Claire Corcoran Award

AWARD WINNERS

- 2019 -

SAMANTHA THOMA
MARIETTE PELTIER

PILA is thrilled to announce the recipients of this year’s Claire M. Corcoran Award: Samantha Thoma and Mariette Peltier! These two recipients exemplify the spirit of public service lawyering in their many pursuits.

Sam began her path towards a career in public service prior to law school, when she worked as the regional manager for the Petey Greene Program in Princeton, NJ, working with area colleges and universities to train university students to tutor in prisons, while also working with incarcerated students to tailor program services to their needs. In the process, she discovered her passion for prison reform. Since arriving at the Law School, Sam has made a lasting impact within the school and in the community at large. In addition to completing pro bono work for the Innocence Project Pro Bono Clinic, she is the Co-President of the Program in Law and Public Service student board, has served as Director of the Virginia Law in Prison Project, has supported her fellow students as a Peer Advisor, and has completed pro bono for the Public Defender Services in Washington, D.C., and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project. Sam spent her 1L summer at the Office of the Public Defender in Alexandria, Virginia, externed during her 2L fall at the Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, and will be spending this coming summer at the Worcester Public Defender’s Office in Massachusetts.

One nominator writes of the ways in which Sam’s passion permeates not just her work, but her support for the work of others: "Sam is not only steadfast in her own commitment to public service—she is constantly trying to encourage others to pursue the same. In a law school where public service students tend to be the minority, Sam is a guiding light to students who want to pursue public interest after law school instead of a law firm. I had the pleasure of serving as a Peer Advisor with Sam and saw how she provided support for students in our section who were considering alternatives to law firms. I have no doubt that many students at UVA will have the confidence and determination to pursue public service because of the example that Sam has set." As another nominator puts it: “Being in service to others is not a career path for Sam, it’s who she is.”

Mariette discovered her passion for anti-human trafficking work while at the University of Texas at Austin, serving as a Criminal Justice intern in the Texas Office of the Governor and as a Human Trafficking & Transnational/Organized Crime intern in the Texas Office of the Attorney General, where she supported the landmark prosecution of Backpage.com for sex trafficking. During her time at the University of Virginia School of Law, she has pursued this passion through her pro bono work. For example, she has devoted nearly 90 hours this year to assist Professor Coughlin and Covington & Burling, LLP, to modernize Virginia’s sexual violence statutes. She has also served on the boards of both the Program in Law and Public Service and the Public Interest Law Association. Mariette spent her 1L summer interning at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, Texas, and this summer she will be working in the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

One nominator writes about the unique traits that Mariette brings to her work and to her community: "Mariette has a unique ability to think broadly about the big picture, as well as to dive deep into research for the smallest details. She brings high standards and professionalism to public service work and strives to elevate the level of respect that others have for public servants at the law school.” A nominator also stresses Mariette's character, stating: “Her commitment to doing the right and ethical thing extends not only to her passion for public service, but also to her kindness toward her friends."

Congrats to Sam and Mariette—we thank you for all the great work that you do and for your exceptional representation of PILA's values!

- 2018 -

SPENCER RYAN
ANDREW SEXTON

PILA is pleased to announce that Spencer Ryan and Andrew Sexton were the recipients of the 2018 Claire M. Corcoran Awards. Both students are exceptionally devoted to public service.

Spencer has already made a lasting impact both in the community at large and at the Law School. In addition to completing pro bono work for the Innocence Project, he is the Co-President of the LPS student board and took the time to teach a class at the Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center as a member of Street Law. Spencer spent his 1L summer with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and he will be working with the Department of Justice this summer.

One nominator describes Spencer as follows: "On the first-floor of our library is the following Robert F. Kennedy (Law ’51) quote: 'Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.' To me, Spencer fully embodies this quote. He realizes that justice is a collective effort and is committed to doing his part. Spencer works to right wrongs and attempts to improve the lives of all those around him – through large acts, as seen in his work with the innocence project, but also through smaller acts, like playing softball with friends."

Andrew started working in public service before law school with AmeriCorps in St. Louis, where he promoted conservation initiatives and responded to natural disasters across the U.S. and received the 2014 President’s Volunteer Service Award for his relief work. After AmeriCorps, Andrew volunteered with the Carson Hotshots, fighting wildfires to protect communities. Andrew worked with the Alexandria Public Defenders over his 1L summer and spent this school year interning with the Charlottesville Public Defenders Office as well, which have well-prepared him to spend this summer at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.

