Atlanta, GA – April 22, 2020 – Gideon’s Promise, a public defender organization whose goal is to transform the criminal justice system by improving the quality of legal representation for low-income individuals is proud to announce the 2020 Law School Partnership Project (LSPP) Fellows. LSPP is a partnership program that pairs recent law school graduates with Gideon’s Promise partner public defender offices for one year after which they are guaranteed a full-time position. Generously sponsored by their school, each attorney in LSPP is able to gain training and mentorship while simultaneously providing their public defender office with valuable human resources they might otherwise not be able to hire or retain.
This year 12 law school students will join the public defender community and work with some of the best attorneys in the country. The Gideon’s Promise 2020 LSPP Fellows are:
- Jamie Almallen. – University of Virginia School of Law – Richmond Public Defender Office (Richmond, VA).
- Willoe DeFuccio – Vanderbilt University Law School – Mecklenburg County Public Defender Office (Charlotte, NC).
- Emily Genzlinger – University of California Irvine School of Law – St. Tammany Public Defender office (Covington, LA).
- Stefanie Harrelson – Georgetown University Law School. – Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy (Frankfort, KY.
- Madeline Hillsmith – University of Texas School of Law – Jefferson Community Law Office (Birmingham, AL).
- Vivek Kembaiyan – University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School – Still She Rises (Tulsa, OK).
- Marjorie Lluveres – American University Washington College of Law – Orleans Public Defender Office (New Orleans, LA).
- Gabriel Lopez Low – New York University School of Law – Montgomery Public Defender Office (Montgomery, AL)
- Joseph Sandford – Vanderbilt University Law School – Knox County Public Defender’s Office Community Law Office. (Knoxville, TN).
- Jessica Tremayne – University of Texas School of Law – Nashville Defenders (Nashville, TN).
- Jeanna Wheat – The George Washington University Law School – East Baton Rouge Office of the Public Defender (Baton Rouge, LA).
- Annemarie Yaldo – The University of Michigan Law School – El Paso Public Defender Office (El Paso, TX).
Gideon’s promise President and Founder Jonathan Rapping and indigent defense expert states, “The Gideon’s Promise Law School Partnership Project serves as a critical pipeline between distinguished law schools and our partner public defender offices. This project ensures the next generation of public defenders and criminal justice reformers willing to serve on the front lines of the effort to realize equal justice in America. “
For more information about the Law School Partnership Project or Gideon’s Promise, please visit www.GideonsPromise.org, or call 404-525-4505.
About Gideon’s Promise
Gideon’s Promise is a 501(c)(3) public defender organization whose mission is to transform the criminal justice system by building a movement of public defenders who provide equal justice for marginalized communities. Founded in 2007 by Jonathan Rapping, the organization has grown from a single training program for sixteen attorneys in two public defender offices in Georgia and Louisiana to a national enterprise with 1,000 participants in 45 public defender offices across 27 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The organization’s initial three-year program for new public defenders has expanded into a comprehensive program model that supports public defenders at all levels of their career.
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