Thirty-three teams from across the country arrived in Brooklyn at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on February 18, all prepared to present oral arguments in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition regional. Only four would advance to nationals. One of those four will be from Marquette Law.
American letters lost one of its legendary figures when Harper Lee died at 89 on February 19. Lee’s beloved To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961, and it was the most popular of all twentieth-century novels by American authors.
Lee’s work also ranks at the top in the more specialized world of law-related popular culture. Atticus Finch, the novel’s protagonist, inspired many to become lawyers and to work for equality for African Americans. Gregory Peck won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1963 for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in the film version of the novel, and the respected American Film Institute has ranked Peck’s Atticus Finch as the greatest hero in the history of the cinema. Heroism is hard to rank, but Atticus Finch is surely popular culture’s most important lawyer.
Sadly, Lee’s final years were full of controversy.
The 23rd Annual Howard B. Eisenberg Do-Gooders’ Auction on behalf of the Law School’s Public Interest Law Society (PILS) will be held in the evening on Friday, February 19, 2016 at the Law School. Proceeds from the event go to support PILS fellowships to enable Marquette law students to do public interest work in the summer. Windsor Wrolsted, a current law student, shares her experience here as a PILS Fellow. Besides her work as a PILS Fellow, Windsor is helping to organize this year’s Auction.
Where did you work as a PILS Fellow?
Disability Rights Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
What kind of work did you do there?
I worked closely with attorneys, advocates, and ombudsmen to advocate for persons with both mental and physical disabilities. I advocated for inmate rights within various jail systems, and also the rights of children in need of long-term care. I attended an Administrative Law Judge hearing and got the chance to meet the family of the child we were advocating on behalf of. It was truly memorable to talk with them and hear how their child’s disability was a daily factor in their lives, when realizing that it only took up a few hours of mine. I also attended local Wisconsin Community Services meetings regarding how to combat current mental health issues in Milwaukee. One meeting addressed issues relating to the homeless community, and the other addressed wrongful conviction of individuals with mental disabilities. It was incredible to see leaders from so many different organizations come together and brainstorm practical, long standing solutions.