Ropes & Gray Names 17 Outstanding Law Students Recipients of Roscoe Trimmier Jr. Diversity Scholarship

Ropes & Gray today announced 18 recipients of its Roscoe Trimmier Jr. Diversity Scholarship, bringing to 45 the number of scholarship recipients since its creation in 2015.

The scholarship honors the memory of Roscoe Trimmier Jr., a celebrated trial lawyer, the firm’s first Black partner and a pioneering leader of Ropes & Gray’s diversity and inclusion efforts. In his memory, the scholarship underscores Ropes & Gray’s dedicated mission to attract and retain outstanding lawyers of varied backgrounds who have historically been underrepresented in the broader legal profession.

This impressive group of Trimmier Scholars has demonstrated excellence in their studies and other activities, including clerkships, internships, business endeavors, pro bono legal service, military service and advocating for and advancing diversity initiatives in their previous endeavors.

The scholarship recipients will each receive a $25,000 award to offset the expenses of their legal education. Eight recipients joined the firm as 2021 summer associates, with six in New York, one in Chicago, and one in San Francisco. Ten Trimmier Scholars are in the firm’s 2022 class of summer associates: four in New York, three in Boston, and one each in Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.  

“I am delighted to congratulate this group of talented students. Not only have they demonstrated excellence in their academic work, they are leading and contributing to top law journals, to their campuses and to their communities, in very meaningful ways,” said Regina Penti, partner and co-chair of the firm’s global diversity committee.

“Fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive law firm is one of Ropes & Gray’s most important missions. The Trimmier Scholarship is an innovative program to support the next generation of diverse, bright and talented lawyers,” said Julie Jones, Ropes & Gray chair. “Ropes & Gray’s leadership in launching this program six years ago, and its continuing success, speaks to our commitment to nurturing inclusion and opportunity throughout our community.”

The 2021 and 2022 scholarship recipients – and short biographies that outline their accomplishments – are below:

Devin Adams, is a Bass Military Scholar at Vanderbilt University Law School, who has, among accomplishments, developed a mentorship program on leadership, ethics, and resilience for Vanderbilt undergraduates. He is a graduate of The United States Military Academy, West Point, and served as Ranger Platoon Leader in the United States Army including tours in Italy and Afghanistan; he was awarded the 1st Lt. John M. Runkle, Jr. Memorial Award, given annually to the leader who most exemplifies the Seven Army Values. Devin recently served as a legal intern at Airbnb, and the National Cannabis Roundtable focusing on regulatory research. (2021)

Patricia Adekunle, Howard University School of Law, member of Business Law Society and Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review, mentorship committee director for 1L Orientation, and lead teaching assistant for Contracts. At Howard Law, Patricia is a student attorney for the Child Welfare Clinic, providing direct legal advice to parents who lose their children due to state intervention. Her work includes assisting in cases appointed by the Family Court in Washington, D.C. Patricia was previously a summer associate at Hogan Lovells LLP and LabCorp, where she conducted research on FDA matters encompassing pharmaceuticals, biotech, healthcare regulations, and health data privacy. She holds a B.A. in political science from Temple University. (2022)

Edward Ahanmisi, Washington University School of Law, staff editor of Washington University Law Review, academic chair of Black Law Students Association, and member of the International Law Society. Graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Public Health from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where he earned a General Excellence Award and was captain of the varsity basketball and soccer teams. Edward is a student extern assisting COFCO International, a multi-billion-dollar agribusiness startup. As a summer associate at Haynes & Boone, Edward prepared a multi-million dollar closing index ebinder, researched enforcement actions against medical companies violating the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, among other accomplishments. (2022)

Joy Chen, Stanford Law School, president of Stanford BioLaw, technical managing editor of Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and co-chair of Stanford Women of Color Collective. She graduated from the Vagelos Program in Life Science and Management at the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelors in Economics and Biology. Joy was previously a legal intern for a specialty pharmaceutical company and a 1L scholar at a major law firm. Before law school, Joy worked as an investment banking analyst. She has also conducted research at the Perelman School of Medicine and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. (2022)

Deborah Pabon Cifuentes, Georgetown University Law Center, is a member of The Barrister’s Council Trial Advocacy Division and serves as a note-taker for the Office of Disability Services. Deborah is currently an extern for Hon. Dora Irizarry, a Senior United States District Judge and the first Hispanic Judge in the Eastern District of New York. There, Deborah has drafted a bench memorandum on employment issues. She was also a 1L summer intern at The Office of The Queens County District Attorney in New York where she helped draft a Notice of Challenge Addendum in accordance with the new 2020 Discovery Reform Laws. She is a graduate of Arcadia University and Universidad de Los Andes. (2021)

Magali Duque, University of Pennsylvania Law School, is the online managing editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and a 2L representative on Student Government. She also serves as student representative on the Faculty Appointments Committee, as the VP of diversity, equity & inclusion on Penn Law Women’s Association. Magali is on the executive board of the Black Law Students Association, serves as partnerships chair of the Native American Law Students Association, and is a Morris Fellow Program Mentor. Magali received her M.S. in Inequalities and Social Science from the London School of Economics, and her B.A. from Stanford University, where she received the Black Excellence Academic Award. (2021)

Casandra Ferrante, Harvard Law School, article editor of Harvard Latinx Law Review, and social co-chair of La Alianza. An intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Criminal Division, Casandra researched and drafted memoranda on trigger locks, narcotics, and money laundering, and assisted with a narcotics trial. She also served as a Heyman Summer Fellow and Lloyd MacMahon Summer Fellow. As legal secretary for Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr, she helped finalize documents for production for numerous practice groups. Casandra graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University with a B.A. in Psychology. (2022)

