Dedicated to Serving Others: Edward V. Sparer Fellowship Celebrates 40 Years of Public Service Excellence

This year, Brooklyn Law School’s Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship is marking its 40th anniversary. The milestone shines a light on the alumnus for whom it is named, Edward V. Sparer ’59, a pioneer in the fields of poverty and health law, as well as the program founders, and the generations of "Sparer Fellow" graduates who followed their legal dreams to careers in social justice.  

The anniversary culminates this week with a March 25 celebration titled, "Looking Back, Leading Forward: 40 Years of Public Service Excellence," where attendees will salute the work of Sparer, who devoted his career to representing low-income individuals and advancing laws and policies affecting their lives, and celebrate the more than 700 Sparer Fellow alumni who have advanced justice for underrepresented communities. 

The gathering will also recognize the Sparer Fellowship’s founders; Elizabeth Schneider, the Rose L. Hoffer Professor of Law Emerita; and alumnus Bertram Bronzaft ’61; and the faculty leaders who have followed. In 2020, Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Scholarship Cynthia Godsoe assumed the role of Sparer Fellowship director, and in 2023 was joined by Professor Vijay Raghavan as Co-Director. Today, the program is led by Raghavan and Co-Directors Amy Hsieh ’11, Adjunct Professor of Law and Executive Director of the Public Service Law Center, and Professor Danielle Tully.  

President and Joseph Crea Dean David D. Meyer and Hsieh will open the program and welcome guests. Raghavan and Godsoe will present a special recognition of service to Marva Skeene, the Administrative Assistant for the Sparer Fellowship. "Looking Back" remarks will be provided by Schneider; Claudia Connor ’88, U.S. Regional Representative of the Church World Service; Paul Zimmerman ’95, Chief Legal Officer of the National MS Society; Rachel Braunstein ’03, Policy Director, Her Justice; and Pooja Kothari ’09, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Boundless Awareness.  

"Looking Forward" remarks will be provided by Alex Lesman ’05, Staff Attorney, the Legal Aid Society, Litigation and Law Reform Unit of the criminal practice; Rosa Cohen-Cruz ’12, Director of Immigration Policy, The Bronx Defenders; Hayley Bork ’23, Cochran Fellow, Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger; and Professor Aissatou Barry, Director of the Housing Justice Clinic. The program will be capped with a toast to the future.  

"In the midst of law school, the Sparer Fellowship can feel like a welcome pause from the daily grind. But gatherings like this, bringing together fellows across generations and areas of practice, reveal its deeper impact," Hsieh said. "The fellowship is more than a moment of respite; it is a community that sustains you, a space to explore your path, a network that endures, and a vital pipeline for public interest advocacy—now and for the generations that follow."  

Grads in the Field 

One former Sparer Fellow who exemplifies the type of public service work that graduates embark on is Manar Waheed ’04, who dedicated her career to civil rights, primarily at nonprofits, and is currently the Interim Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Freedom Together Foundation. Previously, she worked at a range of nonprofits serving marginalized communities, including the Legal Services of NYC and the American Civil Liberties Union. She has also worked for the White House under the Obama administration and on Meta’s inaugural civil rights team. 

"I’ve learned that every sector needs people fighting for our civil rights and public service comes in all shapes and sizes," Waheed said. "You just have to find the right fit for you at a particular moment in time and try to leverage your power for good." 

The Sparer Fellowship was a main draw for Waheed in deciding to attend Brooklyn Law School, and she continues to benefit from the lifelong peers and mentors she met through the program. 

"As someone that always wanted to pursue a public interest career, I felt that the Sparer community would understand and ground me in my purpose so that I didn't get lost in the intensity of the law school journey," Waheed said. "My Sparer experience was exactly that and more. I found a community that was like-minded, where I could share my passion, brainstorm career paths, and dream of a better future. I was also able to build and foster relationships with professors who could help guide me on my journey in law school and beyond." 

Even after graduation, Brooklyn Law School connections have continued to play a pivotal role in Waheed’s career: "Professor Schneider, in particular, has always been a mentor and has taught me to follow my passion and stay grounded in my purpose, even when it’s not exactly where I saw my career going," Waheed said. 

A New Generation of Sparer Fellows 

The Sparer Fellowship continues to inspire and teach students who intend to pursue public service careers. The Public Service Law Center (PSLC) supports Fellows by providing funding for a summer internship in public interest, and by holding lunches and community-building activities throughout the academic year.  

Two Sparer Fellows, Hayley Broich ’26 and Anna Young ’26, have each secured post-graduate fellowships in public interest/public service spaces through PSLC.  

One of the most important benefits of the Sparer Fellowship is the connections made with others who share the same interests, they said.  

"Being a Sparer Fellow has allowed me to join a passionate group of public interest-minded future attorneys and has also given me the privilege of engaging with faculty I might not otherwise have met," said Broich, who secured a fellowship with If/When/How. "In a field that often pushes people toward private practice, having the support of others who are choosing this path and knowing that I am not alone has been invaluable."  

Through the Sparer Fellowship, Young said she was able to learn about the many different niches within public interest work and meet other students interested in different aspects of disability law. 

After graduation, Young will move on to a fellowship with the American Civil Liberties Union and hopes to maintain work in the public interest sector for the rest of her career.  

"Being a Sparer Fellow allowed me to have a space dedicated to public interest without having to search for it," Young said. "I gained a broader view of the student body during 1L because I was able to meet people outside of my designated 1L groups. I was able to meet and build relationships with professors in a setting outside of the classroom."