2024 Harvard Law School Student Summer Experiences
Read about some of our HLS students’ inspiring summer experiences working in the labor movement ecosystem. If you’re a current HLS student looking to get involved with the Center, please feel free to get in touch.
GILBERT Placeres JD’25
Gilbert split his summer between labor-side firm Bredhoff & Kaiser and the office of Board Member Gwynne Wilcox at the National Labor Relations Board. At Bredhoff, he was able to participate in a broad range of what it means to practice as a labor lawyer, from contract arbitration to negotiations to appellate litigation. He wrote an in-depth memo examining the evolution of a state constitution’s equal protection doctrine as it relates to different treatment under labor law towards different public sector workers. At the NLRB, he was responsible for counseling the Board Member on two cases. He reviewed the record, administrative law judge’s decisions, and party’s briefs, conducted legal research and analysis, and presented recommendations for the Board Member’s vote. He was able to see first-hand how decision-making works at the Board and all the different facets of their work that go into upholding the Wagner Act and its policies. He’s excited to now plan for a full-time position as a labor lawyer after graduation with the deepened understanding of the field he gained this summer.
ESTHER RITCHIN JD’25
I had a fantastic time at SEIU this summer working with the property services team, where I got to learn about and support the organizing of custodial, security, and janitorial staff. It was inspiring to spend the summer learning from fantastic workers, organizers, and lawyers, and to help to build worker power.
HOLDEN HOPKINS JD’25
SEIU provided such a great summer experience, and I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity to work with one of the nation’s largest and most active labor unions. We had a phenomenal class of law clerks, and it was a pleasure to work with a whole legal department full of movement-oriented lawyers. I know the support provided to me will mean all the difference moving forward in my career as a labor lawyer.
“What an exciting time to be in this space and particularly with a union that is pushing the envelope in such an innovative and unapologetic way! My time with the UAW confirmed for me that there is indeed power in a union.” – Elyse Weissberger
HENRY GREEN JD’26
I had a great summer working for UNITE HERE Local 11 in LA. The union had just concluded a very successful contract campaign, and it was exciting to see them achieve ambitious goals. I got to work on several interesting projects, including helping to write a brief for an interest arbitration (an arbitration to determine what the terms of a collective bargaining agreement would be). The attorneys and other summer law clerks were wonderful to work with. I also really enjoyed living in Los Angeles, it’s a great city!
ELYSE WEISSBERGER JD’25
This summer I worked at the United Auto Workers in Detroit, MI. What an exciting time to be in this space and particularly with a union that is pushing the envelope in such an innovative and unapologetic way! I supported grievants navigating the arbitration process, locals defending their industrial activity, retirees trying to access benefits, and more. The most interesting work I did this summer though was writing briefs and decisions for the UAW’s uniquely democratic internal appeals processes – the Convention Appeals Committee and the Public Review Board. My time with the UAW confirmed for me that there is indeed power in a union!
JOHN FRY JD’25
John Fry spent the summer working for McCracken, Stemerman & Holsberry, a union-side firm in Oakland, California. At MSH, he helped the firm’s union clients with NLRB elections and unfair labor practice charges. John also worked on a litigation strategy to challenge anti-union state laws and helped counsel unions on matters relating to the First Amendment, internal union governance, and the construction industry. John’s other projects this summer included covering the ongoing constitutional attacks on the NLRB for the OnLabor blog and researching labor law topics such as anti-strike injunctions and sectoral bargaining.