The City Bar Justice Center’s 2025 Summer Interns Put Their Studies Into Action

The City Bar Justice Center has wrapped up another successful summer internship program with a record-breaking 24 enthusiastic high school, undergraduate, and law school students gaining hands-on experience through our civil justice projects and departments. We are immensely proud of our 2025 summer intern class for their hard work across administrative, client-focused, and programmatic areas. We wish them luck as they continue their studies and thank them again for their contributions this summer. Below, some of our interns share their experiences, lessons they’ve learned, and the meaningful work they’ve done at the Justice Center:

“My experience interning at the City Bar Justice Center was both challenging and deeply rewarding. I worked with pro se litigants on federal cases that touched on copyright and trademark infringement defenses, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) wage-and-hour disputes, and the potential for recovery under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). I helped these litigants prepare filings, navigate rules, and understand how to frame counterclaims and defenses broadly. The most meaningful part of my time at the Justice Center was having the privilege to be a trusted point of contact for litigants perplexed by the court system’s complexity, all while collaborating with my supervisors on the best approaches to helping them.”
– Brennan Hawsey, Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

“Taking on the responsibility of shepherding these litigants through the Southern District of New York (SDNY) felt intimidating at first, but it really helped me gain confidence in my legal skills. I particularly enjoyed doing research for imprisoned clients, especially when answers were complex and required ingenuity to find.” 
– Henry Roach, Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

“I began to feel like all this time I’ve spent studying law actually has real application and that the chain could finally turn the gear! It was very cool to see real diverse cases play out in front of my own eyes.”
– Jacob Prince, Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

“At the City Bar Justice Center, I learned how to effectively engage with clients, perform research on complex legal questions, and apply my knowledge to real-world situations. I believe that my experience here has been instrumental to my personal and professional development.”
– Patrice Charlemagne, Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (EDNY) Intern 

“Overall, my experience at the City Bar Justice Center was amazing. This internship solidified my desire to go to law school in the future. I loved the opportunity to work in the public sector of the legal field, as well as connecting with other interns about going to law school.”
– Veronica Wisniewska, Administration & Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project Intern 

“I learned about how Chapter 7 bankruptcy works and how to navigate this complex process with our clients. I found it really rewarding to be able to help my first client with her initial intake all the way to filing her case. All the guidance and insights I received from the project director and coordinator are invaluable and will continue to inform me as I continue my studies in bankruptcy law. I also found the experience to have sharpened my professional skills and made me understand more deeply the meaning of pro bono and public interest lawyering.”
– Yunwei Xu, Consumer Bankruptcy Project Intern 

Thank you to each and every one of our summer interns, and congratulations on your success!

The City Bar Justice Center’s 2025 summer intern class:

Brennan Hawsey, Fordham University School of Law
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Danny Alonso, Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern

Demos Efstathiou, University of Michigan Law School
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Emily Lewis, New York University School of Law
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Erin Conlon, St. John’s University School of Law 
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern

Genavieve Koyn, Brooklyn Law School
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (EDNY) Intern 

Henry Roach, Stanford Law School
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Jacob Prince, St. John’s University School of Law
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Juliana Mense, St. John’s University School of Law
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern

Karoline Deaza, Brooklyn Technical High School
Administration Intern 

Katherine Waissbluth, Columbia Law School
Cancer Advocacy Project & Elderlaw Project Intern 

Leila Jiadi, University of Michigan Law School
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern

Maria Frants, St. John’s University School of Law
Planning and Estates Law Project & Legal Hotline Intern 

Matthew D’Annunzio, New York University School of Law
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Mikaela Gerwin, Stanford Law School
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Noah Meyers, University of Michigan Law School
Veterans Assistance Project Intern 

Patrice Charlemagne, Cornell Law School
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (EDNY) Intern 

Shivani Sanghani, New York University School of Law
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern 

Sumaiya Zaman, Washington University School of Law in St. Louis
Immigrant Justice Project Intern 

Veronica Wisniewska, Hunter College
Administration & Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project Intern 

Viola Saweris, New Explorations into Science, Technology & Math High School
Administration Intern 

Yazmin Muniz, Cornell University
Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (SDNY) Intern

Yunwei Xu, Columbia Law School
Consumer Bankruptcy Project (Intern)