Meet the 10-11 LEAD Fellows

Justin Becker, 2012

Becker Originally from Voorhees, New Jersey, Justin attended Brandeis University near Boston, Massachusetts, where he earned a BA in Economics, East Asian Studies, and International and Global Studies. Currently, Justin is pursuing his JD and his Masters in International Development Policy (MIDP). At Duke Law, he is the ad-hoc arts chair and 2L class representative for the Duke Bar Association, the chair of OutLaw, and the co-president of the Drama Society. During his 1L year, he acted as a Guardian ad Litem for Durham County and helped create Duke Law’s first variety show, “Tricky Dick.” He had an incredible summer working in Shanghai at the firm Jun He and taking classes at Duke’s Transnational Law Institute in Hong Kong.

Rachel Berkowitz, 2012

Berkowitz Originally from New York City, Rachel grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. She ventured back to the North for college at the University of Pennsylvania where she double majored in art history and political science. While at Penn, Rachel was a leader of the University Honor Council and received a fellowship to conduct her thesis research in Barcelona. Upon graduation, this Marlins-turned-Phillies fan was not ready to leave the City of Brotherly Love. She spent two years working at a consulting firm, managing a green architecture exhibition and volunteering for the Women’s Law Project. After celebrating a World Series win, Rachel headed back to the warm weather to pursue a JD and MA in Art History at Duke. She is a member of Duke Law’s Mock Trial team and Bowling League (and is equally proud of both affiliations). She spent the summer in New York City as a legal intern at Sotheby’s, Inc. She welcomes you to the Duke Law community and hopes you enjoy the amazing opportunities, both inside and outside of the classroom, that await you.

Sarah Boyce, 2012

Boyce Sarah grew up in Belmont, North Carolina, and majored in English and SoCon Basketball at Davidson College. After graduation, she joined the D.C. corps of Teach for America. Sarah spent two years teaching middle-school math and language arts, and her students spent two years teaching her the Soulja Boy and the Stanky Leg. At Duke, Sarah is involved with the Innocence Project, Street Law, and Moot Court. She is a 2L representative for the Duke Bar Association and is the co-chair of the Education Law and Policy Society. Over the summer, Sarah worked in the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.

Adrian Broderick, 2011

Broderick Adrian grew up York, Pennsylvania. She attended Dickinson College for undergrad, receiving degrees in International Business & Management and Environmental Studies. Adrian came straight to Duke, where she is a member of Law and Contemporary Problems and has served on the executive board of the Environmental Law Society as a 1L and 2L. During her first summer, she worked for an alumnus at a small firm in Pennsylvania, and this summer, she worked at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell in Wilmington, Delaware. Some of Adrian’s favorite things include dogs, skiing, doing almost anything outside, environmentalism and making things.

Shine Chen, 2012

Chen Shine was born in Taiwan and lived there until the age of seven when she and her family moved to Acton, Massachusetts, where she became an avid fan of Boston sports teams, through the good times and the bad. She graduated from Wellesley College in 2006 with degrees in neuroscience and political science. After graduation, Shine worked at the American Cancer Society as an event planner and fundraiser. At Duke Law, she currently serves as the president of the Women Law Students Association, a Guardian ad Litem for Durham County, and the treasurer of the Public Interest Law Foundation. This past summer, Shine interned at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Trial Division. Her favorite pastimes include playing tennis, skiing, haunting Local Yogurt, and feeding her caffeine addiction. Welcome to Duke Law; it’s a wonderful community!

Erin Close, 2012

Erin was born and raised in Lexington, Massachusetts (also known as the birthplace of America, no big deal). She spent her undergraduate years at Trinity College in Connecticut, where she studied philosophy and rode on the equestrian team. After graduation, she spent two years as a legal secretary at Wilkie Farr in New York City. Deciding that she had had enough of northern winters, she enrolled in Duke’s dual-degree program and is now immersed in both the world of Duke Law and the newly minted MSC in Global Health program. Outside of the classroom, she is a Guardian ad Litem and a student representative to the Entry Level Faculty Selection Committee. She spent this past summer in Geneva, Switzerland, interning at the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development’s Intellectual Property Department. She also participated in the Sanford School’s Geneva Program on Humanitarian Assistance and Human Rights. She hopes that the 1Ls will make time to explore Durham and everything it has to offer!

