October 11, 2024

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

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 third group of 2024 PILC Grant recipients working in Government:

Bryana Espinoza

Summer Placement: Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office

Jessica Talavera

Summer Placement: Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office

My passion for public interest work stems from my experiences in life as well as the legal field prior to starting law school. As a member of both the Mexican-American and Native American communities, I have experienced systemic injustice and seen it at play within my family and all around me.  As an extern at the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office, I witnessed firsthand the systemic biases and inequities that permeate our legal system. Representing clients who had been continually harassed by law enforcement and arguing motions to suppress highlighted the critical role of zealous advocacy in protecting individual rights. I am committed to incorporating public interest and pro bono work into my legal career by dedicating my practice to criminal defense and public service, striving to ensure that every individual, regardless of their background or financial status, has access to justice. My goal is to work as an alternate public defender in LA County, where I can continue to advocate for the underserved and be a catalyst for change in our justice system.

Paola Velazquez

Summer Placement: Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office

My passion for public interest and public service work stems from my own experiences as a low-income Chicana from Southeast Los Angeles. I am deeply committed to advocating for marginalized communities and ensuring equitable justice for those often overlooked by the legal system. Representation is incredibly important to me. I believe that seeing Chicanas from my community in impactful roles is crucial for inspiring young girls to envision and pursue their own dreams. In my legal career, I plan to incorporate public interest and pro bono practice by focusing on cases that address systemic inequalities and provide legal support to underserved populations. By doing so, I aim to not only contribute to meaningful change but also serve as a role model for future generations, demonstrating that our aspirations are attainable and our voices matter.

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.