Four AUWCL Graduates Selected for Prestigious Equal Justice Works Fellowships
American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) is celebrating a major public interest achievement as four graduating students have been selected for the highly competitive Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own Fellowship program, tying the law school’s previous record set in 2017.
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s most prestigious public interest legal fellowship programs, Equal Justice Works supports emerging attorneys developing innovative projects that address some of the country’s most pressing legal and social justice challenges.
The four AUWCL fellows will launch projects focused on disability justice, voting rights, reproductive rights, immigrant advocacy, and support for survivors of human trafficking.
“This accomplishment reflects the extraordinary talent, dedication, and commitment to service that define AUWCL students,” said Kerry Stotler, senior career counselor in the Office of Career & Professional Development at AUWCL. “These graduates are already advancing meaningful change in communities across the country, and AUWCL is incredibly proud of their work and impact.”
Rachel Bechtel
Rachel Bechtel will serve with the Center for Public Representation through funding provided by The Arnold & Porter Foundation. Her project will use tort litigation and public education to reform the guardianship system for disabled people and increase access to supported decision-making as a less restrictive alternative to guardianship.
“Guardianship orders often result in a profound, frequently permanent, deprivation of fundamental rights, imposed with limited procedural safeguards and minimal oversight,” Bechtel said. “I am grateful for this opportunity to explore the potential tort liability of entities that initiate guardianships, both to redress harms and to promote less restrictive alternatives.”
Bechtel became involved in disability justice advocacy at a young age through her deaf family members and has spent more than a decade working in advocacy, research, and direct support related to disability-based discrimination. During law school, she served as president of the Disability Law Society, a student attorney in the Disability Rights Law Clinic, SBA Director of Accessibility, and a member of the Moot Court Team.
Joe DeMartin
Joe DeMartin will work with Advancement Project on a fellowship project challenging discriminatory laws requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. His work will also support community-centered advocacy through Advancement Project’s movement lawyering model.
“My project will challenge discriminatory laws requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and implement Advancement Project’s movement lawyering model to bring change to the communities most impacted by these policies,” DeMartin said.
A third-year law student focused on voting rights and election law, DeMartin founded and led a comprehensive voter engagement initiative at Davidson College that registered 98 percent and turned out 89 percent of eligible students during the 2020 election.
Emma Buchanan
Emma Buchanan will join Legal Aid Chicago through a fellowship sponsored by Hyatt Hotels. Her project will help implement Illinois’ 2025-enacted Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act by educating state officials and stakeholders on survivor identification, advocating for survivors within state systems, and representing survivors in immigration proceedings.
“My family’s immigration story is my motivation to ensure immigrants, especially survivors of crime and trauma, have the legal support they need,” Buchanan said.
Her work will focus on improving trauma-informed responses among state agencies and law enforcement while expanding legal support and advocacy for trafficking survivors navigating immigration and public systems.
Gabriela Dickson La Rotta
Gabriela Dickson La Rotta will work with the American Civil Liberties Union Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative through a fellowship funded by Equal Justice Works and the Danaher Corporation. Her project will challenge abortion criminalization by targeting unlawful digital surveillance practices used against physicians and pregnant individuals, including technologies such as geofence warrants, facial recognition systems, license plate readers, and cell-phone tracking tools.
“At the heart of my work is the belief that no one should have their reproductive or bodily autonomy taken from them,” Dickson La Rotta said. “No one should have to live in a world where seeking or providing a safe medical procedure is the basis for a prison sentence.”
Reflecting on her path to reproductive justice advocacy, Dickson La Rotta added, “When the draft decision in Dobbs was leaked, I never could have imagined how dire the abortion landscape would become. I also would not have believed that I would become part of the fight to protect this necessary and life-saving medical care.”
Dickson La Rotta credited mentors, advocates, and AUWCL faculty members who helped shape her commitment to public interest law through experiences in immigration advocacy, LGBTQ+ rights, post-conviction work, and strategic litigation.
The four Equal Justice Works Fellowships continue AUWCL’s longstanding tradition of preparing students to lead through public service, advocacy, and innovative legal work that advances justice nationwide.