Solidarity Series
PBF’s Solidarity Series features our alumni and their accomplishments. Since 1998 we have supported over 1,400 law students in 10-week Summer Fellowships working for workers' rights in unions, non-profits, worker centers and union-side law firms. It’s where they gain invaluable insights into the uniquely rewarding mission of advocating for workers.
The profiles below feature the stories of our alumni and their path to a career in labor or public interest law following their Peggy Browning Fellowship. Their stories show how our programs have helped them to focus their efforts for a rewarding career. We’ll be adding more profiles during our 25th Anniversary year and each year following.
If you're interested in learning about this year's Summer Fellows, go to our 2023 Fellows Brochure.
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“Lawyers who want to be part of growing the labor movement over the next 10 years need to develop expertise in more than just labor law and build their capacity to support innovative new strategies to build power for workers. This has been true for many decades, but it’s even more true today. Some of the most exciting developments include the growth of union cooperatives, alliances between unions and civil rights organizations for racial and gender justice, support for ballot initiatives that serve broad progressive goals, and more.”
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“My Peggy Browning Fellowship eliminated any doubts I may have had about my ability and desire to practice workers’ rights law."
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"My Peggy Browning Fellowship really helped to confirm that I did want to pursue labor law. It transformed law into something more tangible, because you could actually see how your efforts helped real people."
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“Public interest students really have to double down and put in extra work to seek out the path less traveled. Look for groups and events at your school that are of interest to you, make connections with practitioners, and don’t be afraid to reach out to them for advice, or to ask about opportunities at their organizations!”
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“My fellowship helped plug me into the local and national community of people who do this work. And the fact the position was funded allowed me to do it; given life circumstances at the time, I would not have been able to take a non-paid position.”
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"There is no doubt in my mind that my Summer Fellowship helped me obtain future employment opportunities, which started immediately after my fellowship. Firms that I interviewed with routinely commented on my PB Summer Fellowship, and were impressed with the program. At WRR, we have hired several Peggy Browning Alumni. I always make sure to look for a PB Summer Fellowship on an applicant’s resume, because, for me, it represents the gold standard when it comes to summer clerkships."
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"I would encourage law students to reach out to practicing attorneys and advocates for mentorship and guidance, to make connections in an area of law or a geographic region that interests you. I always make time to talk to law students who are interested in talking to me about a career in social justice.”
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“My first year of law school was so reading-intensive that I found myself regularly asking, ‘How does this help people?’ ‘What good does this do?’ I began to find answers to those questions at the Equal Justice Center in Austin, Texas."
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"What my Fellowship did for me was to give me a glimpse into the “real” world of practicing labor law and advocating for workers’ rights, and enabled me to ascertain for myself what I needed to know once I stepped out of law school to be an effective attorney and advocate."
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