Meghan DeVol `24 was honored with a law student award from the Philadelphia Bar Association at its Public Interest Law Day celebration on December 5. Each year, the Public Interest Section recognizes one graduating student from each Philadelphia area law school.

“We are delighted that Meghan’s unwavering commitment to service was recognized by the Public Interest Section,” said Jill Friedman, Rutgers Law Associate Dean of Pro Bono and Public Interest. “She has dreamed of a career as a public defender since before she got to Rutgers, and has forged exactly that path by taking advantage of every opportunity available to her. Meghan joins a proud tradition of Rutgers students – and especially Social Justice Scholars – pursuing public service careers.”

As a History and African American and African Studies major at The Ohio State University, Meghan’s research focused on American History generally with specific interests in the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements as well as World War II. Meghan published in the Journal of African American Studies while still an undergraduate.

When she arrived at Rutgers Law School as a Social Justice Scholar, Meghan dove in energetically to student public interest leadership as Vice President of the Association for Public Interest Law and Vice President of the National Lawyers Guild. She has also volunteered her time on pro bono and clinical activities, including the New Jersey Attorney General’s Conviction Review Unit, the Pro Bono Estate Planning Project (for elderly people with low income), and the Expungement Clinic in 2023.

Her avid interest in public defense led Meghan to the Wisconsin State Public Defender Office in Milwaukee, where she served as a certified legal intern in her first summer and stayed on through the fall. She externed for Hon. Karen Williams, United States District Court, District of New Jersey, as a second-year student, while becoming deeply involved in the International Mock Trial Team. Meghan then spent her second summer at the Defender Association of Philadelphia and stayed as an extern this fall. She is delighted to be joining the Defender staff upon graduation.

She hopes to devote her career to seeking justice for people ensnared in a deeply flawed criminal legal system and advocating for a more equitable system that values people over punishment.