 Valerie Balch
San Diego County Office of the Public Defender - Multiple Conflicts Office
San Diego, CA
Valerie Balch is interning at the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender's Multiple Conflicts Office (MCO). The MCO specializes in homicide and other complex crime. Valerie and two other interns will work closely with an experienced attorney to defend a client facing the death penalty. The case is highly complex, with multiple defendants and charges. Her responsibilities include meeting with the client, organizing, reviewing, and cataloguing thousands of pages of discovery, and helping to formulate litigation tactics. She will assist the three other MCO attorneys in trial preparation and occasionally observe their court appearances. This internship is perfect for Valerie because her strong opposition to capital punishment drives her to work zealously for her client. Her previous internship with Justice Works! laid a foundational understanding of the injustices that sometimes occur in the criminal justice system. Valerie will now use her experience from grassroots community organizing and her legal education to help a client whose life is on the line.
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 Michael Biesheuvel
Corporation for Enterprise Development
Washington, D.C.
Michael Biesheuvel is working with the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) in Washington D.C., a national nonprofit that has been a leader in promoting asset building in low-income communities. As part of the CFED team, Michael is working in two project areas in particular: the federal Assets for Independence (AFI) program, and the Innovations in Manufactured Homes (IM HOME) initiative. The policy analysis he is doing involves consumer financial protection, home titling, zoning, tax incentives, and individual development accounts, and brings Michael into contact with the Dodd-Frank Act and other legislation, the IRS Code, as well as numerous federal agencies and the regulatory rulemaking process. For Michael, the appeal of development generally and asset building specifically is its potential to break cycles of poverty, strengthen communities, and empower people to realize more of their potential.
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 Kate Dannenbaum
Legal Voice
Seattle, WA
Kate Dannenbaum will intern with Legal Voice in Seattle, Washington. Legal Voice is a nationally recognized leader in the pursuit for systemic change to achieve equality and fundamental rights for all women and their families. The organization concentrates its efforts on litigation, legislation, and legal education of individuals and communities in several different areas: violence against women; health and reproductive justice; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights; economic justice and employment rights; education and athletics; family law; and civil rights. Working with Legal Voice, Kate will provide legal research, prepare legal memoranda, and investigate regional issues affecting women's rights. Additionally, she will staff Legal Voice's Self-Help information and referral line. This internship is an excellent match for Kate's passion to help create societal changes that are necessary to eliminate domestic violence and to address a multitude of associated issues. She is excited to join the talented and committed staff at Legal Voice and to contribute to all its focus areas and pursuits.
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 Alexis M. DeLaCruz
Disability Rights Washington
Seattle, WA
Alexis DeLaCruz is interning this summer at Disability Rights Washington. DRW is a private non-profit that advocates for and protects the rights of individuals with disabilities. Alexis will spend several hours a week responding to calls from individuals seeking assistance from DRW by interviewing callers, researching the issue at hand and providing information and referral services. Issues can include, but are not limited to, discrimination, civil rights, housing, employment, education, healthcare and government benefits. Additionally, Alexis will be working on a project involving the conditions of the state's prisons and jails by helping with legal research, document review and offender interviews. Alexis anticipates working on other projects including an investigation that relates to the enforcement of a class action. Spending the summer at DRW has already been a rewarding and challenging experience. Alexis hopes her summer will give her greater exposure to the area of disability law, her focus area. Alexis hopes to use the experiences she gains over the summer to bring awareness of disability related issues to the greater Seattle University community. Alexis is from Denver, Colo., and graduated from the University of Colorado with degrees in journalism and Spanish language and literature.
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 Cynthia Delostrinos
Seattle Office for Civil Rights
Seattle, WA
Cynthia Delostrinos is working as an Enforcement Intern for the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. As an intern, she investigates allegations of discrimination to determine whether or not an individual has been a victim of illegal discrimination. She also gets hands on experience working behind the scenes of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative. She is committed to addressing the racial disparities that exist within government institutions, and to use the law as a tool to promote equity.
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 Elise Fandrich
Polaris Project
Washington, D.C.
