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SKILL SHARPENER
Summer Grants Allow Pepperdine Law Students to Do Local Public Interest Work [by Erica Winter] Virginia Monken was one of the first recipients last year of a law school monetary award allowing her to do unpaid public interest work during the summer after her first year at Pepperdine University School of Law. Monken also received a law student organization fellowship last summer, which meant she did not have to take another job to make ends meet.
The combined grant money “completely made
that works on a myriad of issues, including
helped one of the clients who is from a part of
it possible” to do public interest immigra-
employment rights, housing issues, eldercare
India where there is a great deal of violence
tion work over the summer with the group El
issues, and Holocaust reparations. Azod will
between Muslims and Hindus apply for asy-
Rescate in Los Angeles, says Monken.
rotate through every department, he says. He
lum on religious grounds.
will do client intake interviews and then most Recent years have seen increased attention
likely work on housing issues.
to aiding students at Pepperdine Law inter-
Monken also helped with immigration cases of women being abused by their husbands,
ested in public interest legal work. “Over the
Before going to law school, Azod volun-
who are citizens. Since immigration appli-
last two years, there has been a big improve-
teered with Bet Tzedek, doing translation
cations for family members usually need a
ment” in public interest funding at Pepper-
of documents in German for the Holocaust
family sponsor, abused women are some-
dine, says Monken. The law school’s new
reparations project. Azod, waiting for his U.S.
times denied citizenship applications by their
Dean, Kenneth Starr, “has been really helpful
citizenship to come through before apply-
spouses. If the women and their advocates
in making sure more money is being allotted
ing to law school (he is originally from Iran),
can prove the abuse, then the women can
to this,” she adds.
worked as a stockbroker for Morgan Stanley
“self-petition” for citizenship, without their
and then was an accountant.
husbands’ aid.
Pepperdine Law to help repay loans of gradu-
After graduation, Azod would like to do public
Monken speaks Spanish, as do the majority
ates who go into low-paying public interest
interest litigation. “That’s the reason I came
of El Rescate clients she saw. The clients ap-
positions. Also, the student organization Ad-
to law school,” he says. While at Bet Tzedek
plying for asylum, however, were from India,
vocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) funds
this summer, “I’ll help out as much as I can,”
Kenya, and Cameroon. She is not sure how
a few students every summer who commit to
says Azod.
the cases turned out, although she continued
Currently, there is a growing endowment at
to volunteer with El Rescate through this
unpaid public interest positions. As for Monken, last summer, she worked for
past January. “I really enjoyed it,” she says.
Another addition to this funding trend is the
the immigration arm of El Rescate, which
Monken would like to do some sort of public
law school’s own stipend for public interest
mainly handles asylum cases. She wrote trial
interest work after graduation, especially in
summer work—this year, a total of $40,000,
briefs and prepared cases for low-income
the immigrant community, in which many
divided between 23 students. Last year, fewer
people seeking asylum and also helped apply
legal issues seen by low-income people are
students received funding from a $25,000
for citizenship for abused women and did
compounded by language differences, she
pool. Prior to that, for two years, there was
regular pro bono immigration work.
says.
student’s academic credit hours, but not
El Rescate was founded more than 20 years
Public interest law was, Monken says,
given to the student directly.
ago to aid refugees who fled to the United
“the driving force behind my coming to law
States from the war in El Salvador. Continu-
school.” Before coming to Pepperdine Law,
This year, the APIL awards totaling $27,000
ing its work of providing social and legal
Monken was a policy analyst for a defense
went to eight students. Armin Azod, now
services to immigrants, El Rescate’s services
think tank in Washington, DC. While there,
wrapping up his first year at Pepperdine Law,
now include immigration and asylum legal
she realized that she wanted to go to law
received one of the full grants to work at the
assistance, working on discrimination cases,
school “to be equipped to affect problems”
Los Angeles-based organization Bet Tzedek,
facilitating legal training, and providing policy
that she saw. This summer, Monken will work
which in Hebrew means “House of Justice.”
analysis.
at a law firm and do pro bono work on adop-
Bet Tzedek is a large service organization
In her asylum work at El Rescate, Monken
a law school grant that was put towards a
tion cases.
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