Ellen was a fierce advocate for her clients during her time with EDJY. She brought not only a keen legal eye to her work but also a healthy dose of skepticism about the way in which government systems, like juvenile court, had negatively impacted her clients’ lives. One of her clients summed up her impact after Ellen helped him achieve a successful outcome in his juvenile court case: “I was absolutely speechless and incapacitated when I heard the words come out of the Judge’s mouth. This is life changing and I will forever be grateful.”

– Cancion Sotoronsen, Education Defense & Justice for Youth Clinic

Ellen worked on some of the most high-intensity, high-impact, and difficult cases our clinic sees, and every client she worked with had a positive outcome in their case within months. A hallmark of Ellen’s advocacy was prioritizing accessibility for clients and meeting people wherever they were. I have never had a student so determined to get what her client needed that she attended the client’s health appointment to advocate to his doctor. She knows our community members do not live single-issue lives and has been training herself to show up for them accordingly, engaging in multiple clinics so she has the skills to more fully and holistically honor our clients’ lives. Congratulations on your Sax Prize victory as well–awarded to a single Berkeley Law graduating clinical student–for just this reason, Ellen!

– Nora Wilson, Health & Welfare Clinic