Anne Dutton (’16) to Receive Equal Justice Works Fellowship
Anne Dutton (’16) has been awarded a two-year postgraduate fellowship through Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice.” Dutton will spend the term of her fellowship working at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, representing child asylum seekers in jurisdictions that deny children's claims at rates significantly above the national average. She will also foster development of pro bono attorneys in these jurisdictions, providing training and ongoing support for the legal and psychosocial complexities of representing child survivors of trauma. The fellowship will begin in the fall of 2017.
Having earned her J.D. magna cum laude last year, Dutton is on track to receive her M.S.W. from the University’s School of Social Work next May. While at the Law School, she was a Robina Public Interest Scholar, an articles submissions editor for the Minnesota Law Review, and student director of the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic. In March 2016, she was a member of the three-student Law School team that won the annual Clara Barton International Humanitarian Law Competition. The following month, she argued before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in a case that could affect thousands of asylum seekers.
Each year, through a competitive process, Equal Justice Works awards approximately 50 fellowships to lawyers who have developed innovative legal projects aimed at serving communities in desperate need of legal assistance. Fellows receive a competitive salary, generous loan repayment assistance, training, and additional support during their two-year tenure.
“I’m very excited to have this opportunity to continue my work from the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic and to draw on my background in social work,” Dutton said. “I’m grateful for the teaching and guidance of the Law School professors that prepared me for this fellowship, especially Professors Ben Casper (’97) and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin.”
“As a clinical student at the Center for New Americans, Anne became an extraordinary advocate for refugees,” said Casper, director of the CNA. “With her Equal Justice Works Fellowship, Anne will bring desperately needed help to countless more refugee children and empower pro bono attorneys to join this cause, too. We could not be prouder.” Added Ní Aoláin, faculty director of the Human Rights Center, “Anne’s commitment to undertake a dual degree in law and social work is evidence of her deep commitment to public law practice, and her understanding that legal skills are one important set of tools to bring into her practice career—but not the only set of tools. The unique skill set she holds as a lawyer and licensed social worker will be an asset to the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies.”