James Gillenwater, 2012

Gillenwater James was reared on a small farm just outside of Glasgow, Kentucky along with goats, geese, and guinea fowl. He attended Vanderbilt University 100 miles to the south in Nashville, Tennessee, and graduated with a BS in English and Spanish in 2005. While a freshman at Vanderbilt, he took up the sport of rugby, following in the footsteps of his older brother “Minnow,” and, has been passionate about the sport ever since, playing under the apt nickname “Guppy.” After graduating, James played professionally for three years in Spain, Argentina, and for the United States National Team, ultimately captaining the side in his final season. After numerous concussions derailed his rugby career, James chose to fight his battles on a more cerebral playing field at Duke Law. During his first year, James gave Law School tours, captained the Law School’s flag football and soccer teams, served as the Athletic Chair on the Duke Bar Association, coached the Duke undergraduate rugby club, and was active in groups such as the Mock Trial board and the Immigrant Education Project. James did research over the summer for Professor Sara Sun Beale and also worked as a summer associate in the law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl in Louisville, Kentucky. This year, he will be spreading the rugby gospel in the Triangle area by starting up an afterschool program at the Durham Boys and Girls club under an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. (All volunteers are welcome!)

Robert Gottfried, 2012

Gottfried Bobby is a native of Washington, D.C. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he received his BS in Business Administration. While there, he called football and basketball games for the school radio station. An avid sports fan, he then worked as a production assistant for Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside D.C. He returned to D.C. once again this past summer to work in the Civil Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. At Duke (the first time neither his school nor his home city have contained the word “Washington”), Bobby is the president of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, the DBA admissions committee representative for the class of 2012, and is involved with the Innocence Project. In his free time, Bobby enjoys attending Duke basketball games, bar reviews, and spending time with his fantastic law school friends. Welcome to Duke!

Christopher Grant, 2012

Grant Grant grew up in the Caribbean country of Belize. He attended the University of Virginia, where he earned a BA in Japanese and a BA in Anthropology and finally had a chance to enjoy four seasons. Before law school, he lived in rural Japan for two years as a teacher of English and a participant of the JET program. He is currently JD/LLM student and returned to Japan this past summer to intern in Tokyo with City-Yuwa Partners, a Japanese law firm. At Duke, he is a volunteer with the Innocence Project, participated in Southern Justice Spring Break, is on the board of the International Law Society, was the 1L representative for the Judicial Committee, and participated in Campout 2009 but did not receive any basketball tickets. For fun, he is generally either studying languages or singing karaoke off-key. He wishes all new students a warm welcome to the Duke community.

Tricia Hammond, 2011

Hammond Originally from Lake Jackson, Texas, Tricia graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Mathematics and BA in the Plan II Honors Program. At Duke, she has been a co-director of Street Law, the Health Law Society, and the Refugee Asylum Support Project, and she has participated in the Brazil International Social Justice Seminar & Legal Services Trip (spring break 2010) and a medical services trip to Thomassique, Haiti (spring break 2009). During her 2L summer, she worked at Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston, and during her 1L summer, she worked at the Duke Children's Law Clinic. This coming year, she will be working as a Schweitzer Fellow, along with a Duke medical student, to expand the services offered by Street Law and Med Mentors (a partner organization in the medical school) to adolescents in Durham's juvenile detention facility. Tricia has loved studying law at Duke and exploring the Triangle area, and hopes that you will too!

Nirupama Hegde, 2012

Hegde Niru is from South Brunswick, New Jersey. She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University in 2008 with a double major in political science and South Asian studies. Before law school, Niru spent a year working at a nonprofit in New York City doing research on immigrant communities and family homelessness in urban areas. At Duke, Niru serves as leadership chair on the Duke Bar Association, is the law firm coordinator for the Public Interest Law Foundation, and volunteers with Street Law. She spent last summer working for the Children’s Rights Project at Public Counsel Law Center in Los Angeles, California. Niru likes living in places where MTV can make reality shows about the beach, which is why she moved from the Jersey Shore to The Hills. She is still waiting for MTV to make a show about Durham.

