Danielle Conley, Lisa Parrington and Lara Phimister are WilmerHale’s most recent recipients of the distinguished Pickering Fellowship. Through this unique opportunity, they will each spend six months at a public service organization, where they will carry on the firm’s long standing commitment to the public good. Created in honor of the late John H. Pickering, one of WilmerHale’s founding partners, this program embodies the spirit of Mr. Pickering’s lifelong public service achievements.

Ms. Conley will spend her fellowship working at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) in New York. She will join former WilmerHale partner John Payton, who began his tenure as President and Director-Counsel of the LDF last year. This organization was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall and is “America’s legal counsel on issues of race.” Through advocacy and litigation, LDF focuses on issues of education, voter protection and economic justice.

Ms. Parrington will work with the Urban Justice Center in New York. By defending the rights of people who are often overlooked by others, this organization serves New York City’s most vulnerable residents through direct legal service, advocacy and community education.

Ms. Phimister will spend her fellowship with the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR) in Boston. This nationally recognized program works to secure safety and freedom for asylum-seekers who have fled from persecution throughout the world and seeks to promote the rights of immigrants unjustly detained.

Previous WilmerHale Pickering fellows include associates: Bronwen Blass, Katherine Gillespie, David Giordano, Roberto Gonzalez, Terrence McNeil and Katherine Zucca.

To learn more about John H. Pickering and his legacy, place click here.