In 2021, we launched an innovative fellowship program
to partner with organizations working on the frontlines to address both local community needs and national policy. Six experienced Orrick lawyers spent the year working
full time and at full pay on civil rights, racial justice and economic empowerment issues at these organizations.
The Orrick Racial, Social & Economic Justice Fellowship Program
MEET OUR 2021 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
ORRICK SCHOLAR
@HOWARD UNIVERSITY
We also partnered 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 is serving full time as adjunct professor and supervising attorney of the Howard University Human and Civil Rights Clinic. She joins 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
Contact us about our fellowship program
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.”
Learn More About How We Are Taking Action On DEI
THE ORRICK
RACIAL, SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
See Our 2021 Impact