Kate Hunter, 2012

Hunter Kate grew up just two and a half hours from Durham in Charlotte, North Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts in International Relations and Economics. While at Tufts, she was a member of the women’s crew team, and took advantage of Tufts programs to study in Santiago, Chile; Talloires, France; and Washington, D.C. After graduation, she attended the Tuck Business Bridge program at Dartmouth. She then spent three years in Washington, D.C., before coming to Duke Law as a JD/LLM student last May. At Duke, she has been involved with the Latin American Business Law Association and the Refugee Asylum Support Project. During her first summer, she worked in the Tokyo office of Bingham McCutchen, and attended the Asia-America Summer Institute in Transnational Law in Hong Kong. She enjoys meeting new people, working out, reading, bar review, Carolina Panthers football and Duke basketball, and is very excited about welcoming a great new group of people to Duke.

Alyssa Kahn, 2012

Kahn Alyssa was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Bethesda, Maryland. Alyssa is a proud “Double Dukie;” she received a BA in psychology from Duke University in 2009. As an undergraduate, Alyssa volunteered for the Guardian ad Litem program, and now is a co-director of the Guardian ad Litem program at Duke Law. This past year, Alyssa served as the first-year representative to the Lateral Faculty Appointments Committee and worked as a research assistant for Professor Katherine T. Bartlett. Alyssa spent her first summer of law school working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Maryland Criminal Division, where she wrote sentencing memorandum, responses to habeas petitions and helped draft a Fourth Circuit appellate brief.

Leigh Krahenbuhl, 2012

Krahenbuhl Leigh is from Oregon, Illinois (pop: 4,000), and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While at the U of I, she majored in broadcast journalism, worked at the local TV station, and was a member of the dance team. At Duke Law, Leigh is involved in the Innocence Project and served as a case manager for the Racial Justice Act Project last spring. She will be a legal writing teaching assistant this school year. During her 1L summer, she interned for Judge Gottschall in the Northern District of Illinois. She has a passion for cupcakes and enjoys running (a good combination). She loves the students and professors at Duke and is excited to welcome the new students to such a wonderful law school!

Jennifer Ying Lan, 2012

Lan Jennifer grew up in College Station, Texas, home of the fighting Texas A&M Aggies, as the daughter of two college professors. She headed North for college, where she majored in History & Economics at Harvard. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City and worked in investment banking at Merrill Lynch. After enough hours on Wall Street, she ran off to Beijing, where she spent six months as a dining and entertainment journalist. Pursuing a dual JD/MBA here at Duke, she spent this past summer as a Banking & Capital Markets associate at White & Case LLP. At the law school, she is on the Moot Court board, and is president of the JD/MBA Society, co-president of the Business Law Society, and a vice-president in the Asian Legal Students Association. In her spare time, she likes to plan for her next vacation, commiserate about the Dallas Cowboys, explore Durham's amazing food scene, and share her love of U2.

Timothy Lee, 2012

Lee Born and raised in an Air Force family, Tim has come to embrace the adage “Home is where the heart is.” After attending four high schools in two countries, Tim landed in Arizona, where he attended Arizona State University while operating a pizzeria, selling real estate, and engaging in all-night bouts of Risk. Prior to calling Duke home, Tim spent two years in South Korea learning Korean and volunteering with an NGO. At Duke, Tim serves as vice president of the Business Law Society, executive member of the Federalist Society, and the co-director of Duke’s VITA program. Tim does not believe it a coincidence that the Blue Devils were the NCAA Basketball Champs his 1L year. This summer, Tim spent time with an NGO in Scottsdale, Arizona, and served as a judicial intern at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. When he’s not studying law, Tim enjoys time with his wife and daughter, exploring Durham’s great restaurants, and taking pictures on campus and around town. He considers it an honor to serve as a LEAD fellow and is ready to assist new law students in any way possible.

Leigh Llewelyn, 2012

Lleigh Llewelyn is a second year JD/MA English student. He graduated from the University of South Florida with degrees in psychology and literature. Before law school, he worked for six years at the Holmes Beach Police Department as a dispatcher and rescue diver. At Duke, Leigh works as Case Manager for the Innocence Project. He is also the Academic Chair for the Duke Bar Association. Last summer, Leigh clerked for Jones Day in Washington, D.C.

Reed Lyon, 2012

Lyon Reed was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington – the “City of Subdued Excitement.” After attending Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, where he double-majored in Government and Literature while running on the track and cross-country teams, he took a job doing marketing and public relations for technology start-ups in San Francisco. After deciding to attend Duke Law, Reed quit his job and moved back to Claremont to be the assistant coach to his former track team while focusing on his own training for the 2009 Boston Marathon. Immediately prior to law school, Reed spent four months teaching English along the Thai-Burmese border. Reed returned to San Francisco last summer to intern with the Homeless Advocacy Project. He is also the Technology Chair for the Duke Law Innocence Project, as well as the director for the Public Interest Law Foundation’s annual 5k fundraiser, Race Judicata. Reed continues to run and implores incoming students to make time for non-academic pursuits as they begin their legal studies.

