2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows

Meet Our 2020 Fellows Before stay-at-home orders were issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Peggy Browning Fund awarded summer fellowships to 90 talented law students – our largest number ever. Subsequently we worked with our participating mentor organizations to ensure the fellowships would continue. Since then even greater forces have come into play. We condemn the long line of murders in the Black and Brown communities by law enforcement throughout the country. These terrible and senseless murders and the history of institutional racism can no longer continue. We applaud our many fellows and alumni who have protested in the streets. We stand in solidarity with them and with all who fight systemic racism and seek justice for the countless men and women of color who have died at the hands of injustice. The damage to the lives of working families is monumental, and the relief required to offer hope for the future will require incredible dedication, talent and, yes, lawyers committed to the lives of workers. This year’s bright, progressive Peggy Browning Fellows give hope to all of us and will play important roles in the future of justice for all workers. Joseph Lurie, President & Founder Educating Law Students on the Rights and Needs of Workers Ida Abhari JD’22 University of Virginia School of Law Charlottesville, VA Partnership for Working Families Oakland, CA A child of Iranian immigrants, Ida is a first-generation law student and Southern California native. Raised in a single-parent household, she grew up valuing the importance of education and its role in increas- ing economic mobility and social status. Her mother’s experience as a self-employed contract worker during the Great Recession piqued her initial interest in labor rights. Ida’s upbringing has motivated her interest in international migration and its relationship to human and economic rights. Before law school, Ida taught English as a Fulbright Fellow in Baku, Azerbaijan and worked at a consultancy in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Her family is what inspires her to work hard for a more just world for all. Joseph Adamiak JD’21 University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Law Las Vegas, NV Arriba Las Vegas Workers Center Las Vegas, NV Through conversations with his father, a long-time Teamster shop steward, and his own experiences as a Teamster, Joey developed an interest in advocating for workers’ rights. In law school, as a research assistant for Ruben J. Garcia, a Labor and Employment Law professor and PBF Advisory Board member, Joey studied labor law, international labor law and the nexus between immigration and labor. This relationship led him to Arriba Las Vegas Worker’s Center where he voluntarily conducted surveys and intakes for day laborers with issues of wage theft and unsafe working conditions. Joey also drafted legal letters and notices to employers and is currently executive editor of Nevada Law Journal and a board member of the Workplace Law Club. 2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows Each listing includes the student’s graduation year, law school and fellowship location.