Justice Center announces Frank Douglass Public Interest Summer Fellowships
Recipients of the 2009 Frank Douglass Public Interest Summer
Fellowship, from left to right: Daniel Lenhoff, ’11;
Allyson Courter, ’11; Meredith Shytles, ’11; and
Devon Helfmeyer, ’11.
Four University of Texas School of Law students have been
selected as the 2009 Frank Douglass Public Interest Summer
Fellows. Each fellow will receive a $5,000 stipend and will
work for at least ten weeks with a non-profit legal organization
in Texas.
The fellowships are supported by a gift from Austin law
firm Scott, Douglass & McConnico, L.L.P. in memory of
Frank Douglass, ’58.
“Frank was passionate about three things: the practice
of law and the men and women he worked with; helping law
students; and ensuring legal services were available to
those who could not afford them,” Scott, Douglass & McConnico
partner Becky Miller said.
The following students will receive Frank Douglass Public
Interest Summer Fellowships for work this summer:
- Allyson Courter, ’11, will work for Texas RioGrande
Legal Aid in Weslaco on the Bi-National Project on Domestic
Violence. As an undergraduate, Courter served as a volunteer
elementary teacher in Ecuador. She is currently a member
of the Public Interest Law Association, and she participated
in the Law School’s recent winter break pro bono trip
to Mississippi.
- Devon Helfmeyer, ’11, will work with the Texas Civil
Rights Project in Austin. As an undergraduate at the University
of North Carolina, Helfmeyer founded the UNC-Asheville chapter
of the ACLU and interned for the Public Defender Service
for the District of Columbia. At the Law School, he is a
staff editor for the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties
and Civil Rights.
- Daniel Lenhoff, ’11, will work for the Texas Defender
Service in Houston, assisting with capital defense in both
trial and post-conviction habeas proceedings. As an undergraduate
at Rice University he volunteered at an HIV/AIDS hospice
and participated in medical service trips to Mexico and
Haiti.
- Meredith Shytles, ’11, will work for the Texas Advocacy
Project in Austin, assisting victims of domestic violence
proceed pro se. As an undergraduate at UT Austin, Shytles
interned with Texas CASA. She has also volunteered for SafePlace
and is a board member of Law Students for Reproductive Justice
and participated in the Law School’s recent winter
break pro bono trip to Mississippi.
“This generous gift, which increases access
to justice and helps law students pursue careers in public
interest law, is a very fitting tribute to Frank Douglass,” said
Eden Harrington, Director of the Law School’s William
Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, which administers
the scholarships. “We are very grateful for the firm’s
support.”
Related links:
Frank Douglass Public Interest Summer Fellowships
Scott, Douglass & McConnico
William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law
Contact:
Mary Crouter, (512) 232-7855, mcrouter@law.utexas.edu
