NEW YORK, JULY 31, 2024: International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is pleased to announce the 2024-2025 class of its multi-stakeholder public service initiative, the Weil Legal Innovators Program (WLI), now in its fifth year.

The ten fellows selected for this year’s class deferred their first year of study at one of WLI’s partner law schools to complete one year of public service at a WLI nonprofit partner organization. The program offers these rising law students a rare opportunity to work on some of the most pressing social and legal challenges at leading nonprofits, including National Women’s Law Center, World Wildlife Fund and American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. The Innovators will focus on issues of gender equality, human rights, racial justice and ESG, among others. 

Fellowships commence this summer and continue through July 2025.

The Innovators’ WLI positions and law school affiliations are as follows:

• Tarina Ahuja will join Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in Washington, D.C. as an International Advocacy & Litigation Fellow. She will attend Stanford Law School.
• Kelsey Carido will join Clooney Foundation for Justice as a Waging Justice for Women Capacity-Building Fellow. She will attend Harvard Law School.
• Michael Gadinis will join National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. as a TIME’s UP Legal Defense Fund Program Associate. He will attend Columbia Law School.
• Daniel Iskhakov will join International Rescue Committee in New York City as a Housing Policy Analyst. He will attend University of Texas School of Law.
• Sarah Kersting-Mumm will join American Civil Liberties Union of Texas in Houston as a Legal Investigator & Litigation Assistant. She will attend Harvard Law School.
• Morgan Minnis will join Posse Foundation in New York City as an Associate. She will attend New York University School of Law.
• Emma Porter will join Graham Windham in New York City as an Advocacy and Public Policy Associate. She will attend University of Michigan Law School.
• Edward Tie will join United Way of New York City in New York City as an Advocacy Associate. He will attend Yale Law School.
• Spencer Wang will join Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in New York City and Washington, D.C. as a Business and Human Rights Fellow. He will attend University of Michigan Law School.
• Hanam Yoon will join World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. as an Oceans Program Associate. She will attend Harvard Law School.

Each innovator will receive a $60,000 salary and full benefits package for their engagement. Upon starting law school, they will receive a $10,000 scholarship toward first-year academic tuition. Weil provides robust professional development and mentorship opportunities throughout the program. The nonprofit partners also receive a $40,000 charitable contribution to help cover operating expenses and costs associated with onboarding the Innovators.

“As we celebrate five years of the Weil Legal Innovators program, Weil is pleased to welcome a new class of Innovators,” said Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf. “This year’s 10 participants are highly motivated young leaders and we are confident they will be an asset to our excellent partner nonprofits. Weil looks forward to continue supporting the future of the legal profession and this tradition of service.”

The program commenced at the 2024 WLI Conference on July 15. Members of all five cohorts attended the event, which included a presentation by outgoing 2023-2024 Innovators about their year of service. The panel was moderated by Jennifer Leonard, Founder of Creative Lawyers and Adjunct Professor at Penn Carey Law. The event also featured a fireside chat with keynote speaker Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, and a volunteer initiative with BloomAgainBklyn, a nonprofit that repurposes unsold or once-used flowers to reduce waste.

The WLI initiative is made possible by an annual investment of more than $1 million from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

For more information, please visit https://www.weil.com/weil-legal-innovators.

About Weil’s Citizenship Commitment

Weil is committed to engaging as a responsible corporate citizen in the communities where we live and work. The Firm’s corporate citizenship footprint is brought to bear through Weil’s longstanding community engagement; diversity, equity and inclusion; pro bono legal service; and charitable contributions programs, including the Weil Foundation.

About Weil

Founded in 1931, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has been a preeminent provider of legal services for more than 90 years. With approximately 1,200 lawyers in offices on three continents, Weil has been a pioneer in the marketplace and a first-mover in the establishment of many significant practice areas.  The Firm’s four departments, Corporate, Litigation, Restructuring, and Tax, Executive Compensation & Benefits, and more than two dozen practice groups are consistently recognized as leaders in their respective fields.