Three BU Law Students Named 2018 Rappaport Fellows
Sam Burgess (’20), Daniel Ordorica (’19), and Cloe Pippin (’20) have earned internships in several Massachusetts state government offices.
Three BU Law students have been named fellows with the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at Boston College. The Rappaport Fellowships offer students the opportunity to explore and expand their interests in public policy by spending their summers working with top policy makers in state and local government matters. Students are mentored by Rappaport Center Advisory Board Members, previous fellows, and notable civic leaders.
“I’m always delighted when the new cohort of fellows is selected. They exude enthusiasm and passion for public policy and public service. I look forward to channeling their energies to become agents for the social good,” Lissy Medvedow, Rapport Center executive director, said in the announcement.
Sam Burgess, Daniel Ordorica, and Cloe Pippin are all working in key Massachusetts state government offices. Only twelve individuals were selected to participate in this prestigious program out of all the applicants from top law schools in the Greater Boston area.
Sam Burgess, Office of General Counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Sam Burgess (’20) is serving his internship in the Office of General Counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). His responsibilities involve supporting the Massachusetts Autonomous Vehicles Working Group and the MBTA’s Automated Fare Collection 2.0 initiative. Burgess has conducted legal and policy research on issues ranging from highway access permitting to insurance liability disputes.
His desire to contribute to significant policy change in housing, transit, and land use led him to these two offices. “MassDOT / MBTA touch all three of those policy areas, so the organization was a natural fit for me,” he says.
A rising 2L student, Burgess will be a Lawyering Fellow, meeting with 1L students to go over Lawyering Skills seminar writing assignments, judging first-year moot court, and providing overall help for first-year students. He is a staff member on the Review of Banking & Financial Law, and will be co-president of the BU Law Real Estate Association in the upcoming academic year. He plans on applying for a state or federal clerkship after graduation and hopes to one day work with an organization that “helps move the dial on land use and transit issues from a legal and policy perspective,” he says. “At some point, I think it would be pretty cool to serve on a town zoning board of appeal!”
“The Rappaport Fellows Program has provided me an excellent opportunity to work in a state government agency and learn the unique challenges faced by public servants,” Burgess says. “It has also offered me a robust support network from which to grow a long-term career in which I can affect a demonstrative impact, both professionally and personally, on urban development.”
Daniel Ordorica, Massachusetts Attorney General Office Administrative Law Division
Daniel Ordorica (’19) has been placed in the Administrative Law Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. He is spending his time writing memos, briefs, and motions related to matters involving agency decisions under appellate review. He has also done research for the State Solicitor General relative to the US Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction and worked on projects in the Policy and Government Division relative to bills currently being considered by the state legislature.
Ordorica was curious about a legal career in the state government and working in the Administrative Law Division has given him ample experience to confirm that it is the right fit for him. “Because the division handles appeals from all the agencies, I’ve learned something about a number of different agencies, from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, to the Department of Families and Children, to the Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons,” he says.
Although Ordorica has not yet solidified his plans for after graduation, he knows public policy is where his interest lies. He finds himself asking: “How do we come to understand the needs and desires of the diverse communities of our Commonwealth and translate them into the laws and policies that create the society we want to live in, while responding effectively and efficiently to the challenges continually presented by a dynamic world?”
“The fellowship has supported my attempts to answer this question by providing wise and experienced mentors, opportunities to see and meet with people involved in the various parts of the physical and institutional infrastructure that keep our state connected and developing, and guidance as to how to identify new opportunities to develop the skills I hope to leverage after graduation” he says.
Cloe Pippin, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Cloe Pippin (’20) is interning at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). Pippin’s work has primarily been with the litigation unit, focused on Estate Recovery for MassHealth. She is also working with the OneCare legal team on Second Demonstration of OneCare, an integrated program for people under 65 who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in Massachusetts.
“I wanted to work at EOHHS because I was interested in having a hand in many different areas of the law this summer, and my supervisor has been eager to let me explore different opportunities,” she says. “I was also excited to work here because EOHHS provides such an important service to Massachusetts residents through Medicare and Medicaid. This job has allowed me to learn a lot more about the program both by working on cases and actually hearing from some MassHealth members and their experiences.”
Pippin is currently a member of the Women’s Law Association and will be a Lawyering Fellow and staff member of Review of Banking & Financial Law in the upcoming academic year. She hopes to begin her legal career in Boston after graduation and wants to explore different opportunities that will allow her to have an impact and be an engaged member of her community.
“I’m not from Massachusetts or New England, so the Rappaport Fellowship has given me an amazing chance to learn a lot about the area and to connect with attorneys who are doing great things in the state. It’s been a great learning experience,” Pippin says.
Reported by Yadira Flores (CAS’19)
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