Elise Fandrich is working as a summer fellow at Polaris Project, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to combating modern slavery in the United States. Despite the widely-held notion that the 13th Amendment ended slavery in America, thousands of people are trafficked into sex and labor industries in the United States every year. Polaris Project is fighting human trafficking by operating the National Human Trafficking Hotline, providing client services, coordinating trainings for law enforcement, and crafting federal and state laws designed to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators. Elise is the first Seattle University student to participate in the Polaris Project Fellowship program, where she joined the policy team and is responsible for tracking, drafting, and analyzing anti-trafficking legislation; analyzing model laws and guidelines, and assisting in legislative advocacy.
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 Rubén García Fernández
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Seattle, WA
Rubén García Fernández is spending his summer working for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), the largest legal aid organization in the northwest providing legal services to low-income immigrants in Washington State. Primarily, he will serve victims of domestic violence in the process of obtaining U Nonimmigrant visas and filing petitions under VAWA (Violence Against Women Act). Additionally, he will be assisting on cases from other departments as needs arise. Prior to coming to law school, Rubén worked for a criminal law practice and the ACLU of Washington, and was also a Board Member at NWIRP. He is excited about returning to the organization where he learned so much, and looks forward to working alongside old colleagues.
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 Kamron Graham
Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO)
Pacific Northwest
Kamron Graham is working as a summer clerk for Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO). LASO provides free civil legal services to low-income and vulnerable populations. There is an overwhelming need for free legal service in Oregon. LASO served over 20,000 individuals last year alone. Though they served a high number of people, LASO still has to make difficult choices and prioritize legal needs. These priorities include basic needs (food, shelter), housing, freedom from abuse (including domestic violence), employment, and civil rights. LASO estimates that there is only one legal aid attorney for every 8,000 low-income, vulnerable Oregonians. Kamron will be working on a variety of cases including domestic violence, fair housing and a variety of family law issues. Her job duties will include client intakes, legal research, responding to issue on the domestic violence hotline and providing assistance during court cases.
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 Sarah Haywood
Unemployment Law Project
Seattle, WA
Sarah Haywood is working at the Unemployment Law Project (ULP) this summer. ULP is a non-profit law firm in Seattle that provides free legal assistance and information to people in Washington State who have been denied unemployment benefits or whose award of benefits is challenged. As a summer intern, Sarah will be providing representation for clients in administrative hearings. She will be conducting intake interviews, developing legal theories, preparing clients for the hearing, and potentially assisting with an appeal if necessary. Sarah is interested in access to justice issues and is excited to be working with an organization that is providing low income communities with free/low-cost access to legal representation.
Sarah grew up in New Mexico and graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California with a degree in Spanish and Diplomacy and World Affairs.
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 Elizabeth Hendren
Northwest Justice Project
Seattle, WA
Elizabeth Hendren will be working with Northwest Justice Project (NJP) in the Family Law/ Domestic Violence unit of the Seattle office. NJP provides free civil legal assistance and representation to low-income people and communities throughout Washington. Elizabeth will be researching alternatives to Chapter 26.09 (Dissolution Proceedings) for Leslie Savina, NJP's family law statewide advocacy coordinator. Additionally, as a Rule 9 intern Elizabeth will be assisting the Family Law/ Domestic Violence unit by conducting client interviews, drafting dissolution paperwork and parenting plans, researching and developing case theories, and representing domestic violence survivors in court during their Order for Protection and Dissolution hearings. Last summer, Elizabeth interned at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) unit, where she assisted domestic violence survivors with their VAWA self-petitions and U visa applications. Last fall, she co-founded the Incarcerated Mothers Advocacy Project (IMAP), a student-run legal clinic which provides free legal information and facilitated referrals relating to family law and domestic violence for incarcerated and previously incarcerated mothers. Elizabeth is thrilled to have this opportunity to represent domestic violence survivors in their family law proceedings and research alternatives to the current system under the supervision of experienced attorneys at NJP. She is hoping to dedicate her legal career to assisting low-income women with their civil legal needs, particularly family law.
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 Kimberly Lee
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
Washington, D.C.
Kim Lee is working as a legal intern at the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), the only national multi-issue Asian and Pacific Islander (API) organization in the country. NAPAWF is dedicated to advancing social justice and human rights for API women, focusing on issues such as reproductive justice, anti-human trafficking, health care reform, and immigration rights. Kim's projects with NAPAWF vary widely, ranging from putting together a manual for maintaining the organization's status as a 501(c)(3) to doing advocacy work against the Chris Smith Bill and sex-selection abortion bans. She is currently the vice president of SU's chapter of Law Students for Reproductive Justice, and she looks forward to bringing back what she learns at NAPAWF to Seattle.
