STANFORD, Calif. - (Business Wire) The John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School has awarded the National Public Service Award to Debo P. Adegbile for his work on voting rights and the Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award to Corene Kendrick ‘03 for her advocacy of children’s rights. Both recipients were honored last night at a ceremony on the Stanford campus. “Mr. Adegbile’s extensive work to advance civil rights and Ms. Kendrick’s protection of extremely vulnerable juveniles throughout the country led to their selection this year for our awards. Their commitment to social justice provides an inspiration to both law students and lawyers,” said Diane T. Chin, associate dean for public service and public interest law and lecturer in law.
The National Public Service Award is designated for an attorney whose work on behalf of the public has had national impact, and the Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award is given to a Stanford Law School alumnus/a who has demonstrated courage in challenging social inequity and promoting positive solutions for social change. The recipients were chosen by a committee of students, alumni, and faculty that included former Secretary of State Warren Christopher ’49; William Neukom ’67, immediate past president of the American Bar Association; Larry Kramer, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean; Lawrence C. Marshall, professor of law, David and Stephanie Mills Director of Clinical Education, and Associate Dean for Public Interest and Clinical Education; and Chin.
Debo P. Adegbile, director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), was honored for his extraordinary work in the area of voting rights in the defense against a constitutional challenge to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was nominated by a current student, Brian Goldman ’10, who had the opportunity to work with Adegbile at LDF his first-year summer. Adegbile was also instrumental in representing minority voters in the civil rights suit NAACP v. Harris that resulted in improvements in Florida’s election system after the controversial 2000 presidential election. On Tuesday November 4, he will deliver a public talk titled, “Charting a Path as a Modern Civil Rights Lawyer” at the law school, at 12:45, in Room 180.
Corene Kendrick is a staff attorney at the Youth Law Center in San Francisco, a public interest organization that advocates for the rights of children in foster care and juvenile justice. Her work there encompasses confidentiality of juvenile records, due process in parole proceedings, education for youth in foster care and juvenile justice, conditions of secure confinement and foster care, and issues relating to race, mental health, and developmental disabilities. Kendrick is currently working on L.H. v. Schwarzenegger, a federal class action lawsuit which alleges that the California Division of Juvenile Justice systemically violated the constitutional rights of juvenile parolees in revocation proceedings. She is also an adjunct instructor at Golden Gate University School of Law.
The awards were established in 2006 by the Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law as part of its mission to raise awareness about the importance of public service. The award is given annually to individuals who exemplify a commitment to public service, provide models of practice that are interesting and innovative, and who have made a specific contribution for that year to the public interest legal field.
“These awards reflect Stanford Law’s fundamental values – that public service should be a central part of students’ lives, whatever their career paths, and an essential part of the school’s culture,” said Dean Larry Kramer.
About the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law
The John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law is a program at Stanford Law School that aims—through courses, pro bono projects, public lectures, academic conferences, funding programs, and career services—to make public service a pervasive part of every law student’s experience and ultimately help shape the values that students take into their careers—regardless of ideology or political persuasion and regardless of whether they work as full-time public interest lawyers or work in business, a private law firm, or elsewhere.
About Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School [www.law.stanford.edu] is one of the nation’s leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics, business, and high technology. Faculty members argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, testify before Congress, and write books and articles for academic audiences, as well as the popular press. Along with offering traditional law school classes, the school has embraced new subjects and new ways of teaching.
Stanford Law School
Judith Romero, 650-723-2232
Associate Director of Media Relations
judith.romero@stanford.edu
