Fall 2016

Impact

Fiske, ’55: 15 Years of Launching Government Service Careers

Fiske Fellows
Fiske Fellows

In July, Fiske Fellows gathered in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the program that helped them get their starts, and the man who made it possible. 

In 2001, Bob Fiske, ’55, HLLD ’97, created the Robert B. Fiske Jr. Fellowship Program for Government Service to encourage recent Michigan Law graduates to pursue positions as government lawyers. 

The fellowship pays both college and law school debt for three years plus a stipend; it has supported 49 fellows to date. Fiske, who is senior counsel at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, has spent large portions of his career in public service and says the synergy between public service and private practice makes people who do both better at each. 

“I want graduates to reap the life-changing benefits of government service without having to worry about their debt.” As evidenced by the tributes presented to Fiske at the celebration, he has more than accomplished that mission.

2016 Fellows Continue Fiske Legacy

Fiske, ’55: 15 Years of Launching Government Service Careers
Pictured with Bob Fiske, ’55, HLLD ’97, are 2016 fellows (left to right) Caroline Flynn, ’13, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel; Ben Clark, ’14, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; John Broderick, ’13, environment and natural resources

Words of Thanks

“As a direct result of the fellowship, I am able to feel, on a daily basis, like I am making important contributions to civil rights laws and impacting the lives of many people nationwide. The fellowship’s greatest gift is the freedom it has given me …to grow as an attorney.”

Sharon Brett, ’12, trial attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

“Years after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, I still find ultimate satisfaction and rich reward in public service. Robert Fiske made it possible for me to go into public service out of law school without facing financial ruin. The effects of his generosity are evident in my life nearly 13 years later.”

Mike Kabakoff, ’03, assistant public defender, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

More From This Issue

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Fall 2016 Cover Story

Tension: Privacy vs. National Security in the Digital Age

Cindy Cohn, ’89, was in her office at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), interviewing a job candidate, when a staff member knocked on her door. Cohn initially said she couldn’t step away from the interview, but her colleague persisted. It was June 5, 2013—the day that would change everything.
Margo Schlanger

Fall 2016 Features

Intelligence Legalism and the NSA’s Civil Liberties Gap

Margo Schlanger, the Henry M. Butzel Professor of Law, is a leading authority on civil rights issues and civil and criminal detention and is the founder and director of the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse at the Law School. In this article, she discusses the balancing act between NSA information gathering and civil liberties in the wake of recent security breaches.
Friends, Fellowship, and Football

Fall 2016 Features

Friends, Fellowship, and Football

For decades, members of the Michigan Law faculty have been sitting together in Section 22 at Michigan Stadium. The tradition continues today, with emeritus and active faculty members watching the Wolverines from their perch above the 35-yard line.

Related Reading

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Winter 2022 Impact

Bob Fiske, ’55, Inspires Gift to Eponymous Government Fellowship

Inspired by the example of Robert Fiske, ’55, a group of donors has made a $90,000 contribution to the Fiske Fellowship Program at Michigan Law, which encourages young lawyers to enter government service by providing recipients with cash stipends and loan repayment assistance. 
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Fall 2017 @UMICHLAW

Equal Justice Works Fellows Advocate for Underserved Communities

Equal Justice Works is the nation’s largest post-graduate public interest fellowship program—and one of the most prestigious. The two-year program matches recent graduates who are passionate about public interest work with organizations that need their talents. 
Robert Fiske, ’55, with the 2014 Fiske Fellows (left to right): Samuel Hall, ’13, Elizabeth Grossman, ’12, Meredith Garry, ’13, and Austin Hakes, ’12.

Spring 2015 Briefs

2014 Fiske Fellows Gratefully Pursue Their Passions

The Fiske Fellowship was established in 2001 by Robert Fiske, ’55, a senior counsel at Davis Polk & Wardwell and a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Three-year fellowships are awarded annually to up to four Michigan Law graduates who serve as government lawyers.