Erika Kinzer, Senior HOPE Fellow and Rising 3L is spending her summer working for a civil rights nonprofit law firm in San Francisco, called Equal Rights Advocates (E.R.A.) . Since 1974, ERA’s mission has been to protect and secure equal rights and economic opportunities for women and girls through litigation and advocacy. E.R.A. works on impact litigation and Title VII and Title XI class action lawsuits. Perhaps the most famous case being litigated by ERA is Dukes v. Walmart Stores, the largest sex discrimination class action ever filed against a private employer affecting up to 2 million current and former women Wal-Mart workers in the United States.

As a law clerk, she conducts legal research, write memoranda, and draft motions for staff attorneys who work on ERA's major cases. She also help staff a legal hotline where she perform client intakes for callers who have questions about sex discrimination, sexual harassment at work or school, pregnancy discrimination, and problems with pregnancy, family or medical leave.  Next month, Erika will have the opportunity to use her language skills by helping staff an advice and counseling center in Spanish.

As well as learning from her job, Erika has also had the opportunity to learn more about cutting edge issues in public interest law through weekly brown bag luncheons hosted by the Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center in downtown San Francisco.

To read more about ERA's mission and to find out about opportunities to intern with ERA, please visit the following website: http://www.equalrights.org/.  “Working as a law clerk with ERA has been a meaningful experience because it allows me to empower women with knowledge about their legal rights. Many of them have been victimized and unfairly treated, and don't know where to go for help.  It feels good to point them in the right direction and help them on their path of hope and healing." Said Kinzer.