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03 MayNews

Meet Hannah Esquenazi: A “Partner for Justice” Who Goes Above and Beyond

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Meet Hannah Esquenazi: A “Partner for Justice” Who Goes Above And Beyond

Discovering Justice has been honored to partner with Hannah as volunteer Legal Mentor in our Mock Trial & Mock Appeal Program since 2019.

From mentoring middle school ‘student attorneys’ in Boston, to leading the mentoring team at Jones Day, to helping recruit and train new volunteers, Hannah has been an instrumental partner in Discovering Justice’s work to double the size of the program in the last four years.

Teaching Massachusetts students about the law and their rights has been particularly rewarding for Hannah. “It is a gift each semester to watch the ‘student attorneys’ gain confidence, face their fears, stand in front of a judge, and successfully grapple with complicated legal questions,” Hannah says.

Hannah and a middle school ‘student attorney’ hard at work in 2021.

Derek Doherty, teacher at Boston’s Mildred Ave K-8 School, reports that Hannah’s passion for this work inspires her students:

“Hannah is an amazing educator. She knows the law on a deep level - but she also knows how to scaffold that knowledge in ways that make it accessible to middle school students. And Hannah makes learning fun and engaging – students sense her passion and interest, which leads to our students being more engaged and interested in their work.”
Derek Doherty
Teacher, Mildred Ave K-8 School

You can meet Hannah and all of our 2024 Partners for Justice Awardees at our Annual Gala on June 26th.

Hannah says that “witnessing that tangible moment when the students gain confidence, latch onto their arguments, and are able to advocate successfully” is one of her favorite aspects of volunteering with the program.

“In the end,” she reflects, it is often hard to get them to sit back down, because they become so passionate and confident about the issues!”

Hannah looks on as a ‘student attorney’ presents his work during a spring 2023 Mock Appeal Final Event.

Discovering Justice staff Malia Brooks describes Hannah going above and beyond in her work in support of both our Mock Trial & Mock Appeal Program and its participants:

“Hannah cares so much about the students she volunteers with, and it shows in the extra effort she puts in to support the program. As the point person for her team, she recruits and trains new volunteers and is eager to share her expertise and experience. When school’s out for the summer, she has even served as an extra set of eyes on our curriculum and helped us coordinate an in-person orientation event. When I think of Hannah, I hear her saying, “Let me know how I can help!”
Malia Brooks
Discovering Justice staff

As an attorney, Hannah works as an Associate at Jones Day in their Financial Markets practice group. There, she advises and represents financial institutions in litigation matters, with a particular focus on evolving legal and regulatory risks and disputes related to complex commercial transactions and consumer products. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing women and minors seeking asylum, and proudly serves as chair of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s (HNBA) Special Committee for Community Outreach and Pro Bono Services. In January, Hannah was named one of the HNBA’s “Top Lawyers Under 40.”

Discovering Justice is enormously grateful for Hannah’s hard work and support over the last five years. We’re looking forward to presenting Hannah’s award, as well as hearing from all our Awardees on the importance of doing work they believe in, at our Annual Gala on June 26th.

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18 AprNews

Discovering Justice Board of Trustees Updates

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Discovering Justice is excited to announce two updates to its Board of Trustees: Sarah Frazier (left) of WilmerHale is our new Vice Chair of the Board, and Louis Lobel of Goodwin (right) is our new Board Treasurer.

We’re grateful for Sarah and Louis’s years of support as members of Discovering Justice’s Board, and we’re excited to deepen our work with them in their new roles. Thank you, Sarah and Louis!

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12 AprNews

Introducing Two New Discovering Justice Staff

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Emily Dall'Orso - Courthouse Programs Manager

Emily Dall’Orso believes in the power of object- and place-based learning to engage students of all ages in American history, civics, democracy, and the work towards a more equitable society. Emily is currently completing her MSEd in Learning and Engagement in Museums and Cultural Organizations at Bank Street College of Education.

Since joining in February as Courthouse Programs Manager, Emily oversees Discovering Justice’s innovative Field Trip Program, including leading field trips herself, and works with the Moakley Courthouse to implement speaker events for the public.

Kiley Hartman - Mock Trial and Mock Appeal Programs Manager

In March, Kiley Hartman was brought on to lead our growing Mock Trial and Mock Appeal Programs.

A former Mock Trial participant herself, Kiley believes that Mock Trial is an excellent tool to foster student confidence and autonomy. Before joining Discovering Justice, she worked as a middle school teacher at Brooke Charter School Mattapan. Kiley is passionate about providing students with the knowledge necessary to navigate an increasingly complex justice system.

