Fellowship Program v1

In 2020, we launched an innovative fellowship program to partner with organizations working on the frontlines to address both local community needs and national policy. Our first six Fellows will devote an entire year to working full-time on civil rights, racial justice and economic empowerment issues at these organizations.

The Orrick Racial, Social & Economic Justice Fellowship Program

MEET OUR FELLOWS

Ciarra Carr

Howard University’s Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center

Max Carter-Oberstone

NYU Law’s Policing Project

Roza Patterson

Law Foundation of Silicon Valley

Rochelle Swartz

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Andrea Mazingo

A New Way of Life

Walter Alarkon

Common Future

20 Junior Lawyer Fellowships

Nearly half of our incoming class has elected to devote 2021 to a fellowship with one of our community nonprofit partner organizations. Our Fellows will serve with the San Francisco Police Accountability Board, Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, FINCA, Howard University’s Thurgood Marshall Center, New York Legal Assistance Group, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, ACLU-Virginia, the MacArthur Justice Center, ACLU-NC, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, Public Aid Center of Orange County, Community Legal Aid SoCal and the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Virginia.

ORRICK SCHOLAR @HOWARD UNIVERSITY

We are excited to announce our partnership with Howard University School of Law to place an Orrick Scholar to teach and help lead the work of the Human and Civil Rights Clinic. Through this program, we seek to expand opportunities for Howard Law students to participate in civil rights appellate advocacy and build a pipeline for a more diverse appellate bar.

Tiffany Wright will serve full time as adjunct professor and supervising attorney of the Howard University Human and Civil Rights Clinic. She will join Ed Williams to co-lead the clinic. Tiffany also serves on the board of directors of The Appellate Project, which is partnering with the clinic to provide law students of color with resources to thrive in the appellate field.

As a first-generation Black lawyer and former Supreme Court clerk, she is passionate about increasing diversity in appellate practice and regularly works with community organizations to mentor aspiring and young lawyers. Tiffany also maintains an active civil rights pro bono practice; she and a team of Orrick lawyers recently secured an important victory on behalf of a Texas inmate from the U.S. Supreme Court.

“The rights of marginalized communities are cemented in our nation’s appellate courts, and for too long, there has been a dearth of Black voices in appellate practice. I am excited to work with Howard – America’s first historically Black law school – to train the next generation of Black appellate lawyers working to secure racial and social justice.”

Tiffany Wright

Supreme Court & Appellate Practice Washington, D.C.

Learn more about our pro bono program

Read more about how we are taking a stand

fellowship program

Ciarra Carr

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.”

Associate White Collar, Investigations, Securities Litigation & Compliance New York

Max Carter-Oberstone

Associate Supreme Court & Appellate San Francisco

Max brings a wide range of experiences – as a legislative aide, crafting laws that will survive judicial scrutiny; as Associate Deputy Solicitor General at the California Department of Justice, defending laws against constitutional challenge; and as a lawyer in private practice, litigating against unlawful government action. He will support the Policing Project on legislative measures and impact litigation strategies to make policing more accountable. “Police reform is personal to me. There is scarcely a Black man in America who has not personally felt the unchecked force of police power; I am no exception. I want to be a part of reimagining how police can play a productive role in our democracy.”

Rochelle Swartz

Associate Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution New York

Rochelle is passionate about protecting civil rights. As a litigator, she has drafted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court defending the parameters of the Establishment Clause (requiring an analysis of the intersection of government and religion), supported public health experts in defending abortion access before three circuit courts, and championed the rights of juvenile defenders in New York. She will 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. “One of the main reasons I chose Orrick after my clerkship [with the Honorable Steven L. Tiscione in the U.S. District Court, E.D.N.Y.] was the firm’s commitment to pro bono. This Fellowship reaffirms Orrick’s commitment to using our privilege and skills as attorneys to better the lives of disadvantaged communities.”

Roza Patterson

Associate Employment Law San Francisco

With a master’s in human rights, Roza brings a strong commitment to pro bono service to Orrick. She has focused on helping victims of domestic violence and unfair eviction and defending clients’ rights under the Criminal Justice Act. At the Law Foundation, she will continue her work on litigation advocacy and eviction defense on behalf of underrepresented individuals and families in Santa Clara County. “My passion for social justice, and to even be an attorney, is deeply rooted in my reality as an Ethiopian-American married woman. I was born in Ethiopia, a beautiful East African country, rich with unique traditions and welcoming culture, yet plagued by poverty, political instability, and human rights abuses.”

Walter Alarkon

Associate Energy & Infrastructure New York

Walter began his career as a journalist reporting on the intersection between economics and policy. As a lawyer, he helps clients develop wind and solar projects and build a more sustainable energy grid. He will bring that deal making and policy experience to support Common Future in its mission to create a more equitable economy and support communities of color. “I joined Orrick because I wanted to make an impact. As a person of color, I have felt the sting of low expectations from others as a result of how I look. Prejudices about diverse persons and their capabilities contribute to deep-seated inequalities – I want to help shift the narrative and upend those inequalities.”

Andrea Mazingo

Associate White Collar, Investigations, Securities Litigation & Compliance Los Angeles

Andi has long served on the front lines protecting families at risk. As an undergrad, she volunteered in an after-school program in a low-income neighborhood. During law school, she worked with children in foster care and advocated for policy changes to make the system better. And as a practicing attorney, she reunited a mother fleeing domestic violence in Central America with her child and won asylum for both. Andi will draw on her legal and policy work to support A New Way of Life’s mission to reform the family law system and mitigate the effects of incarceration on families. “It is an honor to support and promote the advancement of previously incarcerated women who deserve a second chance and who need help recovering and maintaining parenting rights after suffering so much difficulty.”