A Legal Career Inspired by Service in the Bonner Program

Before becoming an attorney in Washington D.C., 2019 W&L Law grad Diane Gremillion was a Bonner Scholar at the University of Richmond with a major in Leadership Studies. 

“Bonner…made me question why different forms of poverty and inequality existed in my community,” Gremillion said. 

““The regulatory backbone of each problem made me appreciate the power of the law to have very real impacts, often disproportionately on vulnerable persons,””

— Diane Gremillion, Washington and Lee University School of Law ‘19

 Gremillion’s community service in Richmond sparked the realization that the lives of the people in need were directly affected by government structure and minutiae, “even the least interesting parts of the law and its various regulatory regimes.” 

As an attorney at Venable, LLP, Gremillion is working in the regulatory/administrative law realm.  Her summer internship with the firm as a law student confirmed that Venable was well-placed to make a difference.   

“[During the summer] I worked on a pro bono case, defending an immigrant family after nearby construction flooded their home, which culminated in mediation at the Venable office building,” Gremillion said. “Being with a large firm allowed us to defend the family with first-rate legal representation against multiple large corporations in ways that we would not have been able to otherwise.”  

Gremillion’s experience as a Bonner Scholar still informs her personal life and her career as an attorney. 

“Bonner instilled in me an appreciation for what is gained personally by helping one’s community. I gained so much more than I ever could give from those experiences. I’m also now aware that, even when I’m not working day to day and seeing poverty in my community, it is there. With my JD, I access the law and advocate in a way that is inaccessible to so many.”

If you are interested in pursuing a law degree, contact the Office of Admissions at W&L Law to learn more. We are proud of our new partnership with the Bonner Foundation, and we look forward to seeing more Bonner alumni in the law school student body. 

Washington and Lee Law Admissions 

lawadm@wlu.edu  

(540)458-8503

W&L Law School’s coverage of the partnership found here.

Community Connections Inspire TJ Tann, University of Richmond '21 Bonner Scholar

from University of Richmond website

From professors to internship supervisors to community members, it is often the leaders we encounter and the conversations we share that shape our lives.

As a sophomore Bonner Scholar, TJ Tann, ’21, attended a dinner with Kirsten Lodal, CEO and co-founder of LIFT, who was in Richmond for the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement’s 2018 Engage for Change! awards gathering.

By the end of the dinner, Tann knew that he wanted to apply for an internship with the organization, and nine months later, he headed to D.C. to work as a LIFT coach.

"Working with the leaders who ran LIFT-DC was a highlight of my entire summer," Tann said. "I [will] thank them always for the work they do and the impact they had on me."

LIFT operates in Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles, and New York to partner with high-quality community and early childcare organizations and engage and support parents.

"I worked with about 15 families helping them set, plan, and achieve educational, career, and personal goals," Tann said. "I also collaborated with the LIFT-DC and national teams on a number of projects, including developing a program for families with entrepreneurial aspirations and the foundation of a possible policy arm of LIFT."

Tann enjoys opportunities to connect deeply with individuals while finding ways to advocate on their behalf.

"If people need that voice to speak out for various communities, I have no problem being that," Tann said. "Everybody can always be of help to someone, and that should be our shared goal."

During his sophomore year, he also served as a development intern with The Commonwealth Institute, assisting in organizing their Policy Summit, and was co-president of the Multicultural Student Solidarity Network (MSSN) on campus.

Tann is currently studying abroad at Queen Mary University of London taking courses in politics and international relations, but the people he worked with this summer are never far from his mind.

"The people that I had the opportunity to work with impacted me just as much as I hoped I impacted them," Tann said. "I will always remember the families I worked with and never forget that the fight for economic justice and equality is ongoing."

When he returns to Richmond this spring, he will continue his Bonner Scholars Program placement at the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC) in their new offices located in the UR Downtown building at 7th and Broad.

He credits his reading of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness with his pursuit of the LAJC internship.

"I had always thought about the possibility of law school, and reading that book led me to think about how I could take real action of my own," Tann said. "I started thinking about the option of helping underrepresented communities through pro bono, advocacy, or policy work."

During his first semester with the organization, he worked as a client intake coordinator and aided two LAJC attorneys with research on immigration customs enforcement and evictions.

"The work that LAJC does providing legal representation for those who may not otherwise afford it perfectly aligns with my interest in combating inequalities," Tann said. "Whatever I do going forward, I will always be looking for ways to make a positive impact on people in whatever capacity I may be operating in."