2017 Summer PILF Grant Recipients

Jonathan Schirmer ’18 Alaska Department of Law, Civil Division

Jonathan Schirmer will be spending his summer at the Alaska Department of Law,
Civil Division. His work will include a variety of subjects, from defending access to the
state’s enormous amount of public lands, to administrative hearings ensuring the
proper allocation of Medicaid for Alaska residents. While in Alaska, he will take
advantage of the numerous outdoor activities available, including fishing and whale
watching. He previously clerked for the Honorable Judge Pamela Washington of the
Anchorage Superior Court.

Lauren Abrams ’19 Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

Lauren is interning at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) over the
summer working in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and impact
litigation units. Lauren is an aspiring immigration attorney, and is especially
interested in how criminal law intersects with immigration law. Prior to law school,
Lauren participated in the service program Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC), where
she worked at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) as the pro bono
coordinator. Lauren attended Gonzaga University and graduated Magna Cum Lade
with a B.A. in Political Science and Public Relations, and a minor in Spanish. In her
spare time, Lauren enjoys hiking, skiing and exploring Seattle.

Sarah Kintner ’19 Center for Children and Youth Justice

Sarah Kintner is a 2L who is thrilled to be receiving a PILF grant to fund her
opportunity to work at the Center of Children and Youth Justice (CCYJ) this
summer. Sarah graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2014, majoring in both
English and Flute Performance. After graduating she spent three years working for
the Boys and Girls Club in Tacoma where she ran a Teen Center. There, Sarah
developed a passion for working to better the lives of underprivileged youth, which
led her to pursue a career in law advocating for them. Sarah is spending her
summer working with Lawyers Fostering Independence program at CCYJ. She will
work to improve the lives of homeless youth and youth transitioning out of the foster-
care system.

Janice Lengbehn ’18 King County Office of Public Defense

Janice is working for King County Department of Public Defense. Prior to this
internship, Janice completed an externship with Justice Mary Yu, at the State
Supreme Court. Following her time at the Supreme Court, she externed for Judge
Sean O’Donnell at King County Superior Court. Prior to coming to law school,
Janice worked for nearly 20 years as a social worker for Child Protective Services
where she earned a Master in Social Work and a Master in Public Administration.
Janice hopes to work in public defense after completing law school in 2018.
Amanda Filteau ’18 King County Office of Public Defense
Amanda Filteau is entering her third year of law school. Amanda is interning at the
King County Public Defenders this summer. Her work will be focused on
representing individuals facing civil commitment. She has an enduring interest in
criminal defense and disability rights. Prior to law school she volunteered for the
Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Last summer she interned at the Disability Law
Center of Alaska, Alaska’s protection and advocacy agency.

Emily Durban ’18 International Refugee Assistance Project

Emily will be in New York City this summer with the International
Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) at the Urban Justice Center.
Before law school, she worked within the field of mental health and
witnessed how access issues can profoundly and negatively impact
a person’s life. Driven by these experiences, Emily has worked
during law school to improve access to legal services for low and
moderate income clients. Emily is passionate about increasing
access in all sectors, but is particularly passionate about immigration
law. She is excited to spend the summer interviewing refugee
clients, assessing their claims for resettlement, and preparing affidavits and other evidence to submit on
their behalf.

Rebecca Schade ’19 Unemployment Law Project

Rebecca will be spending her summer at the Unemployment Law Project, a local
non-profit organization that offers representation to workers that have been denied
crucial unemployment benefits after a job separation. This summer internship
position will allow Rebecca to represent clients in administrative hearings, assist
staff attorneys in writing and filing appeals at the Administrative and Superior Court
levels, and research issues that affect the clients served by the Unemployment Law
Project. Rebecca’s background in social work inspired her to enter the legal field
with the goal of working with clients facing systemic injustice. Rebecca was a First
Year Fellow with the Access to Justice Institute, is a member of the Seattle U Moot Court Board, and is an
active member of the Washington chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Alex Romero ’19 Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

Alex will be spending his summer, as a legal assistant, interning at the Northwest
Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP). Here, he will be working within the Family
Service Unit department, by using different VISAs to help keep immigrant families
together. With a workload of 11 cases, he will write declarations, collect
documentation, translate documents, and perform client intakes. Under his
attorney supervisor, a Seattle University Alumni and a past PILF recipient, he will
exposed to professionals who are passionate about legally advocating for
vulnerable communities. This direct experience with the undocumented community
will further his lifelong childhood dream of becoming an immigration lawyer.
Lucas Riley ’19 King County Office of Public Defense
Luke Riley is a rising 2L, working this summer with the King County Public
Defense's office. This opportunity furthers his interest in serving his community by
representing its underserved members. Public interest law adds nicely on to his
previous career in service.

