Attorney General Neronha welcomes 14 recent legal hires

Attorney General Neronha welcomes 14 recent legal hires

Published on Monday, December 09, 2024

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today announced 14 recent legal hires within the Office of the Attorney General. Additionally, the Office is also now accepting applications for the 2025 Clifton Clerkship Program, with more information available on the Attorney General's website.

"Our Office is made up of attorneys and professional staff with a wide range of expertise, powered by their drive to serve the people of Rhode Island," said Attorney General Neronha. "This year, we hired graduates from schools like Harvard Law, BC Law, UConn School of Law, and Roger Williams University School of Law, and we welcomed back two talented former Special Assistant Attorneys General. All of our exceptional team members, regardless of whether they are recent graduates or seasoned veterans, are united in their relentless pursuit of justice. This, coupled with their diverse experiences, makes our Office and our State stronger than ever."

The Office's recent legal hires include:

• Madeline Becker serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Government Litigation Bureau of the Civil Division. Madeline previously worked as an Attorney at Barton Gilman LLP in Providence, as well as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Madeline graduated from Boston College Law School in 2018.
• KC Brody serves the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Director of the Medical Fraud Control Unit in the Criminal Division. KC has over 10 years of combined criminal and civil experience and previously served the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions. Most recently, KC worked as the Minority Business Enterprise Administrator at the Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion. KC graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2010.
• Kyla Duffy serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Public Protection Bureau of the Civil Division. Kyla is a recent graduate of Harvard Law School and previously served the Office as a Legal Intern in the Civil and Community Rights Unit of the Civil Division.
• Katie Gradowski serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General with the Civil Division. Katie most recently worked as a Law Clerk for the Honorable John J. McConnell, Jr. at the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Katie graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2023.
• Briana Holley joins the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division and recently joined as a Special Assistant Attorney. Briana is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law and previously served the Office as both an Intern and an Extern in the Special Victims Unit of the Criminal Division.
• Emily Hughes joins the Office as a Law Clerk in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Emily previously worked as a Legal Intern at the Rhode Island Center for Justice and served as a Student Law Partner at the Eviction Help Desk. Emily is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law.
• Victoria Hunt serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Government Litigation Bureau of the Civil Division. Victoria graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2023 and most recently worked as a Judicial Clerk for the Rhode Island Superior Court.
• Ciera Killen serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General with the Criminal Division after joining the Office as a 2024 Honors Fellow. Ciera is a recent graduate of William & Mary Law School and most recently worked as an Extern in the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
• Hilary Levey Friedman joins as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Hilary most recently worked as a Law Student Volunteer at the Eviction Help Desk. Hilary also serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Master of Public Affairs program at Brown University. Hilary earned a PhD in Sociology from Princeton University in 2009 and is a recent graduate of Roger Williams School of Law.
• Dorothea Lindquist serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Healthcare Unit in the Public Protection Bureau of the Civil Division. Dorothea most recently served as Chief of Staff and Division Director for Equity Transformation, Government Affairs, Communication & Public Affairs at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dorothea also previously worked as an Associate Attorney at White, Carlin & Kelly, PC, and at Roberts, Carrol, Feldstein & Pierce, Inc. Dorothea graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 2002.
• Abby Mansolillo joins as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Civil Division. Abby is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law and previously worked as an Intern at the Rhode Island Superior Court.
• Paige Murphy serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Paige graduated from New England School of Law in 2023.
• Chandana Pandurangi serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General with the Civil Division after joining the Office as a 2024 Honors Fellow. Chandana previously served as a Legal Intern at the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. Chandana is a recent graduate of Boston College Law School.
• Brendan Sullivan joined as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Appellate Unit of the Criminal Division. Brendan returns to the Office having previously served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division. Most recently, Brendan worked as Senior Legal Counsel at the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Brendan graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2016;

William C. Clifton Sr. Clerkship Program:

Additionally, the Office is accepting applicationsfor its 2025 William C. Clifton, Sr. Clerkship program now through January 5, 2024. Named for Judge William C. Clifton, Sr., the first African American Special Assistant Attorney General in the Attorney General's Office, the Clifton Clerkship Program provides first- and second-year law students from historically underrepresented populations with the opportunity to spend the summer working on substantive legal matters while building valuable career experience.

Since 2020, the fifteen law students have participated in the Clifton Clerkship Program. Past graduates of the program have joined our Office, other offices of attorneys general, and various well-regarded law firms.

The program is open to all qualified applicants but is designed to provide qualified members of diverse groups and persons with disabilities with summer opportunities in the Attorney General's Office where these groups have been underrepresented.

Students who have faced social and/or economic disadvantages on their path toward the practice of law, first-generation law students, students from unique educational and family circumstances, and individuals who have overcome significant obstacles are encouraged to apply.

Over a 10-week, full-time program, law students will split their time between the Office's Criminal and Civil Divisions and receive legal assignments in their areas of interest. Students in the program will be assigned a mentor and attend educational and networking events to help them gain exposure to, and build relationships with, members of the legal community.

In order to ensure that financial constraints do not prevent qualified individuals from participating, each selected law student will receive a stipend of approximately $4,000 for the summer clerkship.

To learn more about the Clifton Clerkship Program and other career opportunities within the Office of the Attorney General, please visit our website.

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