News
Equal Justice Works Proudly Welcomes the 2025 Class of Fellows
/ Fellows in Action
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 13, 2025— Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today named 60 public interest leaders to its 2025 class of Fellows. They will work at 58 host organizations—local legal aid organizations—and in doing so will represent people needing legal assistance and empower communities to thrive amidst crises in housing, health care and other areas. 92 law firms, corporations, private foundations, and individual donors have generously supported the important work of our Fellows this year.
This class adds to the footprint of 84 2024 Fellows and 33 cohort Fellows across the Disaster Resilience, Housing Justice, and Opioid Crisis Response Programs already in the field.
Each law school graduate in this class has designed a two-year Equal Justice Works Fellowship project to address unmet legal needs. Specifically, Fellows enable host organizations to address new issues or innovate to expand the services they provide, while gaining experience fighting for clients and empowering communities by educating people about laws affecting them. In doing so, these Fellows advance Equal Justice Works’ mission to make America’s promise of equal justice for all a reality.
“We are so proud of each of our incoming Fellows for committing to public service when they are needed more than ever,” said Verna Williams, CEO of Equal Justice Works. “The Fellows embody our organizational belief that the law belongs to everyone. With this dedicated class of Fellows, Equal Justice Works deepens the nation’s bench of passionate, skilled champions of justice.”
The Fellows embody our organizational belief that the law belongs to everyone. With this dedicated class of Fellows, Equal Justice Works deepens the nation’s bench of passionate, skilled champions of justice.
Verna Williams /
CEO of Equal Justice Works
Equal Justice Works’ Class of 2025 will affect change by working on key issue areas such as juvenile justice reform, affordable housing, and veterans’ rights. Example projects from the 2025 Class include:
Brionna Crawford, Youth Law Center, Howard University School of Law
Text-to-Give Fellow Brionna Crawford’s project at the Youth Law Center aims to mitigate the impact of child welfare and involvement in the juvenile justice system for children with disabilities in Tennessee.
Stephanie Iraheta, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University Loyola Law School
Stephanie Iraheta will launch the first medical-legal partnership in Southern California, which plans to address the social determinants of health, focusing on preventing prevalent risk factors for HIV.
William Kleisner, Community Economic Defense Project, Boston University School of Law
William Kleisner’s project seeks to protect tenants’ rights to safe housing by enforcing Colorado’s newly revised laws requiring landlords to provide livable housing conditions.
Charlotte Pope, New York Civil Liberties Union, City University of New York School of Law
Charlotte Pope’s Fellowship targets school surveillance technology and punitive school discipline in the Empire State. She plans to challenge such practices that infringe on student rights.
Taylor Reilly, National Academy of Social Insurance, Emory University School of Law
Taylor Reilly will work to increase access to much-needed Supplemental Security Income by making the application process easier to digest for low-income individuals, individuals with disabilities, and older adults.
In almost forty years, Equal Justice Works has awarded over 2,800 postgraduate fellowships to passionate public service leaders dedicated to serving communities large and small, rural, and urban, all across this nation. On average, 85% of Equal Justice Works Fellows remain in public service positions throughout their careers, building a pipeline of public interest minded legal professionals who are committed to our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.
Click here to learn more about Design-Your-Own Fellowships at Equal Justice Works.
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About Equal Justice Works
Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. As the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, Equal Justice Works brings together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, nonprofit legal aid organizations, and supporters to promote public service and inspire a lifelong commitment to equal justice.
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Emily Singer
Director of Communications