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 Elizabeth Leonard
Attorney General's Office, Regional Services Division
Pacific Northwest
Elizabeth Leonard is working for the Attorney General's (AG) Regional Services Division in Everett, Washington. As a law clerk for the AG, Elizabeth will have the opportunity to support the office in its dependency, labor & industries, foster care and adult family home licensing, and community college litigation. Elizabeth will be learning firsthand how state agencies are represented in the adversarial legal system and will gain insight into how children, parents, and working people can be better served by the legal profession.
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 Thomas McKay
Northwest Justice Project
Seattle, WA
Thomas McKay will be working for Northwest Justice Project (NJP) with the Home Foreclosure Legal Aid Project (HFLAP). A partnership with the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA), the program pairs clients facing foreclosure with volunteer attorneys for representation. The attorneys are in turn trained and offered ongoing support through HFLAP. Additionally, NJP staff attorneys also litigate on behalf of homeowners to stop foreclosure sales and predatory lending practices. Thomas will spend his summer interviewing homeowners faced with foreclosure, assessing their cases for legal merit, and assigning qualified cases to pro-bono attorneys. He will further assist by negotiating with their loan servicers and trustees, with the goals of stopping foreclosure and securing loan modifications. In support of litigation, he will conduct case research and prepare pleadings.
Working for several years as a legal aid paralegal in Inglewood, CA supporting pro se litigants with eviction defense, Thomas witnessed the recent uptick in foreclosure-related evictions firsthand. He is excited about the opportunity to provide legal support to people of limited means while acquiring knowledge and skills in a new area of advocacy.
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 Andrew Repanich
Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons - Seattle Felony Unit
Seattle, WA
Andrew Repanich, as an intern for SCRAP, has primarily done research for motions, witnessed hearings and trials, and has been able to argue on behalf of clients for their probation violations. He has also worked closely with a death penalty case, involving researching broad and focused legal issues for litigating and mitigating factors. For the past ten years, Andrew has dedicated himself to public defense and working with organizations handling or looking to abolish the death penalty.
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 Sandy Restrepo
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Pacific Northwest
Sandy Restrepo will be working at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), a nonprofit, that promotes justice for low-income immigrants by pursuing and defending their legal status. NWIRP focuses on providing direct legal services, educational programs, and public policy work to immigrants and refugees throughout Washington State. As an intern, Sandy will be working primarily in the Domestic Violence Unit and providing direct representation to immigrant survivors of domestic violence seeking immigration benefits. Additionally, Sandy will be assisting in community educational programs.
Sandy is committed to working with immigrant populations individually and collectively, in a capacity that supports and informs them of their rights. Sandy graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in Latin American Studies and History.
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 Diego Rondón Ichikawa
Attorney General's Office - Labor & Industries Division
Seattle, WA
Diego Rondón Ichikawa is working for the Washington State Attorney General's Office with the Labor and Industries Division (AGO L&I). AGO L&I mostly represents the Department of Labor and Industries through litigation of appealed citations or client advice. He works specifically with a group called Employment Standards that focuses on issues like wage claims, child labor, farm workers, and prevailing wages (set wages for public projects). So far, Diego's time at the AGO L&I has been spent researching legislation for client policy concerns and interviewing employees, employers, and Department agents for litigation. His group litigates in different jurisdictions at different levels all over the State.
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 Frank Ruiz
Law Offices of the Public Defender, County of Riverside
Riverside County, CA
Frank Ruiz is working for the Riverside County Office of the Public Defender. He was raised in Riverside, California and attended the University of California, Riverside for a semester prior to beginning law school. Frank wants to give back to my community by connecting with those who cannot afford private representation. RCPD provides public defense assistance in felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, and certain civil cases. He currently works in the courtroom hearing misdemeanor arraignments, completing probation terms paperwork, negotiating DA offers, and has has the opportunity to translate for his supervising attorney with an in-custody client. Frank is currently the Student Bar Associations Washington State Bar Associations Student Representative. He is actively involved with the Latino Bar Association of Washington, volunteering at the monthly clinics doing intake for primarily Spanish speaking clients looking for free legal advice.
