Get To Know CLDC’s Law Clerks

CLDC’s law clerk program offers aspiring public interest attorneys an opportunity to work alongside experienced civil liberties advocates on cutting-edge litigation and advocacy. Law clerks contribute meaningful legal research, draft motions and memoranda, analyze constitutional issues, and help develop litigation strategies in cases defending free speech, protest rights, environmental justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and the rights of activists and marginalized communities.

More than a traditional clerkship, the program immerses students in movement lawyering—providing firsthand experience using the law as a tool to challenge injustice while building the skills and relationships that prepare the next generation of civil rights advocates. If you know a bright mind passionate about defending civil liberties and using a legal education to support social justice movements, please let them know about us!

As you know, we take privacy very seriously and security very seriously.  To protect our clerks’ identities, we have provided aliases.  For now, get to know our current law clerks, as a person, and what inspires them to be movement lawyers!

Our Clerks

• Picasso Esquire
• Starfish
• Serenity

Up Close & Personal

• Briefly tell us about yourself in your own words.

  • Picasso Esquire: I’m an anarchist that is deeply committed to fighting our police state as much as I can. In my spare time, I enjoy playing in my band, and hanging out with my cat.
  • Starfish: I am a rising 2L who is deeply passionate about human rights, protecting our environment, and dismantling our current carceral system. Most of my free time is spent either doing something outside or getting into something crafty.
  • Serenity: I am a lover of all creatures big and small. I enjoy playing video games in my free time and spending time with my family. I am also a third-generation baker!

• What is your favorite animal and why?

  • Picasso Esquire: I grew up with dogs and love them, but after getting my cat Fenriz I’ve become obsessed with cats.
  • Starfish: My favorite animal is a dolphin – I had an encounter once while whale watching in Canada and ever since then have been obsessed and in love.
  • Serenity: My favorite animal is a snail because they are curious, social, and stubborn!

• What is your favorite trip ever taken and why?

  • Picasso Esquire: My partner and I went to the San Juan Islands for bike camping and we had the greatest time. The San Juan Islands are my favorite place in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Starfish: My favorite trip ever taken was probably visiting my sister in Montana for the first time. It was my first time really getting to experience being in jaw-dropping nature after living in East Coast cities my whole life, and that trip is what eventually inspired me to move to Oregon!
  • Serenity: My favorite trip I have ever taken was my trip to Peru and Chile with my family. I went on beautiful hikes, ate amazing food, and got to visit my bucket list location: the Amazon Rainforest!

Let’s Get Serious

• What do you wish you could change about the Eugene community?

  • Picasso Esquire: I’d start with entirely dismantling both the Eugene and Springfield Police Departments. To improve the Eugene community, we need to reform our approach to helping the unhoused. The Housing First model works, and our local leaders need to commit to transformative policies, rather than reactionary policies.
  • Starfish: I think one thing that strikes me is lack of youth involvement in politics/activism. Most young people I talk to who move here for college have only a general understanding of the serious problems occurring in Eugene, and have little to no interest in getting politically involved. That may be due to the misconception that “bad things” don’t happen here because it’s a liberal area that’s known for leaning more “hippy”. My belief is that even if you are transiently living in Eugene, you are still a part of the community and should be aware of the repression and violence that occurs here against vulnerable community members.
  • Serenity: I would like to improve Eugene’s sense of community and responsibility toward all inhabitants of our city. I would also like to see a Eugene that is full of more affordable housing for all with increased regulations for landlords. Finally, I would like to see a Eugene that continues to improve its public transportation infrastructure.

• If you weren’t becoming a lawyer, what would you be doing?

  • Picasso Esquire: I’d be on tour with my band, sleeping on some kind stranger’s floor.
  • Starfish: It is hard to imagine doing anything else – but maybe writing a novel or getting my Masters/PhD in Gender Studies!
  • Serenity: I would likely be doing policy work, probably with a prison abolition or transformative justice coalition. I would also love to be a baker if politics didn’t work out!

• Why did you choose to go to law school?

  • Picasso Esquire: I wanted to use my privilege to fight for the working class. Our criminal legal system loves to punish the working class. It strips folks of their dignity and chains them to a system not meant to be escaped.
  • Starfish: I was working with tons of amazing, inspirational international human rights lawyers at my previous job and realized I wanted to be doing what they were doing in a civil rights context. Once I realized that you could be a lawyer while simultaneously wanting to dismantle our current justice system, I was on board.
  • Serenity: Law school got on my radar in high school when I decided I wanted to be President of the United States. I eventually realized that job would be horrible, but I still found a passion and knack for the law. My transformative justice work led me to originally want to pursue criminal law before I fell in love with civil procedure!

• Do you plan to stay in Oregon once you pass the bar exam and become an attorney?

  • Picasso Esquire: Ja
  • Starfish: Ja
  • Serenity: Ja

Deep Dive

• Why do you want to be a movement lawyer?

  • Picasso Esquire: I want to be a movement lawyer because our legal system is inherently political. The Overton Window has shifted so far to the right that our two major parties are either fascism or fascism light. We need attorneys ready to fight the forces of fascism and capitalism writ large. Movements need movement lawyers, and the movement needs cohesion now more than ever.
  • Starfish: Truthfully, I knew very little about movement law before my clerkship this summer. However, after witnessing the work that CLDC does, I cannot imagine a more vital role as a lawyer than supporting activists and activist movements. In my opinion, our freedom as people is fundamentally intertwined with our ability to protest and express dissent. Without movement lawyers supporting activists, it becomes a lot easier for repressive regimes to extinguish this sacred, essential freedom within our society.
  • Serenity: I want to be a movement lawyer to cause hell for the institutions that continue to oppress those without power and resources. I want to contribute towards creative solutions to get around our racist, classist, and pro-police legal system. I also want to use my privileged education and skills to help my community.

• Which movement do you draw inspiration and strength from?

  • Picasso Esquire: I am consistently inspired by everyone that is currently fighting ICE and its paramilitary forces.
  • Starfish: Any direct-action climate movement is always incredibly inspirational to me – to believe in protecting the Earth so deeply to risk years in prison is beyond admirable.
  • Serenity: I draw inspiration from the Black Panthers and the prison abolition movement.

• What do you like most about CLDC?

  • Picasso Esquire: Culture
  • Starfish: People I work with
  • Serenity: The work