David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy

04/25/2026

Last week at U Serve LA, we gathered to honor University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law alumni, faculty, and students whose leadership, compassion, and courage continue to inspire us all.

Congratulations to our incredible honorees: Mindy Acevedo, Brigit Alvarez, Lindsay Appell, Nisha Vyas, Brenda Suttonwills Suttonwills, and Brad Sears — and to our outstanding student honorees, who inspire us every single day: Shayok Chakraborty, Kat Edmiston, Julianne Feuchter, Jonathan Hale, Shilpa P., Maya Salameh, M.A., Alexander Wood (Class of 2027) Shakiba Mashayekhi, Gina Sheeks Tandoc (Class of 2026) Maria Paula Herrea Duque (LLM), Josue Ruiz Cordova (MLS).

We’re also proud to celebrate those graduating with Pro Bono Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction — with special recognition to Alex Austin and Megan Fujimori.

We closed the program with a moving performance by alum Delaram Kamalpour ’19 and Professor Hiroshi Motomura — a beautiful reminder of the creativity and spirit that lives within this community.

An unforgettable afternoon filled with celebration, connection, and a shared commitment to lifting our communities 💫

03/11/2026

We are thrilled to announce that our Spring Levy Fellow is Vince Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights! Vince will be in residence at UCLA Law School on March 16-18.
In partnership with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network we will be hosting an event on March 17. Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/1e14afjYWH

03/10/2026

We are thrilled to announce our final U Serve LA faculty honoree, Brad Sears.

The contributions Brad Sears has made to UCLA Law are hard to sum up in a few short sentences. He is Associate Dean of Public Interest Law and the Rand Schrader Distinguished Scholar of Law & Policy at the Williams Institute. In addition to growing and developing University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law public interest programs, including the Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, he launched three centers and programs: The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, UCLA Law Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy and the Judge Rand Schrader Pro Bono Program. After 26 years at UCLA Law, he will be leaving at the end of this academic year.

Join us in celebrating Brad and all of our honorees at U. Serve L.A. - Public Interest Celebration & Awards!

📅 Date: April 17, 2026, 1pm
📍 Location: UCLA Law School

To celebrate with us and support the public interest community, purchase tickets, sponsorships, and acknowledgements
➡️ https://linktr.ee/uservela

08/26/2025

Calling all Epstein Program Alumni ❗ ❗

Please complete the alumni survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeD86f6moRYbA8ezMu_v0EVe9URirjbn838oNveJ0STr2VctA/viewform?usp=dialoghttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeD86f6moRYbA8ezMu_v0EVe9URirjbn838oNveJ0STr2VctA/viewform?usp=dialog . In this survey you can update your contact information, sign up to be an alumni mentor, and provide feedback so we can continue to stay connected!

Thank you in advance for your continued connection and support of the PILP community!

We appreciate your help in completing this survey! Through this survey, we would like to do the following: Update your contact information; Identify alumni mentors for our current PILP students and help to match alums to students; Collect your feedback to help us better engage with and support you.....

05/30/2025

Alums, join us for this LA Happy Hour! - join PILP Executive Director Grace Meng and CRS Executive Director Jasleen Kohli (location: Bike Shed Moto Co) on June 12, 6pm.
RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gKC44WYW

05/19/2025

Congratulations to the Epstein Program Class of 2025 graduates!! 🐻🎓

04/29/2025

Today is Bruin Giving Day and there is a special fundraising goal for public interest fellowships for students. Thanks to the generosity of Ann Parode Dynes JD ‘71, when we reach 50 gifts to the Disaster Relief Fellowship Program, a $10,000 gift will be unlocked to support the program.

Even a small gift can help us reach 50 donors to unlock the matching gift. Please give what you can to support our amazing students: https://bruingivingday.ucla.edu/campaigns/public-interest-support-fund

04/15/2025

This past Sunday, at U Serve LA, we honored UCLA Law alumni, faculty and students for their leadership, compassion, deep love for their communities, and courage!

Congratulations to Tia Koonse, Ana Mendoza, Alicia Virani, Amaris Montes and Tony Tolbert !

A special congratulations to our student honorees, who inspire us every day:
Alex Austin, Kathryn Black-Mishaan, Zane Gonzalez, Nina Harris, Clover Li, Malik Marshall (Class of 2026)
Sarah B. , Claire Canestrino, Christian Corrales, Cheyenne Smith, Cat Washington (Class of 2025)
Eleanora Dordevic (LLM 2025), Mehran Ron Mehrtash (MLS 2025)

Congratulations as well to everyone who will be graduating soon with Pro Bono Distinction, Pro Bono High Distinction, and to Benjamin Wu, for Pro Bono Highest Distinction!

Thank you to all of you for being a part of this incredible community.

04/04/2025

We really needed to hear from Nicholas Espiritu, Deputy Legal Director of National Immigration Law Center during these tumultuous times!

Nico shared his vision for the importance of public education in the fight for immigrants' rights and for broad and inclusive justice for all. In reminding us of past fights that transformed Latino political power in California, Nico gave us hope for the fight ahead.

Thank you to Nico, and to the Margaret Levy Fellowship for making his visit to UCLA School of Law possible.

03/24/2025

🎉Congratulations to our University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law LLM and MLS honorees! We are excited to honor you and your contributions to public interest on Sunday, April 13 at U. SERVE L.A!
🎟️To celebrate with us and support the public interest community, purchase tickets, sponsorships, and acknowledgements visit
➡️ http://bit.ly/25USERVELA