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06 AprNews

Meet Our Spring 2024 Fellows

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Our Spring Fellows will spend a semester working on Discovering Justice programs.
Hanna Bregman

Hanna Bregman

Program Fellow

Hanna believes that all young people deserve equal access to a comprehensive civic education curriculum and the space to act as engaged community members. She is eager to facilitate student-facing civic programming with Discovering Justice. Hanna graduated from Tufts University in 2023. As Program Fellow, Hanna works with Mock Appeal Program Manager Kiley Hartman to manage the 29 Mock Appeal teams and their final events in May and June. In addition, she works with Courthouse Programs Manager Emily Dall'Orso to lead field trips and tours.

Kayla Nordman

Kayla Nordman

Civic Education Advocacy Fellow

Kayla Nordman believes strongly in expanding access to comprehensive civic education to provide the next generation with the resources they need to uphold and expand upon the values of American democracy and create a more equitable future. She graduated from Suffolk University in 2023. As Advocacy Fellow, Kayla works with Executive Director Matt Wilson to coordinate the MCLC's public education and advocacy work to ensure funding for state and district civic education through the Civics Project Trust Fund.

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21 MarNews

Discovering Justice Reaches 3,500 Students During Massachusetts Civic Learning Week

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Discovering Justice was honored to host four events as part of the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition’s (MCLC) Fourth Annual Civic Learning Week, March 11-15. Three of these events invited K-12 classrooms across the Commonwealth to “Zoom with a Judge” to explore the justice system, and the fourth event engaged Massachusetts students, teachers, legislators, and their staff at the Massachusetts State House to speak on the importance of civic education in schools.

More than 3,500 students and teachers from across the Commonwealth logged into the “Zoom with a Judge” virtual events. More than 80 classrooms attended the Kindergarten-Grade 2 event, which was hosted by United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Chief Judge David Barron and Judge Gustavo Gelpí.

Meanwhile, 70 classrooms signed into the Grades 3-5 event hosted by Judge Lara Montecalvo and Judge Ojetta Thompson of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (below).

In the third “Zoom with a Judge” event, for Grades 6-12, students learned about their Fourth Amendment rights in schools from Chief Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court Donald Cabell and Associate Justice of the Massachusetts District Court, Brockton Michelle Fentress. Joining from classrooms across the state, students were able to think like judges themselves, explaining if they believed different scenarios were violations of students’ fourth amendment rights. 

Teachers in attendance praised the events as “engaging,” noting that students “were really excited to see the judges,” and they left the events excited to engage in nuanced conversation with their students.

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20 MarNews

Middle School ‘Student Attorneys’ Wrestle with First Amendment Rights in Spring Mock Appeal Program

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This spring, 29 middle school teams from 12 cities and towns across Massachusetts have joined Discovering Justice’s Mock Appeal Program. Through expanded district partnerships, that unprecedented number of teams includes four each from Brockton Public Schools and Springfield Public Schools.

Following five orientations this month for new and returning partners, these teams of ‘student attorneys’ began to delve into the complexities of the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and what that looks like in today’s age of social media. Sessions are now in full swing, with volunteer Legal mentors and students connecting in weekly afternoon sessions across the Commonwealth.

Student attorneys from the Hernandez K-8 School in Roxbury and volunteer Legal Mentors from WilmerHale pose for a selfie during their second Mock Appeal session at the school.

Building off precedent, case law, and facts of their case from the Fall Mock Trial Program, students have split into petitioner and respondent student attorney teams. Additionally, teams have begun to meet with judges to prepare for their Final Events.

While touring Boston’s John Adams Courthouse, student attorneys from Brookline’s Florida Ruffin Ridley School meet with Justice William J. Meade and Justice Sookyoung Shin of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
In a serendipitous moment, student attorneys cross paths with visiting Supreme Judicial Court Justices Serge George, Jr. and lawyer and Associate Justice Bessie Dewar.

Mock Appeal Final Events will take place between May 22nd and June 6th at courthouses across the Commonwealth. These events bring together the students’ semester of hard work as they present their cases to panels of judges in front of family and friends.

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Kayla Nordman

Kayla Nordman believes strongly in expanding access to comprehensive civic education to provide the next generation with the resources they need to uphold and expand upon the values of American democracy and create a more equitable future. Before joining Discovering Justice, she worked as a Legislative Intern at the Massachusetts State House and as a Program Manager for the Massachusetts Center for Civic Education. Kayla graduated from Suffolk University with a BA in International Relations.