The Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellowship is committed to inspiring the best and brightest law students to pursue careers in child welfare law. Through the fellowship, students gain experience and insight into the field and provide much-needed services to various child welfare offices specializing in representing children, parents, and social service agencies.
After attending a retreat in Michigan in May, fellows spend at least 10 weeks of their summer at a child welfare law internship (1Ls and 2Ls); graduating law students entering the child welfare legal field upon graduation are also eligible to apply for the fellowship.
About the Fellowship
In 1995, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation provided a start-up three-year grant, as a part of the foundation’s Families for Kids Initiative, to establish the Summer Child Welfare Law Fellowship through the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at Michigan Law.
The Child Welfare Law Fellowship program is now funded by a generous gift from the Bergstrom Foundation in honor of the late Henry A. Bergstrom, ’35. With the Bergstrom funding, the Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellowship has gained a national scope.
2027 Training
The Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellowship retreat will take place May 10-13, 2027 at the Butzel Retreat Center in Ortonville, Michigan. The retreat, led by child welfare law expert Vivek Sankaran, focuses on building community and relationships, learning about the child protection system, and how to serve families within it.
Fellows will hear from and have conversations with child welfare law practitioners and scholars on topics such as trauma, racial bias, poverty, kinship caregivers, compassion, secondary trauma, and trends in child welfare law. Fellows will also have a chance to reflect, relax and connect with themselves, each other, and faculty in a tranquil setting.
Financial Considerations
For fellows accepted into the program, the fellowship covers travel costs to the retreat in Michigan, as well as return travel to their summer internship or home after the retreat. Fellows also receive a stipend to attend a child welfare law conference, which they must spend within 15 months of the training.
Selection Criteria
Our selection criteria include evidence of commitment to the field of children’s law, past experiences related to children and family, and performance indicative of likely future success in the field.
Application
Applications for the 2027 Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellowship will be available in mid-December. The deadline for applications is March 15, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. ET. We expect to announce the 2027 class of fellows by the end of March.
For more information, contact the program coordinator at [email protected] or 734.763.5000.
Recent Bergstrom Fellows
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2026
Elizabeth Blair
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Dakota County Attorney, Juvenile Protection Division, Hastings, MNAdriana Bland
Rutgers Law School, Newark
Northeast New Jersey Legal Services, Jersey City, NJMeredith J. Byrd
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Law
Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Boston, MAThalia Charles
New York University School of Law
Family Justice Law Center, New York, NYChristian B. Choi
University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Dependency Advocacy Center, San Jose, CAMaria Rose Ekern
Howard University School of Law
Defender’s Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PAAdam Hoole
The City University of New York School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, New York, NYMary K. Leniton
University of Minnesota Law School
ABA Center on Children and the Law, Washington, DCMaddy Ligon
University of Michigan Law School
Legal Aid Chicago, Chicago, ILAudrey Michaelson
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Alaska Department of Law, Child Protection Section, Anchorage, AKErin Namovicz
University of North Carolina School of Law
North Carolina Public Defender District 7, Halifax, NCMcKay Powers
University of Georgia School of Law
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, Cambridge, MAElise Swenson
University of Wisconsin Law School
Center for Family Representation, New York, NYClaudia Tio-Cartagena
University of Michigan Law School
Center for Family Representation, Queens, NYEmilie Munira Winter
Brooklyn Law School
Center for Family Representation, Queens, NYValentina Zavala-Arbelaez
Columbia Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NY -
2025
Quentin M. Ampersand
University of New Mexico School of Law
New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, Albuquerque, NMKatelyn Berg
University of San Diego School of Law
Shared Hope International, Washington, DCAnna Cawood
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Maryland Office of the Public Defender, Appellate DIvision, Baltimore, MDAoife Croucher
Boston University School of Law
Committee for Public Counsel Services, Malden, MASamantha Glennon
Brooklyn Law School
The Legal Aid Society - Juvenile Rights Practice, New York, NYMegan Hess
University of Michigan Law School
ACLU Women’s Rights Project, New York, NYRachel Ijams
Yale Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Integrated Defense Practice, Brooklyn, NYNaomi Lam
Boston College Law School
Committee for Public Counsel Services, Children and Family Law Division, Worcester, MASam Miller
University of Minnesota Law School
National Center for Youth Law, Washington, DCMonika J. Myers
University of New Mexico School of Law
New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, Albuquerque, NMSamantha Norrito
Columbia Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services ‚Family Defense Project, Brooklyn, NYNadia C. Pachas
New York Law School
Neighborhood Defender Service, Harlem Family Defense Practice, New York, NYDisha Pathak
American University Washington College of Law
American Bar Association Center for Children & the Law, Washington, DCAja Robinson
William and Mary Law School
Defender Association of Philadelphia, Child Advocacy Unit, Philadelphia, PAAddie Walker
New York University School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NYKaylin Williams
James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona
Pima County Office of Children’s Counsel, Tucson, AZ -
2024
Melba Tajallieh Aguilar
The University of New Mexico School of Law
New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department, Albuquerque, NMMorgan Awner
New York University School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, Family Defense Practice, Brooklyn, NYMaia Boatwright
University of Miami School of Law
National Center for Youth Law, Washington, DCHelena Brittain
