ABA Antitrust Law Section announces first group of diversity program fellows

The American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section has launched an inaugural diversity program to encourage law students to pursue government and not-for-profit careers in antitrust, privacy and consumer protection law, awarding nine law students with stipends of $5,000 each to foster their career paths.

The Antitrust Law Section Law Student Diversity Stipend Program is geared toward developing the next generation of lawyers interested in the practice of antitrust, privacy, and consumer protection law while encouraging involvement in the section. The program, which is planned annually, will award several stipends a year of $5,000 each for a variety of summer internships at nonprofit and governmental antitrust and consumer protection organizations, including the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

As part of the program, the students also will receive a substantive legal curriculum focusing on antitrust, privacy and consumer protection law, one-on-one mentoring from Antitrust Section leadership and networking opportunities.

The inaugural awardees, all rising third-year law students (3Ls), with their law schools and internships are:

• Kabbas Azhar; Boston University School of Law; Electronic Privacy Information Center

• Arianna Chen; University of California, Berkeley Law; Federal Trade Commission

• Stephannie Xin Chen; Stanford Law School; U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division

• Andrew James Fitch; Columbia Law School; Open Markets Institute

• Jordan Joshua Griffin; American University Washington College of Law; U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division

• Eric Anthony Parden; University of Florida College of Law; Federal Trade Commission

• Delaram Rezaeikhonakdar; Penn State Dickinson Law; Future of Privacy Forum

• Gabriel Okera Robertson; George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School; Federal Trade Commission

• Oscar Alberto Rodas-Falla; George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School; American Antitrust Institute

This program was founded by Antitrust Law Section Committee Officer Svetlana Gans, with significant support from Antitrust Law Section Chair Tom Zych; Vice chair and Diversity Officer Steve Cernak; the section’s Reserves Board; and the Diversity Advanced Committee, including Co-chair Maria Stoyadinova and Vice chair Andrea Rivers.