02.22.23 — Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that Amanda Brea ’23 is the latest recipient of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship, which honors the legacy of the late Massachusetts chief justice by continuing his commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in the judiciary and court systems. The Gants Fellowship has a dual purpose: 1) to create a diversity pipeline to post-graduate career opportunities for qualified students who would benefit from the experience of clerking for a judge along with mentorship and programming; and 2) to assist in the expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion in the judiciary and court systems.
Brea is using the grant to fund her federal judicial internship with Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson, who sits on the First Circuit Court of Appeals. As a judicial intern, Brea is working closely with Judge Thompson and her clerks on legal memorandums, summarizing cases, trial and hearing preparation, and additional chamber administrative work. “I’m thrilled and incredibly thankful to be working with Judge Thompson,” said Brea. “This fellowship is allowing me to afford to physically and actively engage with chambers.”
The Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship Fund, housed and administered by the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, provides programming, mentorship and award stipends of $6,000 each to eligible students who have secured a co-op with a state or federal judge in New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine). Since the program launched in September 2021, a total of 15 Northeastern Law students have received grants. Brea is the final recipient of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship. Future funding will come from Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship fund, a new, state-funded program that is providing $150,000 per year to law students across the commonwealth for judicial co-ops and internships.
“Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race and Criminal Justice Task Force are grateful to Senator Will Brownsberger and the Massachusetts Bar Foundation for honoring my husband’s legacy with this scholarship fund. We hope students who otherwise could not afford to take unpaid judicial co-ops and internships will be able to have the opportunity to work closely with judges and the judicial community and consider becoming part of that community in the future,” said Professor Deborah Ramirez, co-faculty director of CLEAR, founder of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship fund, and head of the team that advocated for the Massachusetts Legislature to fund the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship.
About Northeastern University School of Law
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,000 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.
For more information, contact d.feldman@northeastern.edu.