2L earns prestigious summer fellowship

Brandeis Law 2L Jessica Morgan will spend the summer of 2017 working at the UAW in Detroit, thanks to a fellowship from the Peggy Browning Fund.

"Peggy Browning Fellows are distinguished students who have not only excelled in law school but who have also demonstrated their commitment to workers’ rights through their previous educational, work, volunteer and personal experiences," states a news release from the Peggy Browning Fund. "Jessica certainly fits this description."

Before law school, Morgan was a social worker serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and learned firsthand about how economic inequalities play a role in access to justice. As a native Kentuckian, Jessica is deeply committed to the rights of workers and is interested in the intersections of workers’ rights, gender and immigration.

"I had the pleasure of working with Jessica on an independent study about a difficult labor law issue about which she was able to research and write an excellent paper without any prior exposure to labor law," says Brandeis Law Professor Ariana Levinson. "I enjoy working with Jessica because she is a diligent, committed, courageous person with extremely strong interpersonal skills."  

Morgan started a chapter of If/When/How (formerly Law Students for Reproductive Justice) at Brandeis Law, chairs the Student Bar Foundation and teaches Street Law through the Central High School Partnership. 

"The UAW is a great place intern, and I recommend that any student interested in labor and employment law apply for a Peggy Browning Fellowship next year. I assist 11 in-house attorneys with issues facing workers and local unions throughout the country,  including issues with the Family Medical Leave Act, Title VII and the National Labor Relations Act," says Morgan. "The work is exciting, and I am learning a great deal while spending the summer in Detroit, a city that is resilient with a strong labor identity. I am grateful for this opportunity, for the skills I have gained in law school thus far that have helped me succeed in this internship, and for the support and encouragement of our awesome faculty."  

The Peggy Browning Fund is a not for-profit organization established in memory of Margaret A. Browning, a prominent union-side attorney who was a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from 1994 until 1997. Peggy Browning Fellowships provide law students with unique, diverse and challenging work experiences fighting for social and economic justice. These experiences encourage and inspire students to pursue careers in public interest labor law.