On Tuesday, September 19, the Milwaukee Association for Women Lawyers (AWL) Foundation honored three Marquette University Law School students with scholarships.

Abby Phillips, 3L, received the AWL Foundation scholarship. The AWL Foundation Scholarship is awarded to a woman who has exhibited service to others, diversity, compelling financial need, academic achievement, unique life experiences (such as overcoming obstacles to attend or continue law school), and advancement of women in the profession.

Phillips is a Wisconsin native and former social worker. She worked for six years as a child welfare social worker in Milwaukee County but decided she wanted to attend law school to become a more effective advocate for underrepresented clients. She has volunteered in many of the Office of Public Service’s pro bono programs, and this past summer she began working for Human Rights First, an international nonpartisan organization, on its Project: Afghan Legal Assistance team, where she provided legal services to Afghan clients seeking asylum and parole in the United States. She is also an immigration law clerk for the International Institute of Wisconsin, where she assists refugees and parolees in obtaining their necessary documentation to live and work in the U.S., and a staff editor for the Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review. 

Monika Allis, 3L, was awarded the Virginia A. Pomeroy scholarship. This scholarship honors the late Virginia A. Pomeroy, a former deputy state public defender and a past president of AWL. In addition to meeting the same criteria as for the AWL Foundation scholarship, the winner of this scholarship must also exhibit what the AWL Foundation calls “a special emphasis, through experience, employment, class work or clinical programs” in one of several particular areas: appellate practice, civil rights law, public interest law, public policy, public service, or service to the vulnerable or disadvantaged.

Allis is also a social worker and worked as a case manager for the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services before deciding to attend law school. Allis is active in various areas: she assisted as a research assistant, working in voting rights; she is the former president and current secretary for Out & Allies, and has worked in the Office of Public Service’s pro bono clinics. Her paper on gender affirming care for trans youth was published this summer on WisLawNOW. Currently, Allis works as a social justice/DEI consultant with Allis Consulting, LLC, which she began in 2021, specializing in LGBTQI education, sex workers’ rights, disability rights, and racial equity.

Congratulations to these two women for outstanding service and for their representation of Marquette University Law School.