Kimberly Foreiter, Harvard Law School, is executive-director of First Class (First-Generation Organization), technical editor of the Harvard Latinx Law Review, and co-president of La Alianza (Latinx Affinity Group). The daughter of two Latinx immigrants, Kim graduated from Mount Holyoke College magna cum laud as a Posse Foundation Scholar. She was a Spring Judicial-Intern at the Massachusetts Superior Court, assisting Judge Valerie Yarashus on criminal and civil cases, and a research-assistant for Former HLS Dean Martha Minow and Professor Jon Hanson. Kim served as a legal intern at Massachusetts Advocates for Children and will clerk for Judge William Young of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. (2021)

Christopher Gutierrez, The University of Chicago Law School, Hinton Moot Court participant, was active with Law Students for Immigrant Justice and Law Students for Educational Equity while attending the University of California, Irvine School of Law. He served as summer associate / 1L diversity fellow at Arnold & Porter in Los Angeles. Christopher has worked as a pro bono volunteer at Saturday Academy of Law, where high school freshmen improve reading, writing, and critical thinking skills while learning about the legal profession. At Arnold & Porter, Christopher’s research assignments covered patent litigation, environmental law, and immigration matters. He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego. (2022)

Natasha Harris, Brooklyn Law School, career development chair for Black Law Students Association, founder and executive manager of Women of Color Alliance, and member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution and Brooklyn Journal for International Law Honor Societies. Natasha served as a 1L summer associate at Morgan Stanley’s Branch Advisory Group and Real Estate practices, and worked as a senior compliance analyst at Goldman Sachs, where she performed transaction due diligence to ensure client suitability and regulatory adherence. She is passionate about closing the academic and opportunity gap and mentors high schoolers through the SEO Scholars program. Natasha earned her B.A. in Philosophy, Government and Law from Lafayette College. (2022)

Trea Harris, Howard University School of Law, is a Merit Scholar, serves on the Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review as executive notes and comments editor, is an orientation leader, volunteer for the Thurgood Marshall Academy, and also a member of the Black Law Students Association. She has experience as a summer associate for Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia and legal intern for the Real Property Tax Appeals Commission. Trea also played a critical role in carrying out a comprehensive public relations campaign for March For Our Lives, a national organization aimed at decreasing gun violence. She received her B.S., cum laude, in Communications from University of Miami. (2021)

Quavius (Quay) Henderson, Columbia University School of Law and Columbia Business School, senior editor on the Columbia Law Review, participates in the Military in Business Association, the Military Law Student Association, the Black Business Students Association and Black Law Students Association. Quay has interned at the Legal Aid Society, New York, NY, where he composed emergency release writs to release clients vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. Prior to Quay’s legal studies, he served in the United States Air Force. He received his B.A., cum laude, in Atmospheric Sciences from Cornell University. (2021)

Alana Jacques, Georgetown University Law Center, staff editor of Georgetown Journal of Poverty Law & Policy, and member of the Appellate Advocacy Division of Barrister’s Council. As a judicial intern in the D.C. Court of Appeals for the Honorable Phyllis Thompson, Alana conducted legal research and drafted memorandums of judgment. Before law school, she was the Director of PreProBono, a fellowship that assists pre-law students with the law school admissions process. Alana’s interest in mentorship led her to participate in the Street Law Program where she teaches criminal law to high school students. Alana graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Sociology, cum laude. (2022)

Dean Mosley, Georgetown University Law Center, is a Georgetown Business Law Scholar, and Treasurer of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and a RISE Fellow. Prior to his legal studies, Dean worked in financial services where he was a Brokerage Investment Professional at a prestigious asset manager. During his 1L summer, Dean participated in professional development conferences through the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity while interning at a prestigious financial services company. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from Temple University, Fox School of Business. (2021)

Liz Ortiz, New York University School of Law, staff editor of New York University Law Review, events chair of First-Generation Professionals, and member of Women of Color Collective. As is a research assistant at NYU Law, Liz synthesizes information for emerging questions in the tax and non-profit space. She previously served as a summer associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, where she analyzed trends in corporate governance, including cybersecurity and ESG, researched remedies for litigation publication, and conducted due diligence for real estate transactions. She holds a B.A. in Environmental and Urban Studies from University of Chicago. (2022) 

Kaija Townsend, Boston University School of Law, Boston University Law Review, and First-year Writing Fellow. She serves as vice president of BU’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and spends her time outside of class as a court appointed special advocate for a child in the foster care system. She worked as a judicial intern at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts for the Honorable Allison Burroughs and has worked as a senior litigation paralegal for Sidley Austin. Kaija graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A., magna cum laude, in Business and International Relations. (2022)

Nadisha Wickramaratne, Boston College Law School, executive board member of South Asian Law Students Association, member of First Generation Professionals, and Women’s Law Center. She worked as a 1L law clerk at the corporate headquarters of MassMutual as well as an investment management paralegal at Ropes & Gray. Nadisha earned a B.A. in International and Global Studies and Philosophy from Brandeis University, minoring in Legal Studies. As an undergraduate, she interned with the Middlesex (Massachusetts) District Attorney’s Office, the Disability Law Center in Boston, and the International Criminal Court / Trust Fund for Victims in The Hague, Netherlands. (2022)