Walking into a Texas courthouse as an intern with the Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Inc. (DRC-MC), Megan P. Denman ’27 expected to spend the day observing mediators and taking notes. Instead, by day’s end, she had helped facilitate a court-referred mediation that resulted in a signed settlement agreement.
Denman gained that formative professional experience as one of this year’s Summer Public Interest Fellows, a select group of 117 St. John’s Law students that also included Sophia Francisco ’26.
Since launching in 1999 with just seven Fellows, the Law School’s Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program has provided generous stipends to students who work part time and full time for the summer without pay in nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies, where they focus on providing legal assistance and advocacy to traditionally underserved clients, groups, or interests. The Program’s funding comes from a pool of sources that includes endowment funds, foundation support, alumni donations, fellowships sponsored by the Law School’s academic centers, and fundraising events and appeals.
“The Program’s remarkable growth reflects both the motivation of our students and the strength of our community’s commitment to public interest work,” says Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz, who coordinates the Program as Director of the Law School’s Public Interest Center. “Supporting this year’s Fellows—the largest cohort in the Program’s history and one that’s 84% 1Ls—is not just a milestone in numbers, but a testament to the values we uphold at St. John’s Law. We were again able to support all eligible students who applied and met program deadlines and requirements, distributing $673,100 in stipends.”
Ortiz-Ortiz estimates that, collectively, the 2025 Summer Public Interest Fellows contributed 41,339 hours of pro bono work valued at $1.3 million in New York and nationwide. Returning to her home state of Texas, Denman devoted her summer to making a difference at DRC-MC and in a companion Fellowship placement at Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA), the third largest free legal aid provider in the United States.
“Montgomery County is where I was raised and where some of the hardest moments in my life happened as a single mom trying to support my daughter,” she explains. “To be able to serve the very community that shaped me, often helping clients sitting in the same offices I once sat in seeking help, is surreal and humbling. Just a few years ago, that was me. If it weren’t for the support and belief of the St. John’s community in this small-town Texas girl, I wouldn’t be in a position to pay it forward today.”
With that inspiration and motivation, Denman supported DRC-MC’s vital dispute resolution services. At LSLA, through in-home visits, at hearings, and during research sessions, she helped underserved clients navigate civil legal issues, including housing problems, benefit appeals, and family matters. Now, at the end of her Fellowship summer, she is proud of the knowledge and skills she gained, along with deep insight.
“This Fellowship has shown me that public interest work is important, not just in non-profits, but in the wider legal profession,” Denman shares. “Whether I keep going in legal aid, mediation, or even something more private, I’ll carry a sense of urgency and clarity with me. I’ve learned that empathy and efficiency aren’t opposites. They’re both key for justice. My law degree won’t just be for me. It’ll be a tool to fight for dignity, access, and fairness for the communities I care about most.”
Like Denman, Sophia Francisco is grateful for her Summer Public Interest Fellowship, which brought her to the Center for Family Representation (CFR) in New York City. As she helped CFR provide free legal representation to parents and youth targeted by systems of family regulation and incarceration, she learned the importance of keeping an open mind and having empathy.
“Our clients aren’t just experiencing legal troubles, they’re also dealing with housing, employment, mental health, immigration, and other issues,” Francisco says. “There are strangers telling them when they can and can’t see their child, and there are random home inspections. With all of that going on, it’s extremely important to remember that these aren’t just cases on paper, but people experiencing their family being ripped apart. Effective public interest lawyering is holistic. It considers all aspects of a person’s life because that’s what leads a person to us. I hope to approach my career in a similar way and always look at the larger picture.”
That larger view also includes a community of like-minded law students and lawyers that Francisco has forged as a Summer Public Interest Fellow. “I think community is one of the most important things to have while in law school,” she notes. “Finding people who see the same value in public interest work and encourage each other to pursue those opportunities has made my experience all the better. I’m especially grateful for the public defense community and all of the attorneys, social workers, and other law students I have met. It’s re-energized and inspired me as I go into my last year at St. John’s Law.”
Reflecting on a milestone 2025 Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program, Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz says: “The Program’s growth has been made possible in part by the strong support of our alumni, whose generosity and encouragement send a powerful message to students engaged in this work. It’s also expanded thanks to the leadership of Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum, with the addition of a cohort of St. Vincent de Paul Public Interest Fellows as part of the broader program. Whether or not students ultimately pursue careers in public interest, this experience will shape them into more thoughtful, compassionate, and community-minded lawyers—qualities our profession needs now more than ever.”