AOI: Human Rights
26 results
Cover Story Summer 2026
Michigan Law Clinics Evolve to Meet Changing Needs of Students and the Community
The 17 clinics at Michigan Law offer students practical experience while also providing clients with legal help they might not otherwise receive. At the same time, the strength of the program—and its willingness to change with the times—gives Michigan a competitive edge over its peer schools.
Class Note Summer 2026
Elizabeth Morales, ’20: Humanizing the Law through Clinical Work
In 2023, as one of the few associates licensed to practice in both Michigan and Ohio in the Detroit office of Dykema Gossett PLLC, Elizabeth Morales, ’20, was uniquely positioned to work on a significant human trafficking case as a junior lawyer. She also had relevant experience from her time as a student-attorney in Michigan Law’s Human Trafficking and Immigration Clinic (HTC).
Impact Summer 2026
Ron, ’66, and Jane Olson: Democracy and Human Rights
No matter where Ron L., ’66, and Jane T. Olson have traveled, a deep investment in people, ideas, and institutions has defined their lives. Their commitment to strengthening democracy is a natural extension of this, and they recently made a $5,000,000 gift to the Law School to establish the Ron and Jane Olson Fund for Democracy, Human Rights, and Civic Dialogue.
In Practice Winter 2025
Her Own Experience with Infertility Motivates Alexis Cirel, ’03, to Advocate for Better Surrogacy Laws
Alexis Cirel, ’03, a partner at Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP in New York City, spent years advocating for new surrogacy laws in New York and Michigan. Her dedication to the issue is rooted in her own experience with infertility in the early 2010s.
Impact
New Fellowship to Fund LLM Public Service Opportunities Honors Longtime Assistant Dean for International Affairs Virginia Gordan
A new fellowship at Michigan Law will help fund important postgraduate opportunities for masters of law students, while honoring a longtime champion of international students. The Virginia Gordan LLM Public Service Fellowship is named for the first assistant dean for international affairs at Michigan Law.
In Practice Summer 2025
Aisha Elmquist, ’07: Everyone Has the Right to a Seat at the Table
Throughout history, many Americans with disabilities have been denied fundamental rights like attending school, holding jobs, and choosing homes. However, for as long as these inequalities have persisted, advocates for disability rights have fought back—including Aisha Elmquist, ’07, who leads a state government program in Minnesota that is tasked with helping those with disabilities live their best lives.
@UMICHLAW Winter 2024-2025
Michigan Law’s 1L Advocacy Clinic Provides Early Exposure to Real-world Lawyering
Michigan is one of the few law schools in the country to house a clinic for first-year students, who are allowed by the Michigan Supreme Court to do certain types of legal work. The experience can be transformative for students new to law school.
Class Note Winter 2024-2025
Emily Rutkowski, ’16: Transforming a Legal Career into a Mission of Global Support
While working at Morrison and Foerster’s corporate department in Palo Alto, California, Emily Rutkowski, ’16, discovered her passion for advocacy when she had the opportunity to work on a number of pro bono cases. In the years since, Rutkowski has followed that instinct to help others through a number of pivots in her career and personal life—including a move to Ukraine to support fundraising and other aid efforts related to the ongoing war.
Features Winter 2024-2025
Flawed Facial Recognition Technology Leads to Wrongful Arrest and Historic Settlement
The Law School’s Civil Rights Litigation Initiative worked on behalf of a Michigan man falsely arrested for a crime based on flawed facial recognition technology. A first-of-its-kind settlement achieves the nation’s strongest police department policies and practices constraining law enforcement’s use of the technology.
In Practice Summer 2024
Faizah Malik, ’11: Fight for Housing Justice
Faizah Malik, ’11, managing attorney of housing justice at Public Counsel in Los Angeles, is working to address the housing and homelessness crisis in Los Angeles.