Michelle Cheng, NCYL staff attorney from 1998-2000, looks forward to rejoining NCYL as a part-time volunteer attorney, beginning Fall 2009. Michelle took a break from working to raise her two sons, Ollie and Gabe, who are in kindergarten and 2nd grade. Her husband, Monty, has started his own business.

Meghan Corman, a 2007 summer law clerk at NCYL, is an associate at the Law Offices of Lawrence A. Organ, a plaintiff-side civil rights firm based in San Anselmo, CA, which focuses on employment discrimination and sexual harassment. Meghan recently wrote an amicus brief in opposition to Prop 8, which was accepted by the California Supreme Court.

Rae Donovan will enter the CUNY School of Law this fall, where she will receive a graduate fellowship covering full tuition and an annual stipend. Rae worked as a communications intern at NCYL during Summer 2008. She spent the past year in Guatemala teaching elementary school, and on July 12, 2009, Rae finished the Ride to Conquer Cancer, a two-day, 150-mile cycling journey from Montréal to Quebec City.

Molly Dunn recently joined Legal Advocates for Children & Youth (LACY) in San Jose, CA, supervising LACY’s various efforts to provide legal services to children. Molly was a staff attorney at NCYL from 2007-08.

Stephanie Gendell, who clerked at the Center Summer 1997, became Associate Executive Director of the Citizens’ Committee for Children in New York, a policy-based children’s advocacy organization.

Demoya Gordon graduated from Berkeley Law, and this fall she will join Faegre & Benson in Minneapolis. Demoya clerked at NCYL during Summer 2007.

Chiara Grabill, a summer 2006 NCYL summer law clerk, is now an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City.

Madeline Howard, a NCYL law clerk in summer 2006, now works as a housing attorney in the San Jose office of Bay Area Legal Aid. Previously, Madeline served as Legal Research Attorney at San Francisco Superior Court.

Miho Murai, who clerked at NCYL in 2002, is now a staff attorney at Public Counsel in Los Angeles.

Angie Schwartz, former Skadden Fellow at NCYL who is now an attorney at the Public Interest Law Project, and Alice Bussiere and Corene Kendrick, former NCYL staff attorney and summer law clerk, respectively, both attorneys at the Youth Law Center, recently won a major victory for disabled foster youth in California. The case, Leonard v. Wagner, was brought by the Public Interest Law Project, Youth Law Center, and Western Center on Law and Poverty to challenge the “completion rule” in the AFDC-FC program. The completion rule requires that a foster youth demonstrate that he is likely to graduate by the time he turns 19 in order to continue to receive benefits after age 18. In its decision, the San Francisco Superior Court held that the completion rule discriminates against foster youth with disabilities who cannot demonstrate a likelihood of graduation by age 19 because of their disabilities. The Court ordered the California Department of Social Services to instruct counties to cease terminating AFDC-FC benefits to otherwise eligible youth who turn 18 but are not reasonably expected to graduate by 19 because of their disabilities. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Joshua Leonard, executive director of Bay Area Youth Centers, a non-profit serving mentally disabled foster youth in group homes.

Dikla Shenhav has left Sacramento Child Advocates to accept a position with Cuneo Black Ward & Missler, also in Sacramento. Dikla served as a summer law clerk at NCYL in 2005.

Avani Mehta Sood is pursuing a Ph.D. in social psychology at Princeton University, where she has completed her second year. Avani’s research focuses on the interplay between psychology and the law, and she hopes to find a law teaching position upon completing her Ph.D. Avani clerked at NCYL in summer 2005.

Marc Tafolla Young, a summer 2006 NCYL law clerk, is now an attorney and Skadden Fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco. Marc’s Skadden Fellowship will end this fall, and he will continue as a staff attorney. He was recently featured on the front page of the May 26 issue of the Daily Journal for his work to implement Williams v. California, a class-action suit settled in 2004. The settlement creates new standards for measuring whether schools have the conditions necessary for students to learn, including qualified teachers, adequate textbooks, and safe and clean facilities. NCYL senior attorney Leecia Welch worked on the Williams case while an associate at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco.

Catherine Wollard recently moved to Rancho Cucamonga, CA, to join the County of San Bernadino Public Defender’s Office. Catherine clerked at NCYL from 2007-08.