2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows

2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows Lauren Lang JD’22 Georgetown University Law Center Washington, DC International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) Washington, DC Originally from Cleveland and the granddaughter of a proud union patternmaker, Lauren’s passion for workers’ rights advocacy originated from hearing her grandfather’s praise about the benefits of union representation: the improved working conditions, retirement benefits and living wage which helped him put his children and grandchildren through college. His passion inspired Lauren to study Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Lauren worked as a teaching assistant for labor and employment law which sparked her interest in pursuing labor law. Prior to attending law school, Lauren worked in the private sector focusing on human resources technology. In law school, she volunteers with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee Workers’ Rights Clinic. Liora Klepper JD’21 Northeastern University School of Law Boston, MA Segal Roitman, LLP Boston, MA Liora completed her undergraduate degree in sociology, focusing primarily on social and economic inequality. After her first year of law school, she worked as a student attorney at Northeast Legal Aid in Lynn, MA, where she represented low-income individuals and families in housing court evictions. Through that work she developed an understanding of the nexus between housing insecurity and employment issues. That, combined with nine years of experience in low- wage food service jobs, led her to commit to pursuing a career advocating for the rights of workers. She is an active member of the Northeastern Employment and Labor Law Association and she conducts research on employment law issues for a local nonprofit. She was a full-time judicial intern for a federal judge in Massachusetts. Demi Kim JD’22 University of Virginia School of Law Charlottesville, VA Community Legal Services, Inc. Philadelphia, PA Demi’s interest in workers’ rights started with taking Chicano studies classes in college. Her growing interest led to conducting her own research about the workplace experiences of Latino workers in Korean- owned businesses. While interviewing workers, she realized the complexities of workplace dynamics in Koreatown, where Latino and Korean employees work side by side. Demi also interned at the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), a multi-ethnic organization that represented both Korean and Latino workers. There, she assisted with filing wage theft claims while community organizing around various issues. After college, Demi worked in Korea as an English teacher. In law school, she is part of the Law and Public Service Program and the Virginia Employment and Labor Law Association. Luke Klein JD’21 St. Louis University School of Law St. Louis, MO Hammond & Shinners, PC St. Louis, MO Having pursued Video Game Development in his undergraduate studies, Luke knew something was wrong with the modern workforce when one of his professors insisted he and his classmates get used to pulling all-nighters to prepare for the actuality of work in the video game industry.  This, coupled with a decade of food service experience, inspired Luke to go to law school to be an advocate for workplace justice. Luke serves as president of the SLU OUTLaws; chair of the SBA Diversity Committee; and a staff editor on the ABA J ournal of Labor and Employment Law .  Luke hopes to spend the rest of his career fighting bosses.