Ropes & Gray Names 13 1L Diversity Fellows

Ropes & Gray today announced that it will welcome 13 1L Diversity Fellows to its 2023 summer associate program. The 2023 diversity fellows will be based in all seven of Ropes & Gray’s U.S. offices, with four scholars in Boston, four in New York, and one each in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

The 1L Diversity Fellowship is an integral component of Ropes & Gray’s mission to attract and retain outstanding lawyers of varied backgrounds that have historically been underrepresented in the broader legal profession. “Our innovative diversity programs, including our 1L Diversity Fellowship, our 2L Roscoe Trimmier Jr. Scholarship, and our ongoing associate mentoring programs, are vital to ensuring that we recruit, develop and advance exceptional diverse talent,” said Paulita Pike, managing partner of Ropes & Gray’s Chicago office and co-chair of the firm’s global diversity committee. “We are excited and proud to welcome such an outstanding group of scholars.”

“These students have demonstrated academic excellence as well as a strong commitment to being agents of change in their communities,” said Chong Park, partner and co-chair of the firm’s diversity committee. “They embody our firm’s core values of excellence, high performance, and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.”

1L Diversity Fellows participate in all aspects of the firm’s summer program. In addition, they have an opportunity to spend a portion of their summer working with a firm client and attending the 1L Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Scholars Virtual Summit.

“The enthusiasm and dedication of these young scholars is inspiring,” said Peter Erichsen, Ropes & Gray’s hiring partner and co-chair of the firm’s LGBTQ+ Forum. “We look forward to welcoming them into our community, guiding and supporting their development, and watching their many successes to come.”

Rope & Gray proudly welcomes the following 2023 1L Diversity Fellows to the firm this summer.

Joining in Boston:

Karla Alvarado, Boston University School of Law, is a 1L Section Representative of the Latin American Law Student Association, and a member of the Black Law Students Association, the Women of Color Collaborative, and First Generation Professionals. Prior to law school, Karla held numerous positions in politics and communications, including Latino Media Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia, Press Secretary for Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, and, most recently, Deputy Director of Communications for the Peace Corps. Karla graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in History and Literature.

Eli Avila, William & Mary School of Law, is a member of the Health Law and Policy Society and the American College of Legal Medicine, where he is also co-authoring three chapters of the 8th Edition of Legal Medicine, the citable treatise in the field. Prior to law school, Eli was an SEO Law Fellow at Ropes & Gray, assisting on client and pro bono matters. Eli’s volunteer experience includes serving as a board member for Helping Hands for Puerto Rico. He graduated from Stony Brook University with a B.A., magna cum laude, in History, with minors in Political Science and Theatre Arts.

Jennifer Ding, Harvard Law School, is a subciter for Harvard International Law Journal and a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, the Intellectual Property Association, and the Health Law Society. Prior to law school, Jennifer worked as an intellectual property associate at Global Prior Art, where she assisted global clients in the biotechnology space develop and protect their IP portfolios. As an undergraduate, Jennifer worked as a research assistant at Columbia University’s Kalderon Lab and was selected from over 1,000 applicants to participate in the Amgen Scholars Symposium at UCLA/Thousand Oaks. Jennifer graduated from Columbia College, Columbia University with B.A., cum laude, in Biological Sciences.

Oceania Eshraghi, Harvard Law School, is a member of La Alianza and the Middle Eastern Law School Association. She is a student attorney at the Prison Legal Assistance Project, representing incarcerated individuals at disciplinary and parole hearings before the Massachusetts Parole Board. Prior to law school, Oceania interned with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland, and worked as an undergraduate research assistant for the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania. She has contributed to publications including Autism Research, which is the official journal of the International Society for Autism Research. Oceania graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts and Sciences, with a B.A., summa cum laude, in Cognitive Science.

Joining in Chicago:

Jordan Lassiter, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, is a member of the Penn Black Students Association and the Penn Law Tennis Club. Prior to law school, Jordan held senior healthcare consulting positions at Guidehouse, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Booz Allen Hamilton, and was a research assistant at the Health Justice Alliance at Georgetown University Law Center. Jordan has volunteered as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with the Millburn/Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad for more than a decade. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Politics – US Government and African & African American Studies, and holds a Master of Health Systems Administration from Georgetown University.

