Continuing UCLA School of Law’s proud and long-term commitment to public service and public interest legal work, students Nicole Hansen ’21, Amaris Montes ’21 and Anusha Ravi ’21 have received Skadden Fellowships – among the most prestigious and competitive awards for public interest law students – to pursue public interest law after they graduate.

UCLA Law ranks among the top five law schools in the country for graduating students who garner Skadden Fellowships, and this marks the third consecutive year, and fourth year out of the past five, in which three UCLA Law students have been so honored. Since 1988, the law school has sent about three dozen recent grads into the field for two-year fellowships in which they have launched their public-interest legal careers by making a profound difference in a wide range of under-served or low-income communities. In addition, many of UCLA Law’s Skadden Fellows have participated in the law school’s David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, which trains and supports students pursuing public interest and public service careers.

In their fellowships, Hansen, Montes and Ravi will advocate for, respectively, Native American voters, children detained in immigration facilities and pregnant low-wage workers.

Hansen will work at the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C., engaging in advocacy and litigation in several Western states to advance Native Americans’ equal opportunity to participate effectively in nontribal elections by improving access to in-person voting and boosting representation through redistricting. Her extensive experience in promoting voting rights includes positions with the UCLA Voting Rights Project, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the American Civil Liberties Union and Common Cause. At UCLA Law, she has served as senior editor of the UCLA Law Review, co-chair of the Voting Rights and Political Law Society and co-founder and co-chair of the Survivors and Allies Support Network.

Montes will join Rights Behind Bars in Washington, D.C., to investigate conditions and litigate on behalf of children detained in the four local immigration detention centers in the nation’s capital region, focusing on children with disabilities and their mental health needs. Her deep civil rights experience includes positions with the Southern Center for Human Rights, the National Immigration Law Center, the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition and the Latin American Youth Center. At UCLA Law, she has served as comments editor of the UCLA Law Review, outreach coordinator for Law Students for Immigrant Justice, chair of the Womxn of Color Collective and secretary of the Native American Law Students Association.

Ravi will be a fellow at A Better Balance in Nashville, Tennessee, where she will work to enforce the new Tennessee Pregnant Workers Fairness Act by providing direct legal services to low-wage workers of color and collaborating with health care providers and others to educate workers on their rights under the law. Her wide-ranging public interest experience includes positions with the Bronx Defenders, the ACLU of Southern California, the Center for American Progress and the Center for Law and Social Policy. At UCLA Law, she has served as co-chair of the South Asian Law Students Association, staff editor of the UCLA Women’s Law Journal and co-chair of If/When/How: Law Students for Reproductive Justice.

Founded more than 30 years ago by the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, the Skadden Fellowship program has supported 906 fellows in its history. Skadden Fellows receive a full salary and benefits as they join nonprofit organizations representing low-income populations with limited access to legal resources.