During the spring semester, six students in the Congressional Consumer and Civil Justice Clinic —Jessica Anastasia ’26, Hallie Bader ’25, Tiffany McKnight ’25, Sajani Patel ’25, Angelina Pienczykowski ’26 Evening, and Nicole Zlatokrasov ’26—took a trip to Washington, D.C. where they spent a day on Capitol Hill advocating for legislation and working to advance justice.
The trip capped the students’ semester-long work on a range of consumer, environmental, privacy, health care, and civil justice issues, which involved the production of legislative memos, oral presentations, guest speakers, and ongoing monitoring of Congressional efforts to undermine federal regulations. In D.C., the students met with staff for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. They also spoke to at least 20 other Congressional offices and distributed legislative memos analyzing and providing recommendations on the national policy issues impacting the civil justice system that they had studied and researched over the semester.
Working with the Center for Justice and Democracy on these real-world legislative and regulatory issues and meeting with the Congressional staff was a meaningful experience for the students. For Anastasia, “seeing how we can bring our work straight to the source was more than a breath of fresh air; it was fuel to keep pushing forward. It reminded me that real change often happens quietly — through careful drafting, persistent dialogue, and unwavering attention to detail.” Pienczykowski echoed similar sentiments, saying “While I have done different types of advocacy in the past, this experience felt especially impactful. It reminded me that change is often incremental, but it can be deeply meaningful when rooted in focused, sustained effort.”
The clinic helped the students develop and enhance important legal skills from writing and research to public speaking. Pienczykowski explained that the clinic “taught me how to develop an issue from initial research into a clear, persuasive written product, and then translate that into a focused, advocacy-oriented conversation.” Zlatokrasov also noted that “speaking about my topic on a weekly basis strengthened my public speaking and presentation skills.”
Bader said that the clinic is “where I have obtained the most helpful, real-world experience on my academic journey” and it “has allowed me to see that real people and real conversations matter.” She called the D.C. trip “one of the most rewarding experiences I have had throughout law school.” Zlatokrasov agreed that it was “a one-of-a-kind opportunity,” adding that the experience is one “I will carry with me throughout my legal career and beyond.”
Experiential Learning at New York Law School
Experiential learning is an integral part of the NYLS education. Through our top-tier programs, we offer students the opportunity to turn theory into practice: Starting in their first year, students participate in counseling, interviewing, and negotiating exercises in their foundational Legal Practice course. During their upper-level years, students may select from a wide array of experiential learning courses to hone their lawyering skills. Together with a comprehensive legal education, these experiential offerings prepare our students for careers in advocacy.