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to suing white nationalists blamed for the vandalism to impose “financial consequences for the harm they impose.”
Ben also worked on a death row case and collaborated with Orrick colleagues on a case involving a robocall campaign targeting Black voters in the leadup to the 2020 presidential election.
“The fellowship was a real opportunity to be able to do some of the work I’d always wanted to do while still maintaining my role at Orrick,” Ben said.
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
Nathelie spent 2022 embedded with Common Future, an organization that works to close the racial wealth gap, and continued working there as a Fellow in 2023.
Nathelie helped Common Future broaden its reach and impact by advising on its merger with Uncharted, a social impact accelerator focused on income inequality, and its acquisition of Community Credit Lab, a nonprofit that facilitates loans for people who have faced discrimination in the financial system.
She also provided capital-strategies counsel and due diligence for investments, reviewed grants and contracts, and provided advice on a range of topics, playing the critical role of general counsel for this high-performing organization.
“I really want to be making an impact in things that are important to me and for people who look like me,” she said. “This fellowship gave me a chance to do that and to use my legal expertise and skills to make a difference for those without access to capital.”
Of Counsel
Public Finance
Austin
Nathelie Ashby
Lawyers’ Committee for
Civil Rights Under Law
Ben Aiken
NYU Law's Policing Project
Paul Meyer
Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Natasha Harper
A New Way of Life
Andrea Mazingo
As a public finance lawyer, Nathelie represents public institutions in innovative financings for the public good. As an Orrick Fellow, she brings her finance background to support Common Future in its mission to deploy capital to underrepresented social entrepreneurs in underserved communities.
“As I’ve become a more experienced attorney, I look for ways to use my legal expertise and experience to make a meaningful, positive impact in communities of color. Orrick’s strong commitment to pro bono and social justice creates the perfect opportunity to help shift the balance of equity and make a real difference.”
Of Counsel
Public Finance
Austin
Nathelie Ashby
Nathelie spent 2022 embedded with Common Future, an organization that works to close the racial wealth gap, and continued working there as a Fellow in 2023.
Nathelie helped Common Future broaden its reach and impact by advising on its merger with Uncharted, a social impact accelerator focused on income inequality, and its acquisition of Community Credit Lab, a nonprofit that facilitates loans for people who have faced discrimination in the financial system.
She also provided capital-strategies counsel and due diligence for investments, reviewed grants and contracts, and provided advice on a range of topics, playing the critical role of general counsel for this high-performing organization.“
I really want to be making an impact in things that are important to me and for people who look like me,” she said. “This fellowship gave me a chance to do that and to use my legal expertise and skills to make a difference for those without access to capital.”
Of Counsel
Public Finance
Austin
Nathelie Ashby
In 2021, vandals targeted a mural of Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Virginia. Ben devoted part of his fellowship with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to suing white nationalists blamed for the vandalism to impose “financial consequences for the harm they impose.”
Ben also worked on a death row case and collaborated with Orrick colleagues on a case involving a robocall campaign targeting Black voters in the leadup to the 2020 presidential election.
“The fellowship was a real opportunity to be able to do some of the work I’d always wanted to do while still maintaining my role at Orrick,” Ben said.
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
In 2021, vandals targeted a mural of Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Virginia. Ben devoted part of his fellowship with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to suing white nationalists blamed for the vandalism to impose “financial consequences for the harm they impose.”
Ben also worked on a death row case and collaborated with Orrick colleagues on a case involving a robocall campaign targeting Black voters in the leadup to the 2020 presidential election.
“The fellowship was a real opportunity to be able to do some of the work I’d always wanted to do while still maintaining my role at Orrick,” Ben said.
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
In 2021, vandals targeted a mural of Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Virginia. Ben devoted part of his fellowship with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to suing white nationalists blamed for the vandalism to impose “financial consequences for the harm they impose.”
Ben also worked on a death row case and collaborated with Orrick colleagues on a case involving a robocall campaign targeting Black voters in the leadup to the 2020 presidential election.
“The fellowship was a real opportunity to be able to do some of the work I’d always wanted to do while still maintaining my role at Orrick,” Ben said.
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Washington, D.C.
Ben Aiken
Meet Our 2023 Racial Justice Fellows
Our 2022 Racial Justice Fellows share learnings from their work on the frontlines to make our communities more equitable and inclusive.
Report From The Field
Why we created the fellowship program
Report From The Field
Our Fellows
and Their Impact:
Through the Years
THE ORRICK
RACIAL, SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
