2023 APIL Fellowship Recipients
Congratulations, Othmer Award and APIL Fellowship Recipients!
The Association for Public Interest Law (“APIL”) celebrates the recipient of the 2023 Othmer Award, as well as the recipients of three new summer fellowships which were funded by generous contributions from Singleton Schreiber, LLP and Brian Colón, Managing Partner-NM, Feliz Rael, and other anonymous donors.
Camilla Allison received the Othmer Award, which has funded her summer with the Law Offices of the Public Defender.
“I externed at the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender in the Serious Violent Offenses section of the felony division. I assisted my mentoring attorney with legal research, briefing and motions drafting, felony arraignments, client meetings, and discovery review. I enjoyed gaining more familiarity with courtroom advocacy and getting the opportunity to meet with clients and learn their stories. In addition to working with my mentoring attorney, I also enjoyed assisting the Metro Division managing attorney with docket calls, and attended the regional public defenders conference in early June.”
Camilla and APIL thank Sheila Brown and the Public Law Section of the State Bar for their continuing support of this important award.
Justin Niska received a fellowship to fund his summer with the Law Offices of the Public Defender.
“This summer I had the opportunity to work with Julpa Davé and the pre-trial team at the Law Office of the Public Defender here in Albuquerque. During my time there I was able to be a part of each step of the process: from counseling clients at their felony first appearance to cross-examining witnesses in a felony case. This summer I have gained confidence, experience, and skill on building a case, working with clients, and arguing before judges and juries! Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of such a welcoming, skilled team and learn from the best!”
Justin and APIL thank Singleton Schreiber, LLP and Brian Colón, Managing Partner-NM, for their generous gift, which funded this new award.
Kevin Hart received a fellowship to fund his summer at Disability Rights New Mexico.
“Thank you all for the amazing opportunity of interning at Disability Rights New Mexico this summer. It was quite interesting seeing how DRNM serves the people of the state of New Mexico who have varying disabilities. Since most of us will end up with some sort of disability during our lives, whether permanent or temporary, DRNM serves a very important purpose in the community. While interning here, I was given the opportunity to help the attorneys do research for some legal questions that they needed help with and also given the opportunity to write some simple petitions. I even sent out an IPRA request, and got my first results back from the request the very last week of my internship! I was also able to give input in staff meetings and observe hearings and collaboration conferences. But most of all, I felt like a valued member of the team! I could tell that everyone here takes their job seriously, yet no one felt overly pressured to constantly perform. Sure, there is sometimes frustration but overall, I can tell that the attorneys, advocates, and other staff members at DRNM truly enjoy their jobs and find meaning in their work. And they all do the absolute best that they can in representing their clients.”
Kevin and APIL thank Feliz Rael for her generous gift, which funded this new award.
Kaleb McCain received a fellowship to fund his summer with the United States Attorney’s Office.
“As a volunteer intern with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico, the mentorship and experience I received was invaluable. I was able to apply the skills and theories introduced in the classroom my 1L year, while also being exposed to new legal concepts, challenges, and opportunities to explore further in my education. Thank you to the generous donors and APIL members who supported the APIL fellowship program and made this summer possible.”
Kaleb and APIL thank Singleton Schreiber, LLP and Brian Colón, Managing Partner-NM, the Public Law Section of the State Bar, and two anonymous donors for their generous gifts, which funded this new award.
