Kayvon Paul (RLAW ’23) was recognized with a law student award by the Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association at its gala on December 8. Each year, the Public Interest Section recognizes one graduating student from each Philadelphia area law school.

Kayvon is a graduating 4LE student, having completed most of his law school career as a part-time student while working full-time. His law school career involved participation in several pro bono projects and the completion of public service internships at the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Public service should be a part of every law student’s academic journey and attorney’s professional career,” Kayvon said. “It was an honor to be recognized by the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Public Interest Section for my pro bono service to date and future commitment to pro bono services and public interest initiatives in Philadelphia.” 

“Kayvon is a marvel. While working full-time and maintaining near perfect grades, he also has been a valuable member of the pro bono and public interest community at Rutgers and beyond,” says Professor Jill Friedman, Rutgers Law Associate Dean of Pro Bono and Public Interest. “His prodigious analytical and writing skills and his passion for giving back have produced high quality results. A first generation student, he has been an exemplar and an inspiration for others.”

During his first year of law school, the Monmouth County, New Jersey native completed a pro bono research project for the New Jersey Law Revision Commission which focused on updating the state’s wage garnishment laws. 

As a 2LE, Kayvon participated in the Street Law pro bono project where he provided basic education on legal rights to single mothers in Camden, New Jersey.  

During the height of the pandemic, he worked as part of a student group to monitor New Jersey’s eviction moratorium, related legislation, and landlord-tenant issues to provide educational resources to community members.

For two years, Kayvon served as a teaching assistant for the Minority Student Program, where he served as a mentor for first-year students and assisted them with the transition to law school, civil procedure coursework, and important skills needed to be successful at law school.

As a summer associate, he worked on a pro bono matter challenging the constitutionality of a state’s death penalty. 

This past semester, the Social Justice Scholar (SJS) participated in a semester-long bankruptcy pro bono project where he assisted community members with filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcies through the Hon. Judith Wizmur Bankruptcy Pro Bono Project. SJS is an elite scholarship program for Rutgers Law students in Camden who are committed to promoting public interest law. 

Kayvon said, “The Social Justice Scholars program at Rutgers Law School [in] Camden and public interest programming empowers law students to get out in the real world and use their legal skills to help those that need it the most.”