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IU McKinney Law Student Katie Whitley Named a Skadden Fellow
11/30/2021
IU McKinney Law student Katie Whitley has been named a Skadden Fellow, a nationally prestigious public interest fellowship.
Whitley, a 2022 J.D. candidate, is one of 28 fellows from 19 different law schools who will partner with legal services nonprofits across the country, according to a November 23 announcement from the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates.
She will partner with Indiana Legal Services to create the first school-based civil legal aid initiative in the Indianapolis region designed to serve low-income families with school-aged children experiencing housing and economic instability. Her fellowship will also include engaging students in creating Know Your Rights educational materials in housing law and public benefits.
The project idea grew out of her experience as a teacher in Indianapolis, and her connections to the communities she hopes to serve, Whitley says.
“As a teacher, I recognized that great community partnerships were essential in providing a range of resources and services to families in times of crisis. Notably, however, a legal partnership was missing. I often did not have the answer to families dealing with a housing or financial crisis,” Whitley says. “My project can be that answer.”
Whitley credited IU McKinney Law Professors Florence Roisman, Lahny Silva, and Fran Quigley in providing support for her project.
“In particular, Professor Roisman provided me with foundational legal knowledge in housing law and inspired me to pursue a position working to disrupt housing insecurity. Professor Silva gave me the opportunity to serve vulnerable populations in their neighborhoods through SCRAP and REACH. This community-based model to ‘meet people where they are’ is a crucial aspect of my project,” she says.
Through the Health and Human Rights Clinic, Professor Quigley supervised her direct client work in housing and brief advice sessions in eviction courts as well as multiple research opportunities to better understand the breadth of the eviction crisis in Indianapolis, she says.
Launched in 1988 to commemorate its 40th anniversary, the Skadden Foundation has funded 934 public interest fellowships. This 34th class joins the existing community of Skadden Fellows who are engaged in public interest work in 41 states.
