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Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic

UNPARALLELED COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE

COMMENCEMENT 2026 EDITION

REFLECTIONS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear LSJLC Community,

As we close out the 2025-26 academic year, we do so at a moment of both reflection and anticipation.

On behalf of the Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic, I extend congratulations to all our graduating clinic students. Throughout their time with LSJLC, they have engaged in complex, real-world advocacy in service of communities across Los Angeles and beyond. We are also proud to recognize our Outstanding Graduating Clinic Students, who reflect the very best of our clinical programs.

We also look forward to welcoming the next cohort of clinic students this fall as they join a community of more than 20 clinics — grounded in the belief that legal education is most powerful when practiced in service of others.

This edition of the newsletter highlights that work in action: from landmark international human rights trials to a new cohort of certified expert witnesses and advocacy for students and youth across California, these stories illustrate what it means to be an attorney for others.

Thank you for being part of this community and helping make this work possible.

Elizabeth Bluestein

Executive Director
Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic

SPOTLIGHT STORY

2026 Outstanding Graduating Clinic Students Hero Graphic

LSJLC's 2026 Outstanding Clinic Graduates

The Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic is proud to announce the Outstanding Graduating Clinic Students for the 2025-26 academic year. These students exemplify what it means to be attorneys for others — pairing rigorous legal training with a deep commitment to justice. Across their respective clinics, they led complex cases, advocated alongside and for vulnerable communities, and advanced meaningful change for those they served. Their advocacy has already begun shaping lives, strengthening communities, and moving justice forward.

Click the button to read more about each of our outstanding graduating students, whose work reflects the very best of Loyola’s clinical programs.

CLINIC HIGHLIGHTS

A graduate from the Independent Forensic Gang Expert College (IFGEC) at LMU Loyola Law School stands stoically in graduation garb

From Gang-Involved to Expert Witness: Loyola Expands Courtroom Voices

Thirteen formerly incarcerated Angelenos graduated this spring from the Independent Forensic Gang Expert College (IFGEC) at LMU Loyola Law School — emerging as certified expert witnesses prepared to testify in court.

Led by faculty from Loyola’s Center for Juvenile Law & Policy (CJLP), the program combines intensive training in gang law and courtroom procedure with hands-on mentorship from Loyola clinic faculty and students, who help guide trainees through simulated hearings and live moot court testimony. Graduates now bring lived experience into cases involving gang allegations, expanding whose perspectives are heard in the courtroom.

LJAC students sit with Director Rajika Shah outside a U.S. federal courthouse

Torture on Trial: How LJAC Helped Illuminate a Landmark Human Rights Case

A federal jury in Los Angeles has found former Syrian official Samir Ousman Alsheikh guilty on all counts in a rare U.S. prosecution involving allegations of torture committed abroad — marking a significant moment for international accountability in domestic courts.

The Loyola Justice for Atrocities Clinic (LJAC) monitored the case from arrest through verdict. Throughout the trial, clinic students — in partnership with the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre — observed proceedings, documented developments, and helped translate complex legal questions for broader public understanding. For students, the experience offered a rare and profound opportunity to see their clinic education unfold in real time within a case of global significance.

In a case of substantial national and international interest, LJAC supported public access, legal clarity, and informed understanding of how allegations of mass atrocities are examined within a U.S. court of law.

YJEC advocates alongside coalition partners in Sacramento

Starre Williams ’26, speaking to California legislators in support of AB 1861

As federal civil rights protections continue to face significant rollbacks, Loyola’s Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC) has joined a statewide coalition to strengthen accountability and enforcement in schools.

In partnership with advocacy partners, YJEC recently contributed to a policy report outlining recommendations to protect students’ educational rights amid ongoing discussions around California’s education governance system. YJEC is also co-sponsoring AB 1861, legislation aimed at increasing transparency around districts’ compliance with special education laws.

Recently, Starre Williams ’26 traveled to Sacramento alongside YJEC Director Vivian Wong to testify before California legislators in support of AB 1861.

Amal Sardesai ’24, LCCR associate director

Amal Sardesai ’24 returned to LMU Loyola Law School this academic year as associate director of the Loyola Center for Conflict Resolution (LCCR) — what she describes as a “full circle moment” shaped by her own experience as a Loyola student.

"Having been part of LCCR’s work and mission, it is incredibly meaningful to now help guide and support the same programs and community impact that initially drew me to this space," she said. "It’s both humbling and energizing to contribute in a leadership capacity to an organization that plays such an important role in expanding access to justice."

Looking ahead, Sardesai is excited by the continued growth of LCCR’s work, including opportunities to shape innovative solutions that "not only resolve conflict, but also build stronger, more connected communities."

TOOLS FOR ADVOCACY & ACTION

YJEC Releases Toolkit Supporting Newcomer Students

Header graphic for YJEC's new toolkit to support newcomer student education rights

Loyola’s Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC), in partnership with Public Counsel and with support of the California Access to Justice Commission, has released a new toolkit to support newcomer students navigating the education system

Developed to address barriers faced by immigrant youth, the resource equips educators, advocates, and families with practical guidance to ensure students can access the services and support they are entitled to.

Access the toolkit →

Strengthening Advocacy Through Forensic Evidence

Joe Trigilo, Judy and Steve Page Executive Director, Loyola Project for the Innocent

Through its work challenging wrongful convictions, the Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI) engages deeply with the role of DNA evidence in the legal system.

This June, LPI is co-hosting a hands-on training where students will build practical skills in analyzing and questioning DNA evidence alongside forensic scientists, defense attorneys, and other practitioners.

The training reflects LPI’s broader mission to equip future advocates with the tools needed to critically engage evidence and safeguard against wrongful conviction.

Learn more and register →

LLS students:
Use LoyolaStudentDNA to register for free

LSJLC ON CAMPUS

This spring, LSJLC clinics connected with students across campus at the Experiential Learning Fair, Clinics Open House, and After LLS. Through conversations and shared experiences, students explored how clinical programs offer meaningful, hands-on opportunities to engage in advocacy and make an impact.

SHAPING JUSTICE NARRATIVES: LSJLC IN THE NEWS

Loyola’s Independent Forensic Gang Expert College (IFGEC) graduation ceremony was featured in CBS LA’s broadcast coverage. (March 23, 2026)
Professor Marisa Harris was interviewed as part of a radio spot on KNX-AM, speaking about the importance of the IFGEC’s work. (March 21, 2026)
Loyola Justice for Atrocities Clinic (LJAC) Director Rajika Shah was an expert featured in NPR coverage of the recent Alsheikh criminal trial. (March 18, 2026)
WORLD highlighted LJAC's statement as part of their coverage of the Alsheikh trial. (March 17, 2026)
Courthouse News also covered LJAC’s engagement in the trial. (March 16, 2026)

The work of the Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic is only possible in partnership with supporters like you. Help us advance our vital work with a gift today.

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