Two Northeastern Law Students Awarded Equal Justice Works Fellowships

Henry McDonald ’23 and Alexis Rickmers ’23 have been awarded Equal Justice Works (EJW) Fellowships, one of the most prestigious and competitive post-graduate legal fellowships in the country.

Two Northeastern Law Students Awarded Equal Justice Works Fellowships

05.10.23 — Henry McDonald ’23 and Alexis Rickmers ’23 have been awarded Equal Justice Works (EJW) Fellowships, one of the most prestigious and competitive post-graduate legal fellowships in the country. McDonald and Rickmers are among only 76 fellows selected from over 318 applicants for the 2023 program, which pairs aspiring public interest lawyers with legal services organizations so that they can work on a two-year project of their own design.

Henry McDonald will serve his fellowship at the Justice Resource Institute in Jamaica Plain, Mass. His project will provide low-barrier, trauma-informed legal services to Boston-area young queer and transgender people of color by establishing a community-based HIV prevention medical-legal partnership. This fellowship bridges a long-existing service gap between two programs within the Justice Resource Institute: Boston Gay Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS) and the Health Law Institute (HLI). “I am excited that this project moves HIV legal services upstream, focusing on HIV prevention in a medical-legal partnership model. But I am even more excited that this project allows me to support queer and trans people in my community,” said McDonald, whose fellowship is sponsored by Pfizer.
>> Learn more about Henry McDonald’s fellowship

Alexis Rickmers will spend her fellowship working for Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. Her project will address racial bullying in Massachusetts’s public schools through direct representation, Know Your Rights training and working with school districts to implement race-responsive anti-bullying policies. Rickmers’ experience as a teacher and advocate motivates her commitment to working with students, families and districts to promote educational equity for students of color. “Students of color deserve to feel safe at school and to see real change from their peers and administration. I am honored to use my Equal Justice Works Fellowship to address this urgent need and empower the students of Massachusetts,” whose fellowship is sponsored by Biogen, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner.
>> Learn more about Alexis Rickmers’ fellowship

“We are thrilled that Equal Justice Works and the fellowship sponsors have made significant investments in our students’ important advocacy projects,” said Renay Frankel ’06, director of public interest and government in the law school’s Center for Co-op and Career Development. “Their work will contribute to crucial systemic change, and we are proud that Northeastern students continue to be recognized for their commitment to social justice and advocacy.”

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.