LMU Undergraduates Advocate for Social Justice at LSJLC

As an intern in the Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic (JIFS) this summer, LMU sociology major Tryston Stone ’27 had a front row seat to watch attorneys daily advocating on behalf of youths in the criminal justice system. Working on cases under California’s Racial Justice Act with Christopher Hawthorne ’00, clinical professor of law at Loyola Law School (LLS) and director of JIFS, Tryston found more than just a supervisor. Over the summer, he also gained new perspectives on the complex history and systemic challenges lawyers in the juvenile justice system need to navigate. 

“There was one time where we talked for four and a half hours straight about race politics and how it all pertained to the criminal justice system,” Stone said. “He's really exhibited to me how important it is that we approach these issues with an open mind.” 

Stone is one of 17 LMU undergraduates interning at the Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic (LSJLC) this summer as part of a new summer internship program offered by the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA). BCLA has partnered with departments across the university to offer around 100 paid internships for undergraduates, with the goal of giving students meaningful professional experience before they graduate. 

“These internships have helped our undergraduates gain confidence and a tremendous sense of accomplishment,” said Evan Gerstmann, Evan Gerstmann, director of the BCLA Summer Law Clinic internships and professor of political science and international relations at LLS. “They are learning about the various forms injustice can take, the challenges of combatting injustice and the role of the law in doing so.”  

Elizabeth Bluestein, executive director of LSJLC, emphasized how invaluable the summer internship opportunities are both for clinic clients and for future lawyers.  

“Our LMU interns have amplified our ability to support our clients while our law students are on summer break. As part of  LSJLC’s access to justice mission, we believe it is very important that anyone thinking about law school be aware that a law degree can be a way to serve social justice. We are excited to have the opportunity to give our LMU undergraduates hands on experiences with public interest law.” 

LMU undergraduates interned at the Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC), Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic (JIFS), Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC), the Collateral Consequences of Conviction Justice Project (CCCJP), Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI), and the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC). Each internship was about two months long. 

Students were immersed in the daily case work of each clinic, performing tasks including interviewing clients, drafting documents for court filings, translating documents, reviewing police records, and more. 

Two LMU interns at the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC), Isabella Rizo-Patron ’27 and Jimena Villasenor ’27 made a “significant difference” in helping the staff prepare legal work, said Tess Feldman, LIJC supervising attorney and clinical teaching fellow. They have supported clients from China, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Afghanistan and Russia during a very busy season for the LIJC team. 

“They’re both such intelligent and motivated young women with a passion for social justice,” echoed Yanira Lemus, LIJC’s director of community legal services. 

At JIFS, Stone has been combing through thousands of pages of court transcripts, looking for  evidence of racism during a client’s trial that could be used in a habeas corpus petition for resentencing.  

Stone has drawn inspiration from the staff’s dogged determination to defend their clients within a gravely flawed justice system. 

“The dominant actors in our society try to shield a lot of the discrimination we see in the criminal justice system,” he said. “The JIFS staff are people that don't question the questioner, but [instead] question the system.”  

Joseph Trigilio, executive director of the Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI), said the interns have been “incredible.”  

“Their enthusiasm and tenacity have motivated everyone here at LPI, and tangibly moved our cases forward,” he said. 

During her internship with the Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI) this summer, political science major Rylee Davis ’27 toured the Men’s Central Jail, met formerly incarcerated staff of Homeboy Industries, and talked with some of LPI’s former clients, who the clinic helped free after decades of wrongful imprisonment. 

She came into the internship knowing she wanted to go to law school. But working at LPI shifted her vision of the work she could do.“This internship really opened my eyes and exposed me to what the criminal justice system looks like, especially post-conviction work,” Davis said. “I was a little hesitant before that criminal law might be a little too sensitive for me, but ...it’s on the table now.” 

Davis’s work with LPI has given her a new perspective on how many people end up being convicted through false or unreliable eyewitness testimony. Meeting formerly incarcerated people has also opened her eyes to the need for more rehabilitative services that treat people with dignity. 

Watching the LPI staff’s dedication to their clients has been especially inspiring, and something she hopes to emulate one day. 

“They’re going to make sure we exhaust every option and investigate every single possibility,” she said. “That is the kind of loyalty to [a] client that I hope to replicate in the future.”