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 Marie-Gabrielle Schneck
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Seattle, WA
Gabrielle Schneck is working at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), the only organization that provides comprehensive immigration legal services to low-income people in Washington State. Gabrielle is interning with NWIRP's Tacoma office, which serves the Northwest Detention Center, a privately run immigration jail in Tacoma, Washington. Around thirty people are brought to the detention center and put in deportation proceedings every day. Ninety percent of detainees are unrepresented, and NWIRP is the only legal services organization assisting pro se detainees. As an intern, Gabrielle helps with the Legal Orientation Program, through which NWIRP provides "Know Your Rights" presentations each morning to detainees and conducts intakes with individual detainees to identify potential defenses to deportation. She is also taking on an asylum case and is responsible for interviewing her client, preparing the case, and appearing in court. Gabrielle is excited to be receiving mentorship in this important area of advocacy and grateful for the opportunity to provide legal support to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
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 Mina Shahin
Unemployment Law Project
Seattle, WA
Mina Shahin is interning at the Unemployment Law Office (ULP) this summer. ULP is a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal assistance and information to individuals who have been denied unemployment benefits or whose benefits are being challenged. She will provide direct representation for these claimants in their appeal hearings before an Administrative Law Judge. Her work includes client intake, preparing clients for their hearing, and developing a case theory for each client. She is excited about gaining real-world exposure to public interest litigation and thrilled that she is in a position where her assistance may make a critical difference for the economic security of a family.
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 Vasily Stepin
Alaska Legal Services Corporation
Anchorage, AK
Vasily Stepin is working with the Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) in Anchorage, Alaska. The ALSC is a statewide non-profit organization that provides legal representation to low income individuals in the community free of charge. ALSC provides legal advice and representation to (1) help resolve serious legal problems of low-income Alaskans, (2) promote family, social and economic stability by upholding the rule of law, and (3) reduce the legal consequences of poverty. In addition to helping attorneys write letters, organize arguments, and conduct legal research, Vasily will be conducting client interviews on a weekly basis. Also, he will be researching Native American subsistence living in Alaska and the effect of both federal and state laws on the Native tribes.
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 Meagan Tousley
Death Penalty Litigation Clinic
8th Circuit States/Midwest
Meagan Tousley will be working at the Death Penalty Litigation Clinic in Kansas City, Missouri. The Death Penalty Litigation Clinic (DPLC) represents individuals and offers support to defense attorneys representing individuals who are sentenced to death row. They specialize in post-conviction defense and mitigation investigation, and pre-authorization mitigation investigation, and well as clemency.
Meagan will be working mostly on a class action against the US government involving international law. It deals with the Vienna Convention of Consular Rights. The case has a trial date set for December 2011. She will have the opportunity to file motions and partake in pre-trial hearings. She will be working exclusively with Jennifer Merrigan, the acting director for DPLC. She will be able to utilize her international law skills and procedural knowledge to prepare the case for trial. She will also be given the opportunity to travel throughout the 8th circuit to attend seminars and workshops to further her death penalty education.
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 Anne Vankirk
Disability Rights Washington
Seattle, WA
Anne Vankirk is spending her summer working with Disability Rights Washington ("DRW"). DRW is a private nonprofit organization that advocates for and protects the rights of individuals with mental illness, developmental disabilities and other disabilities. DRW is located in Seattle, Washington and serves individuals statewide. Anne will be spending part of her summer internship providing resource advocacy for individuals with disabilities who have issues that include, but are not limited to, discrimination, civil rights, housing, employment, government benefits, and education. Resource Advocacy is a service that aids the individual with disabilities in self advocacy and includes information and referral services and technical assistance in regard to client-specific issues. Additionally, Anne will also be working on developing strategies for assisting both individuals and families of children with disabilities with compliance issues in special education secondary transition services. Finally, Anne will dedicate a large portion of her summer to work on guardianship reform which includes: identifying and analyzing initiatives around the country; developing content for education and web-based reference; collaborating with other committees; and developing an alternative to guardianship handbook. Anne graduated from the University of Washington in 2010 with a BA in Psychology.
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