One nominator writes about the smaller acts of service between those work experiences: "Most recently, I was reminded of Andrew’s constant commitment to justice through bettering the lives of others and helping those in need when I learned that he spent his fall break in Texas helping to rebuild after hurricane Harvey. At a moment in the school year when many 2Ls might have simply taken a break, Andrew chose to fly to my home state of Texas and help the thousands of people along the Gulf Coast who had, by no fault of their own, lost everything. The most telling part about this act was that, when I heard about Andrew’s plans, I was not even surprised. An action like flying to Houston to then take a four-hour greyhound bus ride to Corpus Christie, TX to help the communities that were worst hit by Harvey struck me as exactly what Andrew would do given recent events. He would do all he could with the time he had to help those in need. He is truly a person of integrity, honor, and civility who seizes opportunities to help others and supports those around him."

Congrats to Spencer and Andrew!

- 2017 -

MAYA IYANNI
JENI POPP

PILA is pleased to announce that Maya Iyanni and Jeni Popp were the recipients of the 2017 Claire M. Corcoran Awards. Both students are exceptionally devoted to public service.

Maya has already made a lasting impact both in the community at large and at the Law School. In addition to completing pro bono work for the Innocence Project, she has dedicated herself to legal aid and immigration work. She did pro bono work for the Legal Aid Service of Broward County in FL and summer work with the Bay Area Legal Aid Housing Preservation Unit, where she will return for Fall to extern full-time. This summer, she will be working for refugee and immigrant clients at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant. In addition to being Co-President of the LPS student board, Maya also co-founded the South Asian Law Student Association and the North Grounds Minority Rights Coalition.

In the words of one nominator: "I look up to her as someone who epitomizes public service in the law, and am confident she will continue to create change every day."

Jeni started working with low-income communities before law school as a TFA teacher in New Orleans, increasing her students' passage rate on the Louisiana End of Course Test from a predicted rate of 34% to an actual rate of 100%. She continues to serve as a mentor to many of her former students. She completed pro bono work at the Orleans Public Defenders and spent her 1L summer at the Bronx Defenders. She is currently in the Civil Rights Pro Bono Litigation Clinic and the Immigration Law Clinic, and has volunteered at JustChildren. This year, she served as a leader of CARE and NLG. This summer, she will be at San Diego ACLU, working on challenging indefinite holds of undocumented immigrants in jail without arraignment.

One nominator writes: "Her infectious dedication to becoming a strong legal advocate, moreover, is only surpassed by her commitment to develop deep connections with clients so she can best serve, and understand, their needs.

Congratulations to Maya and Jeni—we thank you for all the great work that you do and for your exceptional representation of PILA's values.

- 2016 -

TEX PASLEY
AMBER STRICKLAND

Tex has worked on an extraordinary range of issues through his pro bono work with a diverse group of organizations—including the Innocence Project, the No Exception Prison Collective, the Virginia Legislative Committee on Mental Health, and the Legal Aid Justice Center. In addition to the LPS Board, he has been a leader in the National Lawyers Guild and a co-founder of the Virginia Law Prison Project. He spent his first summer working for Colorado Legal Services and will work this summer with the New York Legal Aid Society. In the words of one recommender, "Through his amazing work so far, Tex has helped countless clients retain their homes, jobs, and rights, and has helped countless law students become better public interest advocates. His enthusiasm is infectious[.]"

Amber spent the year before law school working with the International Justice Mission in Bangalore, India, combatting forced labor slavery. She remains involved with that organization, and has also worked many hours with the Innocence Project here. As an LPS Board Member this year, she launched the Program's blog. She has also been a leader in BLSA, traveling to Uganda on a service trip during 1L and organizing this year's trip to South Africa. Her first summer was with the Civil Rights Section in the U.S. Department of Justice and this coming summer she'll work for the Racial Justice Program with the American Civil Liberties Union. One recommender writes: "There are very few people that I admire in this world more than Amber, primarily because her work product is impeccable, her kindness is selfless, and her character is unparalleled. She is not only passionately dedicated to public service, but passionately dedicated to shining her light brightly to make the world a better place through her love and grace."

- 2015 -

MEGAN LISA WATKINS
KATE PERINO

Kate Perino has a history of public service and has devoted her time in law school to becoming the best public service lawyer she can be. As one of her recommenders stated, “Kate is a “true believer” in the public service community.” Before law school, Kate coordinated disaster response efforts as member of the UN Digital Humanitarian Network. Kate is one of the co-directors of the Immigration Law Project and spent her 1L spring break doing humanitarian immigration work in Arizona. She is also a fellow in the Law and Public Service Program. Kate dove into pro bono as soon as she got to school by working with victims of domestic abuse through the Hunton & Williams pro bono partnership. She will be will be spending this summer as a legal intern for the Safe Horizon Anti-Trafficking project. Her commitment and passion for public service is evident from any interaction with her.

Megan Lisa Watkins is a fellow in the Law and Public Service Program and served as a fundraising director on the 2014-2015 PILA Board. While she has continued to grow her public interest skills in law school, her commitment to public interest began well before law school. She spent much of her undergrad doing community service and spent three years before law school teaching high school Spanish through Teach for America. She spent her 1L summer working at JustChildren and will spend this coming summer at the Charlottesville Public Defender’s Office. As one of her recommenders stated, “her genuine commitment to child advocacy and her dedication to service” make her an excellent candidate for the Claire Corcoran Award.