Joining in Los Angeles:

Diego Garcia, UCLA School of Law, is a member of the Latinx Law Students Association and a BARBRI representative. Diego has held legal internships at Dolphin Entertainment, the Law Offices of Juliana G. Lamardo, and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. As an undergraduate, Diego tutored high school students and assisted students with disabilities at the University of Miami. Diego graduated from the University of Miami with a B.A., summa cum laude, in Political Science, with minors in Business Law & Motion Pictures.

Joining in New York:

Aaliyah Channer, Cornell Law School, is a member of the Black Law Students Association and the Women of Color Collective. Aaliyah was an SEO Law Fellow at Ropes & Gray, where she assisted on client and pro bono matters, including partnering with Project Citizenship to help clients complete their citizenship applications. Aaliyah’s professional experience includes working as a senior research assistant at the Law and Policy Group, and as a home health aide assistant during the COVID-19 pandemic. She graduated from Spelman College with a B.A., cum laude, in Political Science, and holds a Master of Science–MSc in International Migration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Isabella Cheng, Duke University School of Law, is a 1L representative of the Women Law Students Association and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and a member of the Duke Immigrant and Refugee Project. Prior to law school, Isabella worked as a reporter at IPVM, where she covered video surveillance news and established IPVM’s legal reporting pipeline. She was a summer associate at ideas42, where her work focused on anti-gun violence and how to increase diversity in hiring practices. Isabella graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Economics and East Asian Studies

Tehya Corona, Yale Law School, is a member of the Yale Law & Business Society, the Yale Capital Assistance Project, First Generation Professionals, and the Temporary Restraining Order Project. As a staff assistant in the Office of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Tehya prepared briefing memorandums, led casework projects and connected constituents to federal agency resources. She previously worked as a tutor and program coordinator for Prison Outreach, and held internships in the U.S. House of Representatives and The Bronx Defenders. Tehya graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A., cum laude, in Government.

Spencer Landis, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, is a 1L Representative for First Generation Professionals and for the Career Strategy Faculty Committee, and is a member of Lambda, and the Penn Business Law Association. Prior to law school, Spencer worked as a research assistant at The Manhattan Institute, where he facilitated government outreach at the federal, state and local levels. He currently works as an advocate with the Custody and Support Assistance Clinic, working with pro se litigants in the Philadelphia Family Court system. Spencer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A., summa cum laude, in Classical Studies.

Joining in San Francisco:

Sydney Judilla, University of Southern California, Gould School of Law School, is a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, First Generation Professionals, the Women of Color Collective, the Venture Capital and Technology Law Association, and the Fashion and Beauty Law Society. While an undergraduate, Sydney served as a legal intern at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and as a legal advocacy intern at East Bay Community Law Center. Prior to law school, she worked as a legal assistant at Capcom USA and as head paralegal at Atheria Law (formerly Clyde & Co). She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.A. in English and Public Policy.

Joining in Silicon Valley:

Justin Peterson, University of Michigan Law School, is a member of Michigan Law Outlaws, the California Law Students Association, and the Privacy and Technology Law Association. Prior to law school, Justin was a software engineer at Adobe. Previously, he was a senior information specialist and tour guide at Cornell University. Justin’s volunteer activity includes serving as the Bay Area chapter forum chair of Young Presidents’ Organization Next Generation. He graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Computer Science.

Joining in Washington, D.C.:

Nicolas Peña Brown, Harvard Law School, is the 1L Deputy Vice President of Education and Outreach at the Harvard Federalist Society, a subciter at the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, and a subcite editor at the Harvard Latin American Law Review. As an undergraduate, Nicolas interned in the Office of the Clerk of the United States Supreme Court and was a research assistant at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. Prior to law school, he worked as an associate at the Penta Group (formerly Hamilton Place Strategies), where he produced data-driven policy recommendations for a diverse array of clients. Nicolas graduated from Stanford University with a B.A., with honors, in Public Policy.