(Note: The pdf for the issue in which this article appears is available for download: BIFOCAL Vol. 35, Issue 5.)
The Commission's robust internship program hosts students year-round in Washington, DC. To learn more, contact David Godfrey, Senior Attorney, at David.Godfrey@americanbar.org.
Zach Chapman
Zach Chapman is a rising third-year law student at Villanova University School of Law in Villanova, PA. Mr. Chapman received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
During his first year of law school, Mr. Chapman was named a Walter Lucas Public Interest Fellow. With the fellowship, Mr. Chapman spent his first summer working with Mazzoni Center Legal Services, an LGBT organization that serves Philadelphia and surrounding parts of Pennsylvania. At Mazzoni Center, Mr. Chapman worked on employment discrimination cases, provided name changes for transgender individuals, and created estate planning documents for low-income LGBT individuals.
This summer Mr. Chapman is working with senior attorney David Godfrey researching possible solutions to ensure Social Security is solvent for future generations. With that information, Mr. Chapman will create an article outlining possible reforms that need to happen to ensure Social Security exists as the aging population increases.
After graduation, Mr. Chapman plans to return to Washington, DC, to begin his legal career.
Shana Wynn
Shana Wynn is a third-year law student at North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham, NC. Ms. Wynn received her B.A. in Political Science from Winston-Salem State University in 2012. Currently, Ms. Wynn serves as the student chair of NCCU School of Law's Elder Law Pro Bono Program, working with attorneys and students to provide estate planning documents to low income North Carolinians.
After her first year of law school, Ms. Wynn served as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow at Legal Services of Southern Piedmont in Charlotte, NC. While there she worked in the Family Support and Healthcare division where she assisted clients with public benefits hearings and Medicaid appeal cases. Ms. Wynn also spent time researching the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, which offers seniors a community-based alternative to nursing home care. As a result of this research, she gained a great interest in elder law issues such as long-term health care planning.
This summer Ms. Wynn will be working with Director Charles Sabatino on health care decision-making issues with a focus on researching default surrogate consent statutes. After the statutory chart updates are completed, Ms. Wynn will write an article tracking the recent progression of these laws.