Hilary Chadwick (’17) Awarded Equal Justice Works Fellowship
Chadwick will work on human trafficking cases with the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago.
Hilary Chadwick (’17), a 3L with Boston University School of Law, has been awarded a prestigious Equal Justice Works Fellowship, co-sponsored by Kirkland & Ellis and Aon, to work with the National Immigrant Justice Center. Each year the Equal Justice Works Fellowship program selects approximately 60 candidates nationwide who have developed innovative legal projects that can impact lives and serve communities in desperate need of legal assistance.
A graduate of Lehigh University where she majored in International Relations and English, Chadwick interned with the United Nations and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) following her undergraduate studies. She first learned about sex trafficking while working with survivors and managing grants in CATW’s Mexico City Office. Following her time in Mexico, she worked as the pro bono coordinator for Simpson Thacher and Bartlett in New York City, where she had the opportunity to work on a human trafficking immigration case that inspired her to enroll in law school.
Attracted to BU Law’s Human Trafficking Clinic, Chadwick arrived in Boston with the goal of continuing in that direction. Though she was not formally enrolled in the clinic, she has been involved as a volunteer translator since beginning law school. “Having the opportunity to work with clients who have experienced these issues is worth its weight in gold.” Chadwick says “The clinic allowed me to better understand the complex fact patterns in trafficking cases through the eyes of survivors, which will make me a better advocate in the future.”
In her second year, Chadwick participated in the Criminal Law Clinical Program to broaden the scope of her legal experience to include these intersecting fields, as someone who has been trafficked can still be charged as a criminal for prostitution. “I really wanted to expand my breadth of knowledge,” Chadwick says. “Even if I didn’t end up as a criminal lawyer, I knew the oral advocacy skills would be foundational for my practice, and there’s no better time to diversify your range of tools than during law school.”
This fall, Chadwick completed a Semester-in-Practice with the United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago where she worked on several human trafficking cases, and helped minor victims prepare to testify against their traffickers. “I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” Chadwick says. “I was given the opportunity to view human trafficking from a prosecutor’s perspective.” The experience will also help when she begins her fellowship—she is familiar with the specific context of trafficking in Chicago and has made connections with the key figures for this mission-based advocacy.
Chadwick first learned about the Equal Justice Works Fellowship while working at Simpson Thacher, which is another corporate sponsor of EJW Fellows. “Speaking with the [EJW fellowship] candidates at Simpson Thacher really made an impression on me,” Chadwick says. “I thought it was a fascinating career opportunity that I definitely wanted to take advantage of in the future.”
Looking ahead, Chadwick’s goal is to remain in Chicago working on human trafficking in the immigration and criminal contexts. She hopes to continue working directly with clients before moving into a policy role to strengthen Illinois laws that will discourage trafficking.
“Working with survivors who—despite experiencing such trauma—are strong parents, active community members, and incredibly self-motivated is inspiring,” Chadwick says. “I feel privileged to help with one small step along their journey.”
Chadwick is one of two Class of 2017 students awarded Equal Justice Works Fellowships. Stephanie Bonilla received an EJW Fellowship to work at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to provide immigration legal services to unaccompanied noncitizen youth by creating a medical-legal partnership between KIND’s Boston Office and Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) in Massachusetts.