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Three endowed fellowships have been created to support students in their summer public interest endeavors as part of the Justice Advocates Coalition (“JAC”) at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.
The creation of these endowments marks a significant milestone for JAC, providing a stable and consistent source of funding year-after-year to assist students in pursuing unpaid summer positions without financial constraints.
JAC, founded in 2017 as a student-led initiative, is committed to empowering marginalized communities and nurturing law students interested in public interest law careers. Since its inception, JAC has sponsored 49 fellowships, valued at an impressive $140,750, with fellows working at esteemed organizations such as the ACLU, EarthJustice, Southern Arizona Legal Aid, and Lambda Legal Education and Defense Fund.
Two of the new endowments proudly commemorate specific aspects of JAC’s history. The Hegland, Silverman, Bennett, and Marcus JAC Public Interest Fellowship pays tribute to professors Paul Bennett, Kenney Hegland, Paul Marcus and Andy Silverman (’69), who played pivotal roles in the success of the Public Interest Law Organization (“PILO”), JAC’s precursor. Known as the “pillars” of public interest practice at University of Arizona Law, these faculty members diligently promoted awareness of the student-created organization and collaborated with donors to secure crucial funding. Bailey Martin, 3L, was named the inaugural Hegland, Silverman, Bennett, Marcus Fellow in summer 2023.
The Hammersley, Rutherford, and Zwart JAC Public Interest Fellowship was named after Mia Hammersley, Amanda Rutherford and Wouter Zwart, all graduates of the University of Arizona Law Class of 2018, who spearheaded the establishment of JAC in 2017. Second-year law student Konya Saidu was granted the inaugural Hammersley, Rutherford, Zwart Fellowship in summer 2023.
The third JAC fellowship endowment was made possible by a generous gift of $100,000 in the summer of 2023. This fellowship serves as a heartfelt tribute to the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, an influential philanthropic organization founded at the University of Arizona in 2014 that holds special significance for JAC. In fact, it was the Haury Program that bestowed the inaugural grant to Hammersley, Rutherford and Zwart during the coalition’s formative stages, fortifying their vision and efforts.
To contribute to JAC’s mission and be part of this transformative initiative, contact Megan O’Leary, who can provide further information on how to support and uplift the next generation of justice advocates.
See the full story here to learn more about JAC and the work it supports.
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