“Co-op allowed me to dip my toes into a lot of work settings and find my niche.
Kiman Kaur ’21
With a background in community organizing for racial justice and reproductive justice, Kiman Kaur arrived at Northeastern with her eyes on a career in social policy and advocacy. Kiman’s first year in the Legal Skills in the Social Context (LSSC) program, however, allowed her to discover a new passion: rigorous legal writing and analysis. After spending a year researching potential constitutional challenges to the equity provisions of Massachusetts’ emerging cannabis industry as her LSSC team project, Kiman learned first-hand how to combine her passion for justice and her legal analytical skills to be a fierce advocate.
“I loved puzzling through complex legal issues with a team of law students who were just as passionate for justice as I was. This experience left me wanting more,” says Kiman. “I decided to use each of my co-ops to further perfect my legal research and writing in different work environments. Co-op allowed me to dip my toes into a lot of work settings and find my niche. I would not have found my path in litigation if I had not gone out and done the work firsthand.”
Kiman’s post-grad plan involved a coveted one-year federal clerkship with the US District Court for the District of Utah and then she moved on to the litigation practice group at Goulston & Storrs in Boston. “I’m excited about being part of a team of hard-working and kind mentors who are truly committed to clients and giving back through pro bono.”
US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan
For her first co-op, Kiman focused on legal writing and research while clerking for Judge Victoria Roberts ’76. Working in a small team that included the judge, clerks and interns provided Kiman with insights into the rigors of being in chambers and how major issues are decided on a daily basis.
Kiman participated in the Northeastern Law Domestic Violence Institute’s special program for 1L students — the Legal Assistance to Victims of domestic violence project. Through this experience, she learned how to be an empathetic listener and a fierce advocate for victims of domestic violence.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiman volunteered to help individuals file for unemployment insurance through the law school’s Unemployment Insurance Rapid Response Project. She quickly learned how to remotely assist clients despite the many barriers presented by the global pandemic.
Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Civil Rights Division, Boston, Massachusetts
Through this co-op, Kiman came to understand the complexity of fact gathering necessary to move a civil rights case forward.
- Committee Against Institutional Racism
- First-Generation Law Student Group
- Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Student Association (co-chair)
In the Legal Skills in Social Context program, Kiman mentored a team of 1L students working for the ACLU of Los Angeles to determine potential legal claims that could be brought if the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was eliminated.
Kiman signed on for two research assistant positions during law school: one involving female genital cutting in the United States and its disproportionate impact on South Asian, Bohra women, and the other on infertility and human rights jurisprudence in India and Malawi.
Goulston & Storrs, Boston, Massachusetts
As a summer associate, Kiman worked with every practice group at this Am Law 200 law firm. This co-op resulted in a post-graduate offer for Kiman to join the litigation practice group
Civil Rights and Restorative Justice (CRRJ)
Kiman investigated three cold cases of racial homicide, including a female victim in Louisiana. Her work involved uncovering the truth and figuring out how to highlight and amplify the stories and lived experiences of each victim of racial violence — to honor their legacies and to find ways to bring restorative justice.
Public Health Legal Clinic
In this clinic, Kiman developed a research paper focused on ways to combat alcoholism and excessive drinking in Massachusetts through proposed policies that would reduce the public health impact of addiction.
- Administrative Law
- Anatomy of Autonomy
- Employment Law
- Federal Courts and the Federal System
- Reproductive and Sexual Rights
- Wrongful Convictions
National Asian Pacific American Woman’s Forum (NAPAWF), Washington, DC
For her final co-op, Kiman researched and provided feedback on amicus briefs discussing reproductive health disparities for Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls. She enjoyed working in an all-women space while rounding out her co-op experiences in a nonprofit.