Temple Law Students Become Duffy Fellows for the Summer
Temple Law Dean Rachel Rebouché and Tom Duffy
(Philadelphia) The Duffy Firm has expanded the Duffy Fellowship program to include students from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. The Duffy Fellowship has funded ten Temple law students to work in public interest roles in various organizations around the region for the summer of 2023.
To be selected to the program, students in their third or fourth year applied to the law school, choosing an organization that met an acute community need and sharing their vision for a legal project that furthered the organization’s mission. Temple’s Public Interest Faculty Committee, in reviewing the applications, gave preference to those students with demonstrated financial need and an interest in pursuing a public interest career.
“Young men and women choose law school as a career path because they want to make a difference, but unfortunately many later become constrained and driven by financial obligations,” said Tom Duffy, founder of The Duffy Firm and the Duffy Fellowship Program. “This program helps level the playing field by funding their salaries during the summer while they are learning more about a career in public service. In essence, it funds income, inspiration and impact.”
“The Duffy Fellowship will give our students an opportunity to learn more about the practice of law and master their craft, but even more so, from a community standpoint; it is an incredible initiative that fosters mentorship and builds community,” said Rachel Rebouché, Dean and James E. Beasley Professor of Law. “We are so thankful to Tom Duffy for investing in the future of law and the City of Philadelphia.”
The 2023 Temple University Duffy Fellows, all members of the Class of 2024, and their internship hosts are as follows:
- Ruby Brunet, NYC Department of Social Services, Office of Data Privacy
- Shaw Coneybeare, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office
- Billy February, New Jersey Division of Law Tax, Bankruptcy & Debt Recovery Section
- Simone Henderson, Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
- Alyssa Kennedy, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section
- Brianne Murphy, Phillips Black
- Rachel Opperman, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
- Catherine Plante, Defender Association of Philadelphia, Child Advocacy Unit
- Noah Stewart, Federal Community Defender, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Emma Weise, Defender Association of Philadelphia, Child Advocacy Unit
Tom Duffy first established the Duffy Fellowship at the Legal Clinic for the Disabled in 2012 to assist in the agency’s mission by funding the salary of one staff attorney. He later added a second fellow at LCD in 2017. Over the years, he has expanded the program to place Duffy Fellows at Community Legal Services and the Homeless Advocacy Project.
In 2023, The Duffy Firm marks 35 years of assisting the families of the catastrophically injured in Philadelphia. Learn more at duffyfirm.com.