Type Media Center is pleased to announce Lauren Neal and Bailey Martin as the two recipients of the 2021 Robert Masur Fellowship in Civil Liberties. The fellowship, which carries a $2,000 prize, is for law students who intend to carry out significant activities over the summer between their first and second years related to civil rights and/or civil liberties.
The fellowship itself is named for Robert Masur, a 1973 graduate of Stanford Law School, who dedicated his legal career to protecting the rights of the unemployed, minorities, and the poor. Robert Masur dedicated his legal career to protecting the rights of the unemployed, minorities, and the poor. Masur spent six years at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, where he litigated a number of employment and consumer law cases. In 1976, he successfully argued an employment discrimination case before the Supreme Court. He entered private practice in 1981, where he focused on consumer protection law. His friends and family established the Robert Masur Fellowship in his memory to support the work to which he was dedicated and to encourage young people to pursue public-interest legal careers.
In the past two years, due to COVID-19, the fellowship competition has opened to proposals that include remote projects. We received a record number of applications from around the country — more than double what was received in 2018. The selection committee was impressed by the caliber of work all the applicants proposed and are particularly inspired by both the experience and proposed activities the fellowship recipients shared.
Lauren Neal is a rising 2L at Brandeis School of Law and will spend the summer of 2021 as a legal intern with Kentucky Equal Justice Center. Kentucky Equal Justice Center is a non-profit that serves and advocates for low-income and underrepresented residents within Kentucky. During her time with KEJC, she will work on several projects concerning housing and advocacy in Louisville, KY. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone, and preventing evictions during this difficult time is especially important. Prior to her start in law school, she was a legislative intern for the Indiana House Democratic Caucus and the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, where she was able to advocate and help close the communication gap between legislators and community members within Indiana. Lauren will graduate from Brandeis in May 2023.
Bailey Martin is a rising 2L at the University of Minnesota Law School. After graduating undergrad, she worked for the state of Ohio and nonprofits in Columbus, Ohio, in areas of affordable housing, community development, mental health, and community outreach. In law school, Bailey focuses on issues related to criminal justice reform and criminal defense and is passionate about advocating for the rights of people who are incarcerated. This summer, Bailey will be working with the Capital Habeas Unit in the Federal Public Defender Office – Southern District of Ohio. This unit represents Ohioans on death row in their federal habeas appeals, which are often their last available appeals. Bailey is excited and honored to have the opportunity to serve these clients and collaborate with attorneys dedicated to protecting the rights and lives of Ohioans on death row.