Halerie Mahan, 2011

Mahan Originally from Sparkill, New York, Halerie attended the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in English. Before coming to Duke Law, she spent two years teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts in Newark, New Jersey, as part of Teach for America. She then spent a year managing a horseback-riding facility, training horses, and teaching horseback-riding lessons. At Duke, Halerie is on the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy, is co-chair of the Animal Law Society, works with Street Law, and is a lifelong member of the Fighting Wicklegrens Softball Team. She spent her 1L summer working for the Rockland County District Attorney, and just returned from a summer associate position at Cades Schutte LLP, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Halerie enjoys running/hiking with her dog, Izzie, drinking delicious microbrews, bikram yoga, attempting and usually failing at various water sports, and listening to electronic beatz. She thinks that upon arriving in Durham, you should immediately go to either Local Yogurt (plain yogurt with mangoes, strawberries, and kiwi) or Cookout (chocolate shake with bananas).

Robert McGuire, 2011

McGuire Originally from Middlesex, New Jersey. Robert studied English at Kenyon College. A third year JD/LLM, he is involved with the Alaska Law Review, the Moot Court board, the Lateral Faculty Appointments Committee and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. This summer, under Duke’s Student Summer Scholarship Grant, Robert continued a self-directed project on discrimination faced by high-IQ individuals with learning-related disabilities, impairments rooted in ADHD, Dyslexia, and Autism Spectrum Disorders; he is particularly interested in the accessibility of high-stakes admissions and licensing exams. In 2009, he worked as a summer associate at Abe, Ikubo & Katayama in Tokyo, Japan. Robert enjoys cooking, reads avidly, and trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Mitchell Medina, 2011

Medina Mitchell is originally from Puerto Rico and attended the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, where he attained a BS in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Analog Integrated Circuits and Control Systems. After teaching circuits and electronics at his alma mater for two semesters, he headed to Arizona State University for graduate studies. Upon attaining his master’s degree, also in electrical engineering, he worked for Boeing Aerospace and for General Dynamics. At Duke, Mitchell currently serves as President of the Hispanic Law Students Association and has been involved with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and with the Public Interest Law Foundation. While in law school, Mitchell worked for a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in Tampa, Florida, during his 2L summer and as a law clerk to the N.C. Department of State Treasurer after his 1L year.

Kristyn Monaghan, 2012

Monaghan Kristyn was born and raised in a small town outside of Tampa, Florida, called Land O’ Lakes – and, no, that is not where the butter is made. She attended Florida State University, where she graduated with a BS in Political Science and International Affairs. Continuing directly onto law school, Kristyn currently serves as the treasurer of the Duke Bar Association. She is also involved in the Duke Law Innocence Project, Street Law, and Southern Justice Spring Break. In her free time, Kristyn loves playing and watching sports, specifically the FSU Seminoles, Tampa Bay Bucs and Atlanta Braves. She also enjoys Durham Bulls games, her two playful dogs, and Durham’s delicious restaurants. This past summer, Kristyn worked in Tallahassee, Florida, as a summer associate for Fowler, White, Boggs.

Carmen Jo Ponce, 2011

Ponce Carmen Jo Ponce, known to all as CJ, was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the “good life.” She left the Cornhusker state to attend Columbia University, where she majored in political science and human rights. She then went straight into law school and has loved every minute of it. CJ has been involved in the Duke Law Innocent Project, the Hispanic Student Law Association, and Mock Trial. She is also currently president of the law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and serves on the Journal of Law & Contemporary Problems. In her “spare time,” she likes to explore the barbecue and “uniquely Durham” restaurants that the city has to offer. CJ spent the last spring semester in the nation’s capitol by participating in the Duke in D.C. program. She spent this past summer working for Baker Botts law firm in Houston, Texas. CJ is excited to welcome you to Duke Law and Durham.

