By Annie Hagstrom
The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) has awarded Emma Farrell, a second-year student at Michigan Law, its 2026 Next Generation Fellowship. The summer fellowship was established in recognition of NCLC’s continued work to build the consumer law community of the future and is awarded to a law student seeking to explore the field of consumer law.
Richard Dubois, executive director of NCLC, said he was “deeply impressed” by the academic talent and dedication to public interest law and economic justice of this year’s group of fellows.
NCLC legal interns are assigned to teams of four-to-five attorneys that focus on litigation, non-mortgage lending (credit cards, auto student loans, and various forms of predatory loan products), mortgage lending, bankruptcy, access to utilities, and racial justice and equal economic opportunities issues. Assignments range from researching and drafting litigation memos and briefs to working on NCLC’s manuals, investigative reports, training materials, policy analyses, and articles.
“NCLC has been such a powerhouse of thought for decades; they’re doing great work pushing for policy change, training people in the field, and advocating on behalf of people who have been left behind by the economy,” said Farrell. “This fellowship is an incredible opportunity.”
Examining the legal landscape
After earning her undergraduate degrees in economics and philosophy, Farrell worked as an economic consultant in high-stakes litigation and bankruptcy environments. Those experiences, she said, provided her with a better understanding of the legal system and planted the seed that law school might be in her future. It wasn’t until she began working with mission-driven groups as a nonprofit consultant that she knew, for certain, that she would become a lawyer.
Farrell’s primary interest is in economic justice. At Michigan Law, she has focused on antitrust, consumer protection, and labor law, and she is an executive editor of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform (MJLR).
“Working on the MJLR has allowed me to explore a range of different ideas about what the law could be and how our systems could function,” she said. “I’m a philosopher by training, so any opportunity to examine the foundation of any part of the legal system is exciting to me.”
Farrell worked in the Office of Consumer Protection of the DC Office of the Attorney General during her 1L summer, and she is externing with Legal Services of South Central Michigan this semester. Farrell said she is excited for the work she will be doing as this year’s Next Generation Fellow in NCLC’s Boston office.
“I consider myself unimaginably lucky because, by the time I graduate, I will have gotten to do state-level enforcement work and direct legal services work, and I will have had the chance to dip my toe into the policy space through NCLC,” she said.
“Regardless of where I end up after law school, I will have had this mosaic of a springboard that will be invaluable to me.”
Advancing skills for public benefit
Every summer, a talented group of law student interns is immersed in the world of consumer law and advocacy through an 11-week program hosted by NCLC. Emily Bretz, ’11, the Law School’s public interest director, said she knew Farrell was a strong candidate.
“Emma came to law school to focus on economic justice and access to the courts. She spent last summer working to protect consumers in the DC Attorney General’s Office and will continue sharpening her advocacy skills at NCLC this summer. We are, of course, thrilled that Emma received this award, but not surprised. We know she will do incredible work fighting for consumers and protecting the public.”
About NCLC - The nonprofit NCLC, since it was established in 1969, has worked for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people in the US through its expertise in policy analysis and advocacy, publications,
litigation, expert witness services, and training.
The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) has awarded Emma Farrell, a second-year student at Michigan Law, its 2026 Next Generation Fellowship. The summer fellowship was established in recognition of NCLC’s continued work to build the consumer law community of the future and is awarded to a law student seeking to explore the field of consumer law.
Richard Dubois, executive director of NCLC, said he was “deeply impressed” by the academic talent and dedication to public interest law and economic justice of this year’s group of fellows.
NCLC legal interns are assigned to teams of four-to-five attorneys that focus on litigation, non-mortgage lending (credit cards, auto student loans, and various forms of predatory loan products), mortgage lending, bankruptcy, access to utilities, and racial justice and equal economic opportunities issues. Assignments range from researching and drafting litigation memos and briefs to working on NCLC’s manuals, investigative reports, training materials, policy analyses, and articles.
“NCLC has been such a powerhouse of thought for decades; they’re doing great work pushing for policy change, training people in the field, and advocating on behalf of people who have been left behind by the economy,” said Farrell. “This fellowship is an incredible opportunity.”
Examining the legal landscape
After earning her undergraduate degrees in economics and philosophy, Farrell worked as an economic consultant in high-stakes litigation and bankruptcy environments. Those experiences, she said, provided her with a better understanding of the legal system and planted the seed that law school might be in her future. It wasn’t until she began working with mission-driven groups as a nonprofit consultant that she knew, for certain, that she would become a lawyer.
Farrell’s primary interest is in economic justice. At Michigan Law, she has focused on antitrust, consumer protection, and labor law, and she is an executive editor of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform (MJLR).
“Working on the MJLR has allowed me to explore a range of different ideas about what the law could be and how our systems could function,” she said. “I’m a philosopher by training, so any opportunity to examine the foundation of any part of the legal system is exciting to me.”
Farrell worked in the Office of Consumer Protection of the DC Office of the Attorney General during her 1L summer, and she is externing with Legal Services of South Central Michigan this semester. Farrell said she is excited for the work she will be doing as this year’s Next Generation Fellow in NCLC’s Boston office.
“I consider myself unimaginably lucky because, by the time I graduate, I will have gotten to do state-level enforcement work and direct legal services work, and I will have had the chance to dip my toe into the policy space through NCLC,” she said.
“Regardless of where I end up after law school, I will have had this mosaic of a springboard that will be invaluable to me.”
Advancing skills for public benefit
Every summer, a talented group of law student interns is immersed in the world of consumer law and advocacy through an 11-week program hosted by NCLC. Emily Bretz, ’11, the Law School’s public interest director, said she knew Farrell was a strong candidate.
“Emma came to law school to focus on economic justice and access to the courts. She spent last summer working to protect consumers in the DC Attorney General’s Office and will continue sharpening her advocacy skills at NCLC this summer. We are, of course, thrilled that Emma received this award, but not surprised. We know she will do incredible work fighting for consumers and protecting the public.”
About NCLC - The nonprofit NCLC, since it was established in 1969, has worked for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people in the US through its expertise in policy analysis and advocacy, publications,
litigation, expert witness services, and training.
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