Sarah McDonagh Selected as 2012 Michael Maggio Immigrants’ Rights Summer Fellow
Friday, March 23, 2012
CONTACTS:
George Tzamaras or Amanda Walkins
202-507-7649 / 202-507-7618
gtzamaras@aila.org / awalkins@aila.org
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL), and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIP/NLG) are pleased to announce Sarah McDonagh as the 2012 recipient of the Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Summer Fellowship. Ms. McDonagh was selected for her proven dedication to ensuring that advocates and attorneys are available to help those most in need of support. The primary mission of the fellowship program is to strengthen law students' long-term commitment to promote justice and equality for vulnerable immigrant groups.
The fellowship will be in furtherance of her clerkship this summer with ASISTA, an organization whose goal is to centralize assistance for advocates and attorneys facing complex legal problems in advocating for immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Ms. McDonagh is currently a second year law student at the Paul M. Herbert Law Center at Louisiana State University. She interned with the WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School in Boston, MA, in the summer of 2009, and also clerked with the Baton Rouge Public Defender's Office in the summer of 2011. She is currently a research assistant for the immigration clinic at Louisiana State University.
The three sponsoring organizations jointly created the fellowship in 2009 to commemorate the life and legal contributions of Michael Maggio. This fellowship honors him as an extraordinary immigration attorney, individual, and life-long advocate for justice, equality, and peace. Throughout his career, Mr. Maggio received countless professional awards and was honored for his extraordinary legal representation, astute strategizing, unwavering commitment to the highest ethical standards, and his deep passion for justice and upholding the rule of law. He was an active member of AILA, the National Lawyers Guild, and served on the Board of Directors of the National Immigration Project. He was also an active supporter of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. He died in February 2008 after a courageous battle with cancer.
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The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.