Juliana Soic, 2012

Soic Juliana was born and raised in San Diego, California. She went on to graduate from Brown University in 2008, where she studied the history of imperial bureaucracies. At Duke, Juliana has been most active with Street Law and the Innocence Project, for which she is currently an Investigative Team Leader. She spent the summer after her 1L year working as an intern at the Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility and conducting research on property and environmental law. Since coming to Durham, Juliana has become active in the local music scene, and has recently started playing at open mics and shows in the area. She encourages all the incoming 1Ls to keep things in perspective while at law school, and to take time to learn about all the wonderful resources that their new home has to offer.

Sara Wexler, 2012

Wexler Growing up in New York City, Sara has been a city girl all her life until coming to Durham. Sara graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2006, where she studied political science and was a member of the track team for three years. After graduating from college, Sara worked at a law firm in D.C. for a year and at a public-policy think tank for two years. Sara is a co chair of the Health Law Society and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. Sara spends her free time at the gym, volunteering for an animal-rescue group, and enjoying the crunchy tuna roll at Sushi Love. Her favorite topic of conversation is her dog, Pogo, who can often be spotted on the law school party circuit..

Julia Wood, 2012

Wood Julia Wood grew up in the foothills of North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in English. Before coming to law school, she worked as a newspaper reporter, editor and designer, most recently at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. At Duke, she has been involved with Street Law, the Innocence Project, the DBA finance committee and Legal Aid of North Carolina. This summer, Julia worked at a Raleigh firm, Everett Gaskins Hancock & Stevens. Like most Tarheels, she is dedicated to Carolina basketball, but she loves Durham and Duke, too, and can’t wait to show you around the Triangle.

09-10 Lead Fellows

Ceretta Amos
Amelia Ashton
Catherine Brewer
Adrian Broderick
Noah Browne
Ilyse Fishman
John Gochnour
Tricia Hammond
Angela Harper
Jillian Harrison
Halerie Mahan
Dave Mansfield
Robert McGuire
Mitchell Medina
Chaula Mehta
Kip Nelson
Sheena Paul
James Pearce
Rocio Perez
Jonathan Porter
Phil Rubin
Sara Ruvic
Austin Sandler
Katherine Shea
Garth Spencer

Ceretta Amos, 2011

Amos Cerretta is originally from Durham, otherwise known as the Bull City, made famous by the Durham Bulls baseball team. She received her undergraduate degree in business administration and M.B.A. from Florida A & M University. Deciding to take a break before law school, Cerretta worked with Nortel, IBM, and Alcoa where she enjoyed not living on a college budget. At Duke, Cerretta is the Duke Bar Association Communications Director, a member of the Black Law Students Association, and a great tour guide. She also devotes her time to public interest-related organizations like Street Law, Innocence Project, and VITA. This summer, Cerretta worked with the Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility at Duke University. Her favorite pastimes include going to the movies, playing games like Taboo and Phase 10, and hanging out with friends and family. She is very excited about serving as a LEAD fellow and hopes that the new law students enjoy all that Duke and Durham have to offer.

Amelia Ashton, 2010

Ashton Hailing from Durham, Amelia Ashton's childhood heroes included the Blue Devil and Wool E. Bull. She attended Stanford University, where she majored in English, studied at Oxford, and published a poem in the New York Quarterly. After graduation, Amelia attended the Columbia Publishing School. She interned for Time Inc.’s Sunset magazine before going on to head the editorial department of Where San Francisco, a city travel magazine. At Duke, she has served as a three-year member of the Judicial Board, a tux-wearing host of the Public Interest Auction, a candy-toting Teaching Assistant, and as Senior Notes Editor to the Duke Law Journal. Amelia spent this summer working for the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in Washington, D.C. She welcomes you to Durham and hopes it will be as good a home to you as it has been to her.

Catherine Brewer, 2010

Brewer Cat is from Vista, California (a suburb of San Diego), and attended UCLA. While at UCLA, she was a member of the cheer squad, water ski team and Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. At Duke, she is involved in Innocence Project and will be participating in the Wrongful Convictions Clinic this Fall. In the spring semester, she was in the Children's Education Law Clinic. Cat also is the Notes Editor for the Duke Journal of Gender Law and Policy and the DBA Internal Vice-President. Last summer she worked for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office in the major-fraud and real estate fraud division. This past summer she worked for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher at both their Los Angeles and Orange County offices. While in Durham, she enjoys attending Duke basketball games, bowling in the Duke Law bowling league and hanging out with her friends. Cat is really looking forward to meeting and getting to know as many 1Ls as possible this year and hopes that if anyone has any questions that they feel free to ask. Welcome to the Duke Law Community!