Zoe Paolantonio, class of 2009, recipient of an Equal Justice Works fellowship

Zoe Paolantonio graduated from Ithaca College in 2006 and came to law school with a focus: to help women. She said, “they say that you should look at the resume of the person you want to be, and then go get it.” So Zoe looked to advocates and policy-makers involved in women’s issues and knew that a law degree would help her develop a career as an advocate for equality for women.

Actively involved in self-labeled “feminist work” and women’s issues in college, Zoe began her legal career at New England following the same route. Zoe joined the Women’s Law Caucus in the fall of her first year and took part in the Judicial Language Project. She volunteered as an Interviewer/Advocate and a Team Leader at the Boston Medical Center program at the Northeastern University Domestic Violence Institute during all three years in law school. In addition, Zoe focused her studies and activities on public interest law.

Perhaps the culmination of an education based upon women issues and public service, Zoe decided to apply for an Equal Justice Works Fellowship with the help of a mentor, former Equal Justice Works Fellow Attorney Rebecca Brink.

Equal Justice Works’ mission is “to create a just society by mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice.” An applicant must create a project that reflects this purpose. Zoe created her fellowship with the Domestic Violence Institute so as to continue her work advocating for domestic violence victims. Zoe summarizes her project as: helping to fill the void in Boston Medical Center’s domestic violence advocacy program “by providing full time emergency legal advice and advocacy services to domestic violence victims who use BMC.”

Zoe will be the first full-time legal advocate for domestic violence victims who come to the BMC. Zoe will also help develop hospital policy relating to treatment of domestic violence victims.

The fellowship will run for two years. Zoe hopes that she will be able to find funding to continue the project that she creates at the Domestic Violence Institute permanently.