- 2014 -

MEGAN DURKEE

Megan exudes the very best qualities of outstanding public interest work at the Law School. According to one of her nominators, “along with her impressive academic and professional work, she is a thoughtful and passionate person whose goal is to make sure that everyone has access to legal counsel, no matter their income level.” Megan’s commitment to at-risk populations started long before her time at law school. She was heavily involved during college with Madison House on main grounds, devoting her time to community service. After college, Megan joined Teach for America, dedicating two years of her life to teaching in a high school that served students at risk of dropping out due to being over-age and under-credited. While there, Megan won the Teacher of the Year Award. Twice.

Megan has continued to relentlessly pursue public interest opportunities, both within the Law School and in the community. Megan is a member of the Law School's Program in Law and Public Service, served as the Pro Bono Coordinator and President of CARE, devoted her time as the Curriculum Director of Street Law, and is one of the new Membership Directors of the Public Interest Law Association. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review. Outside of the Law School, Megan’s passion for helping at-risk children has driven her to give more than 190 pro bono hours to Piedmont Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), JustChildren at the Legal Aid Justice Center, the Virginia Innocence Project, and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. She worked for JustChildren in Charlottesville during her 1L summer, and will work at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia in the Juvenile Services Division this summer.

As stated by one of her nominators, “Megan is a fantastic candidate for this award . . . I can think of no one who deserves it more.”

- 2013 -

ROBYN BITNER

Robyn truly embodies the spirit of public interest at the Law School that we strive to achieve. In the words of one of her nominators, "in my fifteen years of teaching, I cannot think of a single student more committed to public service than Robyn, nor a student who excels on as many dimensions. Robyn is not just truly outstanding; she is ridiculously outstanding." Robyn tirelessly pursues public interest opportunities both within the Law School, and in the community. According to her nominator, "Robyn will follow through on her commitment to serving low-income communities. She is interested in working with low-income students at the intersection of education and juvenile justice. As she has put it to me, she wants to be of service to students who everyone else has written off. I have no doubt that she will dedicate her career to this interest, and I have no doubt that she will be wildly successful."

Robyn is a member of the Law School's Law and Public Service Program, served as a fundraising director on the Public Interest Law Association board of directors, and is the new President of the Public Interest Law Association. She is also the Notes Development Editor of the Virginia Law Review. Prior to law school, Robyn was a kindergarten and first grade teacher with Teach For America. As one of her nominators stated, "Any discussion of Robyn's qualifications and commitment to public service must begin with her tenure as a first grade and kindergarten teacher at the South Bronx Classical Charter School. Her passion for helping children has continued to drive her in law school, where she has given more than 150 pro bono hours to Just Children here in Charlottesville, and the Education Services office of the Colorado Attorney General. She worked for the Office of the Colorado Attorney General her 1L summer, and will work at the Education Law Center in Philadelphia this summer.

In sum, as stated by one of her nominators, "I cannot know for sure, of course, but I would bet that those who created and sponsored this award had someone just like Robyn in mind. It's about as perfect a fit as I could imagine."

- 2012 -

NINA MIRIAM SCHWARTZ
DANA LAUREN TAPPER

In the words of her nominator, Nina Schwartz “exemplifies excellence in service at UVA Law,” and “never ceases to work towards the betterment of the public service community and society at large.” Nina tirelessly pursues public interest opportunities both within the Law School, and in the community. According to her nominator, “Her true passion is women’s issues in employment and reproductive health. However, Nina has not limited her public service at UVA to these topics and in fact has gone far beyond in supporting the public service community.”

Nina is a member of the Law School’s Law and Public Service Program, served as a director on the Public Interest Law Association board of directors, and as director of membership development for the Law School’s American Constitution Society. She is an editorial board member of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy and the Law, and a co-chair of the Feminist Legal Forum. This summer she will intern for Legal Voice, and will complete an externship at the Northwest Justice Project this fall. Prior to law school, she worked as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill and as a legislative associate for the National Council of Jewish Women. After her first year of law school, Nina interned for the Employment Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

According to her nominators, Dana [Tapper] “has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to public service through her dedication to the cause of helping incarcerated youth throughout her entire life. Dana is a true believer. She believes the main purpose of the juvenile justice system should be rehabilitation, and has dedicated her career to making this promise a reality for children everywhere.” Dana spent her first summer in law school interning for the Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Defender Office. She has continued to complete pro bono work for the Public Defender’s Office since her internship concluded. Dana is the incoming membership director of the Public Interest Law Association, a Peer Advisor, and a student ambassador for the Virginia Law Office of Admissions. She is an editorial board member of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. This summer, Dana will work as a law clerk with the Juvenile Services Program of the D.C. Public Defender Service.