Gala Awards

Awards:

Each year at the gala, the Public Interest Project is proud to recognize and commend the extraordinary legal work members of our BU Law have contributed to the community. The following four awards were created to thank them for the positive changes they’ve made and will continue to make.

  • Michael Gollin Public Service Award: this award is named after Michael Gollin, PIP’s co-founder, who started PIP in 1984 by funding just a few students who worked in public interest legal positions over the summer
  • Faculty Award for Service to Public Interest: awarded every year to a faculty member at BU Law who has contributed significantly to the public interest throughout their career
  • Public Interest Alumni Award: given each year to a BU Law graduate who has contributed significantly to the public interest during her career
  • Public Service Alumni Award: given each year to a BU Law graduate who exemplifies a long-standing commitment to public services

2019 Award Recipients:

  • Michael Gollin Public Service Award:  Emily Kase

  • Emily was a 3L at BU Law and exemplified student commitment to public interest.  She was the co-director of BU’s chapter of the International Refugee Assistance Project. Leading up to receipt of this award, she investigated migrant disappearances as a student  in the International Human Rights Clinic, and she served as a research assistant for the clinic. Emily had also worked at the ACLU of Massachusetts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and an immigration law firm. Upon graduation, Emily began clerking for the New York Immigration Court. Due to her commitment to immigration law and international human rights, the annual Michael Gollin Public Service Award was presented to Emily Kase.
  • Faculty Award for Service to Public Interest: Professor Julie Dahlstrom

  • Professor Dahlstrom directs the BU Law Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic, which offers law students the opportunity to represent noncitizen and survivor clients. In 2014, the Human Trafficking Clinic was recognized by preLaw Magazine as one of the top 25 most innovative clinical programs nationally. In 2012, she was appointed by Governor Patrick to the MA Human Trafficking Task Force, chaired by former MA Attorney General Martha Coakley. Professor Dahlstrom teaches in the areas of immigration law, human trafficking, gender-based violence, and public interest law. She currently chairs the BU Law Public Service Committee, and she is the faculty advisor for the Public Interest Retreat.Due to both her impactful work while representing clients and championing public interest students, the Faculty Award for Service to Public Interest was awarded to Professor Julie Dahlstrom.
  • Public Interest Alumni Award: Ventura Dennis, BU Law Class of 2013

  • Ventura Dennis is a Staff Attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services in the CORI & Re-entry Project. During law school, she participated in Boston University’s Criminal Clinic, where she represented clients at the Boston Municipal Court Central Division. Ventura is the recipient of the Mass Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award for 2017, and is a member of the Mass Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Council.Due to her important work working with the CORI Re-entry Project, the Public Interest Alumni Award was awarded to Ventura Dennis.
  • Public Service Alumni Award: Justice Sabita Singh, BU Law Class of 1990

  • Justice Singh is currently an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Prior to her appointment by Governor Baker in 2017, Justice Singh served as an Associate Justice of the MA District Court. Before she was appointed to the bench in 2006, she was a lawyer in a large Boston law firm and also had worked as a state and federal prosecutor. Throughout her career, Justice Singh has engaged in pro bono representation, has taught law courses at various academic institutions, and serves as a mentor to law students and mentors. She is also a founding member and past president at the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston and North America.Due to her long-standing commitment to public service, the Public Service Alumni Award was presented to Justice Sabita Singh.