Two racial justice fellows started this fall: Ray Benson, a third-year FAMU Law student, and Cassidy Mauth, a second-year student. They are paired with attorneys from the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which helps people with felony convictions regain their rights, and Florida Rural Legal Services, which fights for farmworkers.
The fellowships are part of a Florida Law Schools’ Consortium For Racial Justice, created in response to George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer last year, said Mark Dorosin, professor and director of legal clinics and field placements at FAMU Law.
Both Benson and Mauth plan to work in the criminal justice system after law school, Mauth as a public defender and Benson as a prosecutor.
“This may not seem as though it’s along those lines because people have this idea that prosecutors just send people to prison,” Benson said. “... It is important that the prosecutor sees the defendant as a person. It is important that members of the jury see the defendant as a person so that you can get the best solution for the community as a whole, but also for the defendant.”
Mauth envisions herself fighting for people accused of crimes, often forced to defend themselves with limited financial resources.
Exposing future lawyers to the ways legal rules can encroach on people’s rights is just as important a lesson for the students as the actual work they help with, said Angel Sanchez, who leads the Attorney Assistance Program at FRRC and places fellows with attorneys who supervise their work.
Twelve state law schools are part of the Consortium For Racial Justice partnership. Each school promised to have at least one student per year work as a fellow with an organization pursuing anti-racist initiatives.
FAMU students chosen for the fellowships receive a $5,000 scholarship to use as a stipend. That was made possible with a $110,000 donation made to the school by Wells Fargo, enough to fund stipends for Benson, Mauth and 20 other economic justice fellows that will follow over the next two years.
Both Benson and Mauth plan to work in the criminal justice system after law school, Mauth as a public defender and Benson as a prosecutor.
“This may not seem as though it’s along those lines because people have this idea that prosecutors just send people to prison,” Benson said. “... It is important that the prosecutor sees the defendant as a person. It is important that members of the jury see the defendant as a person so that you can get the best solution for the community as a whole, but also for the defendant.”
Mauth envisions herself fighting for people accused of crimes, often forced to defend themselves with limited financial resources.
Exposing future lawyers to the ways legal rules can encroach on people’s rights is just as important a lesson for the students as the actual work they help with, said Angel Sanchez, who leads the Attorney Assistance Program at FRRC and places fellows with attorneys who supervise their work.
Twelve state law schools are part of the Consortium For Racial Justice partnership. Each school promised to have at least one student per year work as a fellow with an organization pursuing anti-racist initiatives.
FAMU students chosen for the fellowships receive a $5,000 scholarship to use as a stipend. That was made possible with a $110,000 donation made to the school by Wells Fargo, enough to fund stipends for Benson, Mauth and 20 other economic justice fellows that will follow over the next two years.