STANFORD, Calif., Oct. 8, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The John and Terry Levin Center at Stanford Law School honored two outstanding lawyers Monday night for remarkable achievements in public service.
Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, was awarded the National Public Service Award, while Catherine Crump (JD '04) received the Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award. Crump is an assistant clinical professor of law and associate director of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic at Berkeley Law.
The National Public Service Award is awarded to attorneys whose public service has had national impact, and the Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award recognizes a Stanford Law School alumnus or alumna who has made outstanding contributions to advance justice and social change in the lives of vulnerable populations on a community, national or international level. In particular, the Rubin Award is intended to highlight sustainable solutions to societal problems.
"Marielena Hincapié is a powerful voice for some of the most vulnerable in our society—low-income immigrants and their family members—and she is an inspiring example to our students of what a profound difference a skilled advocate can make in the lives of people. She also reminds us all of our obligation to make the world a better place, and we are thrilled to honor her with Stanford's National Public Service Award," said M. Elizabeth Magill, dean and Richard E. Lang Professor of Law at Stanford Law School.
"It is also deeply meaningful when we can honor one of our own. We are grateful to the Rubin Family for creating a prize that allows us to do so every year. I'm delighted that we have chosen Catherine Crump, whose work in the area of privacy, civil liberties and civil rights could not be more timely or important," she added. "These two honorees are at the forefront of two of the most pressing social justice issues of our day."
National Public Service Award Recipient: Marielena Hincapié
Under Marielena Hincapié's executive leadership, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) has grown to be one of the premier immigrants' rights organizations, using a combination of litigation, policy, communications and alliance-building strategies to effect social change. It is recognized as the main organization dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants in the U.S. Hincapié is highly respected for her legal and alliance-building strategies and is seen as a bridge builder within the immigrants' rights field, as well as across broader social justice sectors.
Hincapié began her tenure at NILC in 2000 as a staff attorney leading the organization's labor and employment program. During that time, she successfully litigated law reform and impact-litigation cases dealing with the intersection of immigration laws and employment/labor laws. She then served as NILC's director of programs from 2004 to 2008, after which she became executive director.
Before joining NILC, Hincapié worked for the Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center in San Francisco, where she founded the Center's Immigrant Workers' Rights Project. She received her juris doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law, served on the American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration, and is currently a member of the Jobs with Justice and Welcome.US boards of directors.
Fully bilingual and bicultural, Hincapié serves as a resource and is often interviewed by media outlets. She also is a frequent lecturer at national and international conferences, addressing issues of migration, and she works closely with emerging leaders in the social justice movement.
Among the awards Hincapié has received are Univision's Corazón Award for 2013, in honor of her commitment to the Latino community. The media company, which honors one organization and one individual each year, cited her leadership at the National Immigration Law Center as a key reason she received the award. In 2014 she received the Latina of Influence award from Hispanic Lifestyle and was chosen to be one of seven Prime Mover Fellows by the Hunt Alternatives Fund.
Hincapié immigrated as a child from Medellín, Colombia, to Central Falls, Rhode Island.
Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award Recipient: Catherine Crump
Catherine Crump is an assistant clinical professor of law and associate director of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic at Berkeley Law. An experienced litigator specializing in constitutional matters, she has represented a broad range of clients seeking to vindicate their First and Fourth Amendment rights. She also has extensive experience litigating to compel the disclosure of government records under the Freedom of Information Act.
Her primary interest is the impact of new technologies on civil liberties. Representative matters include serving as counsel in the ACLU's challenge to the National Security Agency's mass collection of Americans' call records; representing artists, media outlets and others challenging a federal Internet censorship law; and representing a variety of clients seeking to invalidate the government's policy of conducting suspicionless searches of laptops and other electronic devices at the international border.
Prior to coming to Berkeley, Crump served as a staff attorney at the ACLU for nearly nine years, starting her career there as an Equal Justice Works post-graduate fellow. Before that, she was a law clerk for Judge M. Margaret McKeown at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
"This year's honorees are outstanding role models for our students and for all who hear the call to pursue justice, especially when it is difficult," said Diane T. Chin, associate dean for public service and public interest law and lecturer in law, who oversees the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law. "Their passion, commitment and unwavering pursuit of what is right should inspire all of us to serve our communities and strengthen the systems that are designed to ensure our equality and safety."
The awards were established in 2006 by the Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law as part of its mission to raise awareness about the importance of public service. The awards are given annually to individuals who exemplify a commitment to public service, provide models of practice that are interesting and innovative, and who make a contribution to the overall public interest legal field. The recipients were chosen by individuals that included Todd Rubin, a member of the Rubin family who helped establish the Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award, Dean Elizabeth Magill and Associate Dean Diane T. Chin.
About the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law
The mission of the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School is—through courses, research, pro bono projects, public lectures, practitioner convenings, funding programs and career development support—to make public service a pervasive part of every law student's experience and ultimately help shape the values that students take into their careers. It also engages in programming and research that supports development of the public interest legal community and increases access to justice.
About Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is one of the nation's leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics, business and high technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme Court, testify before Congress, produce outstanding legal scholarship and empirical analysis, and contribute regularly to the nation's press as legal and policy experts. Stanford Law School has established a new model for legal education that provides rigorous interdisciplinary training, hands-on experience, global perspective and focus on public service, spearheading a movement for change.
Caption for photo: M. Elizabeth Magill (left), dean of Stanford Law School, and John Levin (right) with Marielena Hincapié, recipient of a National Public Service Award.
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=28259
