“The way I see it, you’re only in for three years, so you should really make the most of your time here,” she said. While some may find Nolan’s time commitment to public service overwhelming, she said getting involved in the community has made her law school experience more enjoyable. In addition, Nolan serves as an Honor Council justice and a Dean’s Associate and is a member of the American Constitution Society and the International Law Society. Nolan is a co-chair of the Public Service Fund, which raises money to support law students’ efforts to do public service work, vice president of the Students for Innocence Project, and an America Reads volunteer at Matthew Whaley Elementary School. She works with the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition, going to detention centers where people are awaiting deportation and helping them check their refugee statuses. “They were basically going to destroy this community.” In addition to her work with the Center for Human Rights & Environment, Nolan has shown dedication to community service through numerous volunteer activities while attending law school. “The way the river flows, the pollution from these mills was really going to affect the indigenous people ,” said Nolan. Nolan said the organizations looks at environmental concerns as a human rights issue, as “everyone has a right to clean water and clean air, and access to land.” While Nolan was in Argentina, she assisted with a case in which Argentina was suing Uruguay in The Hague to prevent European companies from building pulp mills along the River Uruguay. Last summer, Nolan worked for the Center for Human Rights & Environment in Cordoba, Argentina. The VSB’s Special Committee on Access to Legal Services selected Nolan for her “passion for justice and achievements in the areas of immigrant rights and international human rights,” noting that her legal contributions fall squarely within Hill’s legacy. Hill, who is nearly 100 years old and lives in Richmond, Va., fought to end racial discrimination under the “separate but equal” doctrine, arguing one of the five cases decided under Brown v. The VSB selects one law student recipient annually for the award, named in honor of civil rights attorney Oliver Hill. Maryann Nolan, who will graduate from William & Mary Law School in May, has been named the recipient of the 2007 Oliver White Hill Law Student Pro Bono Award from the Virginia State Bar (VSB).
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