2011 Fellowship Recipients:
Anelia Dikovytska, 2L – Seton Hall

As a recipient of the New Jersey Law Firm Group Fellowship, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for your generosity and thoughtfulness. I am very proud and honored to be selected the 2011 NJLFG Fellow. The NJLFG Fellowship is an enormous relief to the financial burden of working full-time at two unpaid public interest positions throughout the summer. This Fellowship will help me cover the parking expenses at work and costs associated with my summer class. More importantly, however, this fellowship brings me a step closer to devoting my legal education to advancing the safety and well-being of my community.

This summer I chose to work at the Northeast New Jersey Legal Services (“NNJLS”) and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, both located in Paterson, New Jersey. I reside in Passaic County with my mother, who also works in Paterson, an area with much room for improvement. Upon obtaining my law degree, I plan to practice law here and to continue contributing to my community. I consider my law school education a tool which will enable me to make a difference and improve the well-being of the indigent people in Northern New Jersey.

As someone who has immigrated to the United States in 2003 and undergone the naturalization process, I understand the difficulties that may be associated with it. Though my summer employment I was seeking to help address the issues of a broader indigent population, especially women. Working at NNJLS allows me to provide legal assistance to the disadvantaged population residing in my area. Additionally, while working at Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, I contribute to promoting the security of the residents while respecting the rights of the individual victims of crime. I find resolving the legal issues of every client and addressing the crimes committed against every victim is exceptionally rewarding, and both positions allow me to develop a deep sense of fulfillment.

Once again, I thank you for your very generous support, confidence and willingness to help me achieve my educational and career goals, and please extend my sincerest gratitude to the fellowship committee.

2010 Fellowship Recipients:
James Mure, 3L - Rutgers-Camden

I am truly honored to be a recipient of the 2010 NJLFG Public Interest Fellowship. Although law school was a major change from my undergraduate degree in biology, I have always been motivated to improve my community. This motivation stemmed from my family’s background. As an Italian immigrant and a single mother, my grandmother faced hardships and obstacles as she struggled to raise four daughters. With my legal education, I have realized that the underprivileged like my grandmother, do not have access to adequate and efficient legal counsel.

This summer, I am fortunate enough to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of New Jersey. I am looking forward to the summer internship as an excellent learning opportunity. Without this Fellowship, I would not have received any funding during my summer employment. The Fellowship will help relieve the financial burden and stresses associated with an unpaid internship. Because of your support, I am able to continue gaining experience and knowledge to further my future career in public interest service. I am overwhelming grateful for being selected as a recipient of the Fellowship.

Cassandra Minott Berry, 3L - Rutgers-Camden

In the summer of 2005, I graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in legal studies. I went on to attend Widener University School of Law. In the fall of 2009, I transferred to Rutgers School of Law-Camden. When I was a 1L at Widener, I wanted to earn a huge salary at a big law firm; however, I quickly realized that I had a desire to use my degree to better my community. I researched some alternatives to working at a big firm and I realized that public interest law would provide me with the opportunity to use my degree to help other people.

When Rutgers notified me about my 2010 NJLFG Fellowship award, I was truly honored. This fellowship validates my belief in the importance of public interest service. The NJLFG fellowship proved to me that practicing lawyers both understand and appreciate the value of public interest law. I now know that I share the same goals as other lawyers- to better myself and those around me.

I plan to use this fellowship award to cover the cost of traveling to Trenton. In addition, this summer, I was going to take out a personal loan to cover living expenses since the Attorney General’s position does not pay; however, because of the fellowship; I no longer have to incur this burdensome debt. The fellowship award has made it easier for me to fulfill my dream to serve my community. I can genuinely say that this fellowship has encouraged me to continue to pursue my dream of working in public interest law.

2009 Fellowship Recipient
Dante A. Simone – Rutgers School of Law, Newark

Dante A. Simone, a second year law student at Rugters School of Law – Newark, was awarded the 2009 New Jersey Law Firm Group fellowship. During the summer of 2009, Dante worked at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Newark Office. Under the guidance of supervising attorneys, he was given the freedom to develop novel legal arguments about the broad language of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 as well as the classification of obese individuals as disabled under the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. A vast amount of his time was also spent helping the trial attorneys prepare for litigation against a multinational corporation charged with pregnancy discrimination. Additionally, he assisted investigators in assessing the strength of individual claims.

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