Seven 2026 Georgetown Law Grads Awarded Equal Justice Works and Skadden Fellowships

Five 2026 graduates have been named Fellows by Equal Justice Works (EJW), a nonprofit founded in 1986. Two more have been named Skadden Fellows by the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, established in 1988 by the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Both fellowships provide financial support for the recipients’ first postgraduate positions in legal services or public interest organizations. Awardees are selected through a highly competitive application process, and each year, staff from the Law Center’s Office of Public Interest and Community Service work closely with students on their proposals.

“In what has been a challenging year for our students committed to pursuing public interest paths, it has been deeply meaningful for OPICS to have the opportunity to support this year’s applicants as they developed their fellowship projects. We are so excited for them and know that they will contribute to Georgetown’s motto, ‘Law is but the means; Justice is the end,’” said Assistant Dean for Public Interest Programs Morgan Lynn-Alesker, L’07.

The seven 2026 graduates embarking on EJW and Skadden fellowships are:

Zoe Ades, L’26, Skadden Fellow at the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality

“The experience at Georgetown that was most helpful in preparing me for this fellowship was being a student attorney in the Appellate Courts Immersion Clinic. I received invaluable feedback on my writing, gained real-world experience with the litigation process and honed my oral communications skills. During my fellowship, I am most excited about working with and learning from attorneys and clients from across the country who are challenging the criminalization of homelessness and finding novel ways to fight for the rights of unhoused people.”

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Raissi Bysiewicz, L’26, EJW Fellow at Rise St. James

“My experience in the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic was the most helpful in preparing me for my fellowship. I had the opportunity to work alongside a grassroots environmental justice organization, hone my community-centered lawyering skills and gain real-time feedback on my legal research and writing. I am excited to work alongside the Southeast Louisiana communities that first inspired my passion for environmental justice and to provide tangible victories for my clients through direct representation.”

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Cole Miller, L’26, EJW Fellow at the Minnesota Disability Law Center

“The experience at Georgetown Law that was most helpful in preparing me for my fellowship was the Due Process Hearing Simulation class with Professor Kathryn Pincus. We spent the semester simulating a due process hearing about a student with a disability, which is the exact type of hearing I will be doing at my fellowship, and it really helped me decide that this work is exactly what I want to do in my career. I’m excited to work with partner organizations to create know-your-rights trainings and ensure they continue even after my two-year project is over.”

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Molly Pifko, L’26, EJW Fellow at Legal Aid Justice Center

“My experiences as a student attorney and research assistant in the Health Justice Alliance clinic were absolutely essential in preparing me for this fellowship. Getting to represent clients experiencing a range of health-harming legal needs taught me so much about health justice and holistic, client-centered lawyering. I will take it all with me as I start a career in direct legal services. I am excited to meet my future clients and connect with communities in Northern Virginia, especially by working alongside Legal Aid Justice Center’s amazing organizing team. I also hope to become a trusted source of information and resources during this chaotic time for Medicaid and SNAP recipients.”

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Susie Powell, L’26, Skadden Fellow at the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante

“Without a doubt, clinic prepared me the most for this fellowship. I participated in the Center for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), Georgetown’s asylum clinic. I learned so much about working with immigrant clients, and the clinic directors and fellows gave me invaluable mentorship and guidance as I was looking for fellowship opportunities. During my fellowship, I’m excited to travel! My clients will likely be working in different states across the country, so I’ll get the opportunity to meet them where they are. I’ll hopefully also get to spend some time at my organization’s offices in Mexico City and Oaxaca.”

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Elizabeth Ratcliffe, L’26, EJW Fellow at Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Practice

“Representing young people in Georgetown’s Juvenile Justice Clinic taught me how to provide holistic, client-centered advocacy and strengthened my commitment to centering young people’s extraordinary capacity for growth, change and redemption. I am most excited to represent young people navigating New York’s parole system and to help ensure they have a meaningful path home.”

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Emily Volk, L’26, EJW Fellow at the Georgetown University Health Justice Alliance

“My time working with the Health Justice Alliance (HJA), both as a student attorney in clinic and as an extern at the Cancer LAW Project, was instrumental in preparing me for this fellowship. Through HJA I got first-hand experience working at the intersection of law and health care, gaining skills and connections that helped me build my project. I am thrilled to be returning to the Cancer LAW Project as a fellow and continuing to support their mission to remove the legal barriers that so many D.C. cancer patients face. I am also excited for the opportunity to continue to work with incredible attorneys on the Project and with the wonderful community members who utilize their services.”