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 2024 RACIAL JUSTICE Fellows
MacArthur Justice Center
LAUREN ALLEN-YANG
NYU Law’s Policing Project
JEREMY PETERMAN
Common Future
Nathelie Ashby
Acumen Fund
CHING-YIN CHEN
Managing Associate
Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution
New York
Lauren represents clients in complex civil litigation matters before federal and state courts across the United States. She also has a robust pro bono practice focused on the intersection of civil rights and the criminal justice system. As an Orrick Fellow, Lauren will use her advocacy skills to support the MacArthur Justice Center in protecting civil rights and transforming the criminal justice system.
“I am thankful for Orrick’s strong commitment to pro bono work and social justice, which has provided me with the opportunity to support the excellent team at the MacArthur Justice Center. I am incredibly humbled to have this experience, and I hope to enact real change through my work.”
Jeremy brings substantial advocacy skills honed over the past 10 years as an appellate lawyer at Orrick to his fellowship at NYU Law’s Policing Project, which focuses on combating inequality and injustice in policing.
“Working to promote equality in our legal system is deeply important to me. I am grateful for the opportunity to dedicate a year to thinking about more systemic solutions to inequality and crafting impact litigation from the ground up – all while continuing to grow as a lawyer.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
Seattle
Jeremy Peterman
After reading Acumen Fund founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz’s autobiography The Blue Sweater, Ching-Yin became fascinated by the idea of using venture capital investment as a tool for social change. As an Orrick Fellow with Acumen Fund, her career has come full circle, allowing Ching-Yin to blend her experience advising emerging companies and venture capital firms with her passion for social justice.
“I’m excited to use the skills I have honed as a lawyer to help an organization I have long admired in its mission to advance the causes I care about deeply. I hope to make contributions that will have a lasting social impact for many years to come.”
Managing Associate
Technology Companies Group
Silicon Valley
Ching-Yin Chen
2023 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
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.”
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
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
Lauren Allen-Yang
Lawyers’ Committee for
Civil Rights Under Law
NUNU LUO
MacArthur Justice Center
RACHEL SHALEV
NYU Law’s Policing Project
SARAH SLOAN
Planned Parenthood
OLADOYIN OLANREWAJU
As a cyber & privacy lawyer, Oladoyin helps companies develop best-in-class privacy compliance programs while mitigating and addressing cyber risks. She brought those skills to Planned Parenthood in a Racial Justice Fellowship to address issues at the intersection of privacy and reproductive health care.
During her fellowship, Oladoyin was instrumental in supporting Planned Parenthood’s privacy practices, including ensuring compliance with privacy laws and advising on the applicability of changing state privacy laws.
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. As a lawyer in Orrick’s Supreme Court & Appellate group, Sarah handled high-stakes appeals across the United States. Her pro bono practice has also included work on death penalty cases.
Through her Orrick fellowship with NYU Law’s Policing Project, Sarah worked on a wide range of projects, particularly in state courts in South Carolina and Oregon, including a case challenging the constitutionality of racial profiling and coercive stops in jet bridges at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. “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 and claims for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
As a Racial Justice Fellow, Nunu worked with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to try to secure equal justice for all. She played an integral role in a fines-and-fees lawsuit in Oklahoma that reached a favorable settlement. She also worked on an investigation in Florida, assessing the impact that legislation had on restricting access to education and educational materials.
“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
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. Rachel’s 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.
She drew on this experience to support the MacArthur Justice Center’s mission to make the justice system fair, accessible and accountable to all. Rachel worked on a variety of trial matters during her fellowship, including a challenge to solitary confinement in Florida, an excessive force and municipal liability case in Florida, a wrongful conviction damages suit in Illinois, an excessive lethal force and municipal liability case in Florida and a mandamus suit challenging denial of access to phones and attorneys for people in Chicago police custody. She also taught a seminar of MacArthur’s Civil Rights Litigation Clinic at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
“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.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
New York
RACHEL SHALEV
During her fellowship, Nathelie helped to organize an action lab to preserve Black/BIPOC-owned land and worked on a project to increase access to family childcare providers. She also supported Common Future with mergers and acquisitions, conducted legal due diligence for investments, and provided
day-to-day legal and regulatory advice.
“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
Our Fellows
and Their Impact:
Through the Years
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
During her fellowship, Nathelie helped to organize an action lab to preserve Black/BIPOC-owned land and worked on a project to increase access to family childcare providers. She also supported Common Future with mergers and acquisitions, conducted legal due diligence for investments, and provided day-to-day legal and regulatory advice.
“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
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 and claims for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
As a Racial Justice Fellow, Nunu worked with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to try to secure equal justice for all. She played an integral role in a fines-and-fees lawsuit in Oklahoma that reached a favorable settlement. She also worked on an investigation in Florida, assessing the impact that legislation had on restricting access to education and educational materials.
“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
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. Rachel’s 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.
She drew on this experience to support the MacArthur Justice Center’s mission to make the justice system fair, accessible and accountable to all. Rachel worked on a variety of trial matters during her fellowship, including a challenge to solitary confinement in Florida, an excessive force and municipal liability case in Florida, a wrongful conviction damages suit in Illinois, an excessive lethal force and municipal liability case in Florida and a mandamus suit challenging denial of access to phones and attorneys for people in Chicago police custody. She also taught a seminar of MacArthur’s Civil Rights Litigation Clinic at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
“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.”
Senior Associate
Supreme Court & Appellate
New York
RACHEL SHALEV
As a cyber & privacy lawyer, Oladoyin helps companies develop best-in-class privacy compliance programs while mitigating and addressing cyber risks. She brought those skills to Planned Parenthood in a Racial Justice Fellowship to address issues at the intersection of privacy and reproductive health care.
During her fellowship, Oladoyin was instrumental in supporting Planned Parenthood’s privacy practices, including ensuring compliance with privacy laws and advising on the applicability of changing state privacy laws.
Associate
Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation
Seattle
OLADOYIN OLANREWAJU