Making an Impact: 2025 Rudman Summer Fellows
In the summer of 2025, a total of 69 students worked at 44 government agencies and nonprofits that perform public interest legal work, from the NH Public Defender to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Rudman Summer Fellows work closely with attorneys, gaining invaluable experience -- sitting in on case conferences, conducting legal research, drafting motions and memos, conducting interviews, reviewing evidence, and appearing in court.
Altogether the Rudman Summer Fellows worked more than 22,500 hours, which includes volunteer work worth more than $1 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Visit here to see where students worked this summer.
“While government agencies and nonprofits are facing historic budget cuts and staff shortages, the Rudman Center is offering students a chance to contribute to these public institutions and participate in our civic community,” said Anna Brown, Executive Director of the Rudman Center. “I am so proud to be part of a law school that sees the value of public service.”
Rudman Summer Fellowships support 1L and 2L JD students who work in the summer for government agencies and non-profits that perform public interest legal work. These fellowships pay up to $4,800 for 10 weeks of full-time work. In the summer of 2025, 69 students worked as Rudman Summer Fellows, many in New Hampshire, Students also found positions in Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York.
See below for excerpts from our summer series of interviews with 10 Fellows about their experiences, And see the links for video clips and more excerpts.
Portia Castillo worked at the Camden County Hall of Justice, which is the Superior Court in New Jersey for the Camden County vicinage.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Portia Castillo
I do a lot of observing. I'm in court almost every day that he's in court. I see lots of motions and lots of detention hearings. When I get lucky, I get to see a trial, and those are really great experiences for me because I get to see the attorneys in action, and I get to see the whole criminal justice process from beginning to end in Judge Ragonese’s courtroom.
Jack Champagne worked at the First Circuit Court of Appeals with Judge Seth R. Aframe.
Read more excerpts and see the video here
Jack Champagne
Twice this summer, once already, and again at the end of July, we go to oral arguments. The process begins with parties submitting their briefs on appeal. We review those, leading up to arguments. We write memos for the judge, who knows the case backwards and forwards, but it's helpful to him to have a second set of eyes, or more, on the case. I worked on two of those memos during the first two weeks. And then we went to oral argument, and then we start writing the orders from those hearings
Katie Darling worked for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office in the Human Trafficking Division and in the Gaming Enforcement Division.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Rudman Summer Fellow Katie Darling
The attorneys that I'm currently working with are incredibly intelligent. I've been fortunate to work with multiple Assistant Attorneys General in various Divisions. They all work together cohesively. They're kind, they're compassionate, they're empathetic. I've learned so much from them. The attorney general's office is somewhere I would like to be long-term. It's the exact environment that I envision myself in after I graduate and become an attorney. It’s truly been an incredible experience.
Mariana Marquez-Farmer worked for the New Hampshire Insurance Department.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Rudman Summer Fellow Mariana Marquez-Farmer
I have been a big fan of investigating white collar crime. And my supervisor has been awesome at showing me what that looks like. That has really got me intrigued -- to see the intricacy of how a big company can essentially go through loopholes within the federal system, within the state system, to avoid statutory requirements when it comes to insurance practices
Brad Hinton worked for the N.H. Public Defender's Office.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Rudman Summer Fellow Brad Hinton
This is an environment of amazing attorneys here at the Public Defender's Office. There are wonderful, educated, talented, experienced attorneys here. And it's just a wonderful experience just to rub elbows with them -- but also being a part of the process with them as well. We do case conferences for new attorneys every week - -and just being a part of that conversation, mostly listening as a 1L, is great. But also, to be able to ask questions and maybe provide some input has been wonderful. It's very much a collegial environment.
Brooke Houser worked at the Virginia Office of the Attorney General.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Brooke Houser
It has been an absolutely amazing experience. Just in my short eight weeks I have worked with eight different state agencies. Something that's unique about us, compared to other sections in the office, is that we are focused a lot of times on the happier topics -- for example, conservation, restoration, preservation. I've worked with the Department of Forestry, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, just to give a few examples.
Bryan Rome worked with the Hon. J. William Delker, Judge at Hillsborough Superior Court North in Manchester on a research project focusing on the New Hampshire Constitution.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Bryan Rome
I’ve been going through old books from as far back as the 1770s. Some of them are bound in dried-out leather and have been untouched on shelves for so long that when you pick them up and hold them, sometimes dried-up leather particles from their bindings will actually fall off them. It’s actually really interesting seeing the old texts, knowing that these have been here for over two centuries, and that these still have value in what we’re doing today, because it was such an effective system and it allowed itself to be changed for the future.
Helen Sajo worked at the N.H. Department of Environmental Services.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Helen Sajo
I've really enjoyed the Right to Know requests, which are the most common thing in the legal unit. These could come from attorneys or private parties. I also sit in on weekly meetings, and I listened to a hearing recently. That was so exciting. Talking with the attorneys after the hearing was such a great learning experience. But we even do rulemaking – for instance, seeing how a rule is made, how the rule package is written, why it’s being renewed.
Madison Snyder worked for the Merrimack County Attorney Office.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Rudman Scholar Madison Snyder
I watched two different trials, last week and the week before that. And I've been able to go through the whole process with the attorneys, including jury selection, opening, direct, and help move that process along. So it's been really interesting to see the different perspectives in the office and to know that there's not one way to do things.
Lexi Turner worked with the DOVE Project of 603 Legal Aid.
Read more excerpts and see the video here.
Lexi Turner
In these cases, tensions are high, people are very emotional and so we remind them that their demeanor is very important. And even if the other person is being very confrontational and accusing them of lying, we tell them to stay calm and not respond to them and only talk when they’re supposed to. We tell them only to respond to the question and to speak directly to the judge if they need to. Some of it's definitely really tough stuff and a lot of it doesn't phase me. But the first day we had the most difficult case my supervisor has seen since being there. It's difficult work but important and they're all people that need help.
The Rudman Center fellowships support students who work during the summer for government agencies or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that perform public interest legal work. For more on the Rudman Summer Fellowship program, visit here.
