Fellowships Episodes

For the first time on Personal Jurisdiction, we are excited to speak to a state Supreme Court law clerk! In this episode, Jacob Abudaram shares his unique experience clerking for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawai'i, including how the history of the state impacts judicial decision making and why policy and advocacy work is part of his role. We also chat with Jacob about his desire to pursue a career in public interest and how his personal and educational background led him to seek out a Skadden Fellowship at the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Disability Rights Program, where he will focus on the intersection of climate change and disability rights and justice for the 2024-2026 term. Not to be missed: Jacob shares the secret to making delicious hummus and why he started a hummus business in law school!

On Episode of 55 of Personal Jurisdiction we chat with Megan Richardson and Lauren Myerscough-Mueller of The Exoneration Project, a non-profit based in Chicago, Illinois, which provides free legal services to fight for the wrongfully convicted and free the innocent. Although Megan and Lauren both currently work at the same organization, they took very different paths to get there--Megan started in big law and Lauren started as a public defender. They also both have awesome teaching experience, so their advice for law students and young lawyers is particularly helpful. Tune in to hear about these topics and more!

On Episode 47 of Personal Jurisdiction, we chat with Karla Johnson, Senior Staff Attorney with the Kinship Caregiver Law Project at the New York City-based civil legal services organization, Mobilization for Justice (MFJ). Karla shares the wide variety of experiences she had in law school that helped her find her current practice, how her Master of Public Health helps inform her work, the benefits of having a broad legal practice that touches on both litigation and legislative advocacy, why it's important to cultivate cultural competency when serving clients, ways she engages in self-care when her legal practice gets tough, why being true to yourself is key to finding work you're passionate about, and so much much!

Welcome back! We're thrilled to begin Season 4 of Personal Jurisdiction with Sara Coulter. Sara is a First Amendment Fellow at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. In this episode, Sara tells us about the "Rory Gilmore" generation, how traveling abroad to Oxford was one of the most memorable experiences of her law school years, why her experience in her law school legal clinic informed her view of the fairness of the law, and how diving deep into e-discovery helped her to gain the skills necessary to apply for a position in her dream area of First Amendment Law. We're so glad to be back for Season 4!

On Episode 44 of Personal Jurisdiction, we chat with Rachel Easter, Senior Counsel and Director of Federal Abortion Policy Initiatives at the National Women's Law Center in Washington, D.C. Rachel shares insights about the reproductive rights movement and how her work has changed since the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey and held that the United State Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. She also provides insight into per passion for this work and a well as strategies for how she maintains a healthy relationship with the work during difficult times. This topic could not be more timely and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we do!

In this episode of Personal Jurisdiction, we chat with Mark Feldman, Senior Litigation Attorney at the National Immigrant Justice Center, in Washington, D.C. Mark shares how his federal clerkships, Equal Justice Initiative fellowship, and time at the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition all helped him develop different skills that have been invaluable in his current role at NIJC. He also highlights what kept him in law school after wondering during 1L if law was the right path for him, and why it's important to never sell yourself short!

In Episode 14, we welcome Todd Belcore to Personal Jurisdiction. Todd is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Social Change, a national nonprofit organization committed to liberation and amplifying community voices through storytelling, organizing, and direct action. We talk to Todd about how and why he started Social Change, his views on abolition and liberation work, how the nonprofit responds to community needs in real time, and his team's work in policy advocacy, direct services, storytelling, and so much more. Enjoy!