October 3, 2024

Meet our 2024 PILC Grant Recipients Working in Government — Part Two

Southwestern's Public Interest Law Committee (PILC) is a student-run organization that sponsors several events each year to raise student awareness and involvement in providing legal services for underrepresented communities and is dedicated to facilitating public interest law careers by supporting students in public interest work through fundraising efforts for the school's Public Interest Law Summer Grant Program.

We want to recognize these students and their incredible work with their Public Interest Law Committee Summer Grant. Meet our second group of 2024 PILC Grant recipients working in Government:

Kimberly Recarte

Summer Placement: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office - Community Violence Reduction Division

I came to law school to get a better future for myself and my family. Being able to give back to the community with the opportunities and privileges I have been given is the most important thing to me. I have always seen the inequality and inequity that exist in society firsthand. If I can make the legal system more accessible to someone, whether it be through helping eliminate language barriers or providing the necessary resources, then I can feel proud of how I am using my education. I plan to incorporate public interest into my legal career by pursuing a career as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office. I also plan on incorporating pro bono practice into my legal career by doing some pro bono work in the immigration field whenever I can.

Bethany Shrove

Summer Placement: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office -  Sex Crimes Division

Without the commitment of dedicated public servants, no other field can be sustained. I believe that for our community to truly flourish, we must dedicate ourselves to ensuring every individual is accounted for and supported. I plan to incorporate this mission into my legal career by working directly with victims of abuse, assuring them through hard work and passionate dedication that their stories are taken seriously and respected. The opportunity to practice fierce victim advocacy excites me for the future of my legal career.

Carol Tognetti

Summer Placement: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office -  Preliminary Hearing Unit

The first preliminary hearing I conducted this summer was of a Hispanic family that suffered a carjacking. They did not speak English, and since I am a native Spanish speaker (I am also Hispanic, from Argentina), I was able to communicate with them in Spanish while I conducted my interview with them. The father told me how the situation unfolded and how he was terrified because his wife and young daughter were in the car at the time. Once he heard me speak Spanish to him, he seemed more comfortable and at ease with testifying in court. I explained what the process would be like and let him know he did not need to be afraid. The connection I experienced with this victim stuck with me for the rest of the summer. I was able to prove the charges, and the defendant was held to answer. Relaying that information to that family was very powerful because I saw the look of relief in the eyes. I know this story of my first prelim will stay with me for the rest of my life. 

About the PILC Summer Grant Program

Southwestern's PILC Summer Grant program was established in 1990 with the mission of providing financial support to selected recipients seeking full-time summer clerkships with legal services organizations providing no-cost assistance to underserved, marginalized communities. This program makes it possible for students to acquire the legal training and education necessary to address the lack of access to legal services for indigent communities while also alleviating Southwestern students' financial burden of acquiring more educational loans in order to do so.

PILC sincerely thanks our donors and supporters for your invaluable contributions to this program benefiting Southwestern students. PILC's mission is to help create a community where Southwestern students, staff, faculty, and alumni are educated and incentivized to participate in issues concerning and advancing the public interest, and it is your support of this mission that is vital in helping us reach our fundraising goals each year. 

The student deadline to apply to the 2025 PILC Summer Grant Program is March 10, 2025. Awards up to $5,000. Email publicservice@swlaw.edu for more information.