Columbia Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Family Defense Practice, Brooklyn, NYBrionna Crawford
Howard University School of Law
National Center for Youth Law, Washington, DCRachel Lane Evangelisto
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
4th District Family Court, Judge Yellowhammer, Minneapolis, MNNadia Fassa
University of Michigan Law School
Center for Family Representation, New York, NYLuna Floyd
Harvard Law School
Lambda Legal, New York, NYLiza Garrity
University of Richmond School of Law
Center for Family Representation, New York, NYAbigail Gutierrez
The University of Texas School of Law
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Austin, TXTom Hale
New York University School of Law
Neighborhood Defender Service, New York, NYElizabeth Hammond
University of Georgia School of Law
Wisconsin State Public Defenders, Baraboo, WICaleb Hu
University of Michigan Law School
Child Advocacy Law Clinic & Pediatric Advocacy Clinic, Ann Arbor, MIPu Kun (Shirley) Huang
Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law
Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Inc., Monterey Park, CABeatrice M. Korman
Western New England University School of Law
Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services, Children and Family Law Division, Northampton, MAHannah Lafargue
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Maryland Office of the Public Defender, Parental Defense Division, Baltimore, MDMikalah Maxwell
Columbia Law School
Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Inc., Los Angeles, CAEli McClintock-Shapiro
University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Bar Association of San Francisco, Dependency Representation Program, San Francisco, CAChina McEachron
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Defender Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PAFumika Mizuno
Yale Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NYAnastasia Zausner
Emory University School of Law
Legal Aid Society, New York, NY -
2023
Daniel Adamek
Rutgers Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NYAllison Anker
University of Michigan Law School
Child Advocacy Law Clinic, University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, MIVictoria Baldassini
Fordham University School of Law
Bronx Defenders, Bronx, NYCeleste Bleiberg
New York University School of Law
Center for Family Representation, New York, NYHaluwa Doherty
Boston College Law School
Committee for Public Counsel Services: Children and Family Law Division, Lowell, MAAdriana Hardwicke
University of California, Berkeley Law School
National Center for Youth Law, Oakland, CALexi Ivers
New York University School of Law
Urban Justice Center’s Family Policy Project, New York, NYLucy Kates
University of Michigan Law School
Alaska Public Defender Agency, Civil Division, Anchorage, AKJessi LaChance
New York University School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, Family Defense Practice, Brooklyn, NYNicole Laing
University of South Carolina School of Law
Carolina Health Advocacy Medicolegal Partnership Clinic, Columbia, SCRebecca McCord
University of California, Berkeley Law School
Family Justice Law Center, New York, NYJamilah McMillan
University of California, Berkeley Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NYAlison Peebles
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NYCarrie Plover
Fordham University School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, Family Defense Practice, Brooklyn, NYRachelle Melissa Ramirez
City University of New York School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NYMatthew Riley
University of Michigan Law School
Child Advocacy Law Clinic, University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, MINaomi Rothenberg
Seattle University School of Law
King County Department of Public Defense, Seattle, WATaylor Stamp
University of Oklahoma College of Law
Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office, Norman, OKFranklin Sussman
New York University School of Law
King County Department of Public Defense, Family Defense Practice, Seattle, WAKatherine Wallace
New York University School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, Family Defense Practice, Brooklyn, NYEmma S. Weise
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Defender Association of Philadelphia, Child Advocacy Unit, Philadelphia, PAAlexis White
North Carolina Central University School of Law
Brooklyn Defender Services, Family Defense Practice, Brooklyn, NY -
2022
Arielle Aboulafia
American University Washington College of Law
King County Department of Public Defense, Seattle, WA
Wilson Baer
Brooklyn Law School
Lawyers for Children, New York, NY
Talia Brumfield
Lewis & Clark Law School
Oregon Department of Justice, Child Advocacy Section, Portland, OR
Amanda Burch
University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Children’s Law Center of California, Monterey Park, CA
Chelsa Edano
University of Washington
King County Department of Public Defense, Seattle, WA
Nora Ellmann
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
Dependency Advocacy Center, San Jose, CA
Misha Emanoil
University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School, Child Advocacy Law Clinic, Ann Arbor, MI
Leyda Garcia-Greenawalt
Loyola University Chicago
Cook County Circuit Court, Child Protection Division, Hon. Diane Marie Pezanoski, Chicago, IL
Nadia Hakim
University of Michigan Law School
Neighborhood Defender Service Harlem, New York, NY
Margaret Miles
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law
Ascend Justice - Family Defense Project, Chicago, IL
Abigail Mitchell
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Chicago, IL
Anna Belle Newport
Columbia Law School
Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NY
Olivia Pacheco
The University of Texas School of Law
Alliance for Children’s Rights, Los Angeles, CA
Makayla Reynolds
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
The Support Center for Child Advocates, Philadelphia, PA
Sarah Shuster
City University of New York School of Law
The Bronx Defenders, Family Defense Practice, Bronx, NY
Jennifer Swanson
University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School, Child Advocacy Law Clinic, Ann Arbor, MI
Miguel Villegas
University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School, Child Advocacy Law Clinic, Ann Arbor, MI
Ariane Walter
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
Children’s Rights, New York, NY
Rose Wehrman
Columbia Law School
Support Center for Child Advocates, Philadelphia, PA
Ajeya Woods
Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Los Angeles, CA
Lisa Woodward
Alexander Blewett III College of Law at University of Montana
University of Montana Margery Hunter Brown Indian Law Clinic - ICWA Court placement, Missoula, MT
Callie Woody
Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana
Driscoll Hathaway Law Group, Missoula, MT