Mass. Bar Foundation Awards Funding to 18 Law Students in Inaugural Year of Chief Justice Ralph Gants Judicial Scholarship Program
The late Chief Justice Gants was a champion of access to justice and equity in the Massachusetts legal system. The Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship Program was conceived in his memory to give Massachusetts law students the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the judicial system, while also creating equity by increasing pathways to successful legal, public service and judicial careers.
Created in collaboration with the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fund and Northeastern University School of Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), and funded with $150,000 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, the program provides opportunities for law students from diverse backgrounds and with limited financial means to secure judicial internships in Massachusetts courts.
Interning for a judge is a prestigious opportunity for a law student, and often leads to judicial clerkships and fellowships post-graduation. Such positions can give a new attorney an advantage in their career trajectory by creating relationships with judges and members of the court, which expand their network of influence and positively impact their professional aspirations.
All judicial internships in Massachusetts are currently unpaid. To accept a judicial internship, a student would have to have the financial means to otherwise support themselves during the term of the placement. For many, accepting an unpaid position is simply not an option. By providing funding for these positions, the Gants Judicial Scholarship Program seeks to remove this significant barrier to entry and to provide equity in the professional development of aspiring attorneys.
“The program was created to give law students who could not afford to take unpaid internships with the funding to enable them to do so,” explains Northeastern University School of Law Professor and Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fund Chair Deborah Ramirez. “The hope is that the program will widen and diversify the pipeline of applications for post-graduate paid clerkships and for judicial positions, ultimately creating a judicial system that better reflects the entire Massachusetts citizenry.”
The scholarship program officially launched in spring of 2023. The first cohort of “Gants Scholars” are currently engaged in internships in nearly every court department in the Commonwealth. See below for a full listing of the 2023 Gants Scholarship Program recipients.
For more information about the Chief Justice Gants Judicial Scholarship Program, click here.
2023 Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholars
Jack Heavner
New England Law | Boston
Suffolk County Superior Court
Tracey Kelly
New England Law | Boston
Suffolk County Superior Court
Andrew Kish
Boston University School of Law
MA Appeals Court
Daniel Martinez
UMass Law School
MA Housing Court Metro South Division
Emilee Morin
New England Law | Boston
Essex County Superior Court
Micaela Partinico
Boston College Law School
MA Supreme Judicial Court
Ian Phipps
Suffolk University Law School
Boston Municipal Court
Zachary Polen
Boston University School of Law
MA Appeals Court
Hannah Saturley
Northeastern University School of Law
Suffolk County Superior Court
Andrew Anderton
Northeastern University School of Law
Norfolk County District Court
Emilia Ball
Boston College Law School
Boston Municipal Court - Dorchester
Daisha Bishop
Suffolk University Law School
MA Housing Court Metro South Division
Hui Chen
Northeastern University School of Law
MA Supreme Judicial Court
Lahela Delaney
Boston College Law School
MA Land Court
Abigail Druhot
Boston College Law School
Suffolk County Superior Court
Nadia Eldemery
Northeastern University School of Law
Suffolk County Juvenile Court
Aurouramary Estaba
Suffolk University Law School
Boston Municipal Court - West Roxbury
Alexander Garcia
Suffolk University Law School
MA Supreme Judicial Court