“You’re looking for a needle in a haystack,” Gunasekera said during a fall visit to Governments Academy Law Center as part of the 2023 Blume Public Interest Leaders in Residence Program, which brings experienced public interest practitioners to campus to meet with and advise students interested in public interest law.
A former public defender, Gunasekera now leads an Innocence Project initiative that expedites exonerations through collaboration with the Queens, N.Y. district attorney’s office — but still recalls the challenges and fears she faced as a new graduate pursuing a public interest career.
“What law students don’t always appreciate is that you learn so much on the job,” she said. “You can’t expect to be perfect on day one.”
Overcoming adversity
This year’s leaders-in-residence included seven attorneys and advocates in practice areas ranging from reproductive rights to environmental law. Over the course of each three-day residency, leaders meet with students individually and in groups and teach an upper-level seminar for students in the Blume Public Interest Scholars Program.
“We are particularly interested in inviting visitors who can advise students of all backgrounds and experiences,” said Adrianne Clarke, senior associate director of the Office of Public Interest and Community Service (OPICS), which oversees the leaders-in-residence program. “We take a broad view of leadership to include styles and ways of leading that may look different from a person holding a particular job title or having a specific number of years of experience,” she noted, adding that students in the Blume Scholars program also provide feedback during the selection process.