Kara Van Slyck ’18 Attorney General’s Office of Washington

As a rising 3L, Kara is spending her summer working for the Ecology Division at
the Attorney General's Office in Olympia, Washington. AG's Ecology Division
represents environmental groups, such as People for Puget Sound and the
State's Department of Ecology that are dedicated to protecting Washington's
natural resources and maintaining a healthy environment. Kara's work
experience speaks for her clear passion for environmental law. Last summer she
worked in Washington, D.C. at an environmental firm advocating for endangered
species and she studied environmental science and marine biology at UW. On
campus, Kara is the Co-President of the Environmental Law Society, a teaching
assistant for the 1L class, Co-Networking Chair of the Women's Law Caucus, and
a Notes & Comments Editor on Seattle University Law Review. Kara's Note about
genetically engineered salmon will be published in Law Review's first issue this September. In her free
time, Kara can be found cheering on the huskies at a UW football game in the fall or at the park with her
border collie, Molly.

Erika Rusher ’18 Washington Appellate Project

Erika Rusher will continue following her passion for public defense this
summer at the Washington Appellate Project. She will be working on
juvenile cases, civil commitments, and extending the right to counsel to
restraint petitions. Previously, Erika interned at the King County
Department of Public Defense in the Kent branch of the Associated
Counsel for the Accused division. Erika's passion for civil justice began
while she studied English at Colorado State University. There she
completed a capstone class in language in law and spent a majority of
her term researching the high rate of juveniles issuing false confession. She looks forward to a long
career of advocacy and activism.
Meron Habte ’18 International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Meron Habte, will be interning at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. She is interested in pursuing a career in
international law. She studied in The Hague and in Switzerland last summer and
hopes to go back there after graduation. She would like to specialize in Human
Rights and Criminal Law. In the long run, she hopes to settle down in Africa and
work for the African Union.

Natalie Reid ’19 Northwest Health Law Advocates

Natalie will be spending her summer interning at Northwest Health Law
Advocates. NoHLA is the consumer voice in the health care debate, aiming to
improve access to health care for all Washington residents in furtherance of
health as a human right. Before completing her first year at Seattle University
School of Law, Natalie had a prior career as a legal assistant and paralegal.
Natalie's professional interest include health care policy reform and consumer
rights. In her spare time Natalie enjoys watching documentaries and hiking.

Cat Carrico ’18 King County Office of Public Defense

Catherine graduated from Seattle University in 2015 with a bachelor’s
degree in Social Work with a minor in Criminal Justice. She is interested in
both immigration law and criminal defense law. After spending last
summer interning at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle and
participating in the Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic in the Immigration Unit,
Catherine is eager to learn more about criminal defense and how to
effectively protect her clients’ constitutional rights in the courtroom.
Catherine will be working at the King County Department of Public
Defense as a Rule 9 intern for The Defender's Association Division in the felony unit.

Hyun-Mi Kim ’19 Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Tulalip Office of Civil
Legal Aid
Hyun-mi came to law school with over 10 years of experience in working as an
educator and an advocate for immigrant survivors of human trafficking, domestic
violence and sexual assault in the San Francisco bay area. This summer, Hyun-mi
will be working as a legal intern to provide direct legal service at Northwest
Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) and Tulalip Office of Civil Legal Aid (TOCLA).
Alyssa Garcia ’19 Columbia Legal Services
Alyssa Garcia is a rising 2L at Seattle University School of Law. She graduated
summa cum laude from Seattle University in 2016 with a B.A. in Public
Administration with a concentration in Social Policy and Economic Development.
She has previously performed community organizing and program management
work with several local immigrant rights and community organizations such as
InterIm CDA and OneAmerica. Alyssa will be spending her summer interning with
the Economic Justice Project at Columbia Legal Services (CLS). As an aspiring
community lawyer, she is excited to apply her newfound legal skills to continue to
work towards achieving social and economic justice for marginalized communities.

Evanie Parr ’19 Solid Ground

Evanie's background is in nonprofit fundraising for local organizations committed to
social and economic justice, most recently at Real Change Homeless
Empowerment Project. She plans to pursue a career in public interest law. As a
PILF grantee, Evanie will be spending this summer with Solid Ground's Benefits
Legal Assistance program, which provides legal advice and representation for
individuals facing adverse actions regarding their Department of Social and Health
Services public benefits. While interning with Solid Ground, Evanie will conduct
client interviews and factual investigation, draft legal memos and hearing briefs,
and represent clients at administrative hearings. Evanie will also continue to work
for Civil Procedure Professor Coleman as a summer research assistant.

Katherine Means ’19 Be:Seattle

Kate will be working with local non-profit Be:Seattle on several housing rights projects. She will be acting
as a policy advisor on proposed legislation to increase transparency of rental prices in Seattle. She will
also assist with tenants’ rights workshops. Kate is also working with local homeless shelters to register
people experiencing homeless as voters. Additionally, she will be working with local businesses to
provide basic needs and goods to the homeless population through a project called The Pledge.

Samuel Wilcoxson ’19 Attorney General’s Office of Washington

Samuel, the first college graduate in his family, attended The Catholic University
of America in Washington, D.C. where he received a B.A. in philosophy, with a
focus on languages including Italian and Latin. Samuel worked as a counselor,
caretaker, and tutor throughout college for children of all ages, and for individuals
with disabilities. Originally from Dallas, Texas, after graduation he moved back to
Texas where Samuel spent a year working at an elementary public school as a
special educator in a rural town outside of Austin. Acting on a lifelong dream to be
an attorney, Samuel enrolled the next year to attend Seattle University School of
Law. This summer Samuel is volunteering with the Attorney General’s Office in
the Department of Social and Health Services in Olympia. Although Samuel is
open to many possibilities for a career as an attorney, he is sure that wherever his career takes him it will
involve helping others.
Patrick Booth ’19 Oregon Innocence Project
Patrick is a rising 2L. After studying biology at the University of California,
Berkeley, he decided to attend law school, in the hopes of becoming a public
interest attorney. Patrick is interning this summer at the Oregon Innocence
Project in Portland, Oregon. With the organization, he is investigating claims of
innocence from incarcerated individuals in Oregon.

Brittney Adams ’19 Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s

Office
Before moving to Seattle Brittney completed her Bachelor and Master degrees
at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. Her Master’s thesis, titled
“Untying the Knot: Feminist Expert Evidence in the Remarkable Polygamy
Reference Decision” is published in the University of Lethbridge archives and
she has spoken about the topic of non-monogamies in feminist research at
several academic conferences, including at the Congress for Social Sciences at
the University of Ottawa. Since beginning law school at Seattle University,
Brittney has spearheaded a local Chapter of If/When/How and actively
volunteers with King County Prosecutor's Diversion 180 Clinic. This summer,
Brittney will be working in the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office Domestic Violence Unit, advocating for
survivors of violence.

Margarita Kutsin ’19 Columbia Legal Services

Margarita will be spending her summer at Columbia Legal Services, a civil legal
aid firm that advocates for people who face injustice and poverty using litigation
and policy reform. Her work this summer will focus primarily on local medical
debt and racial equity issues. Prior to attending Seattle University, Margarita
was an Office Coordinator for Integrative Family Law and a Community
Organizer for Washington Community Action Network. Margarita was born in
Nijnij Novgorad, Russia and immigrated to the United States with her extended
family in the early nineties.

Tran Dinh ’19 King County Bar Association Volunteer Legal

Services Program
Tran is an international student from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tran is
humbled and excited to engage in public interest work. Ever since migrating to
the United States, Tran has been involved in social justice and organizing for a
more equitable environment. This year, Tran is working as an Intern at KCBA’s
Volunteer Legal Services program, a pro-bono volunteer-based service for low-
income King County residents.
 Allison Lee ’18 Disability Rights Washington
My name is Allison but most around the law school call me Allee :) I am from
Issaquah, WA and am an alumni of Fairhaven College at Western Washington
University. I am a rising 3L interested in becoming a civil rights attorney. I am
passionate about advocacy and have served people with disabilities, domestic
violence and sexual assault survivors, undocumented folks, and college
students all over Washington State and southern Arizona. I am happiest during
baseball season. I am currently using the PILF grant to fund my summer at
Disability Rights Washington with the Amplifying Voices of Disabled Inmates
(AVID) Jail and Prison project.

Edna Enriquez ’19 Disability Rights Washington

Before attending Seattle University School of law, Edna graduated from the
University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy of Ethics and
minored in Business Administration and Spanish. Soon after, Edna moved to
Seattle to start a career in the legal field. It is Edna’s belief that every person is
entitled to equal rights and protection and that belief is what drove her to attend
to law school. This summer, Edna began working at Disability Rights
Washington (DRW), a private non-profit organization that protects the rights of
people with disabilities statewide. As a legal intern at DRW, Edna had the
opportunity to interview dozens of clients through DRW’s technical assistance
program, conduct legal research for DRW class-action lawsuits, and monitor
conditions at mental health facilities in Washington.