Shattuck Awards, Miller-Johnson Prize and Mason C. Brown Award announced

Six USC Law students received the annual Shattuck Award during a luncheon ceremony last week in Crocker Plaza.

Named for Edward S. and Eleanor J. Shattuck, the award honors students who appear to have the greatest potential in the legal profession, as demonstrated through student leadership, legal scholarship, contributions to USC Law community or creation of new student programs or organizations. Mr. Shattuck, a prominent Los Angeles lawyer, created the awards in 1965.

The 2003 Shattuck Award recipients are Agis Bray, Catherine "Poppy" Durant, Larry Logsdon, Paul Kroeger, Eli Palomores and Shaiza Shamim.

Maria Hall received the Loren Miller-Earl Johnson Equal Justice Prize, given to the student who has demonstrated the greatest commitment to civil and social justice. Hall has made a career of social justice and public service, including involvement with PILF, Post-Conviction Justice Project, Public Counsel, the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice and the Women's Law Association. Prior to enrolling in law school, she worked as a fund-raiser for public interest organizations in health care, the arts and education.

Hall, who also received the Sydney and Audrey Irmas Fellowship last week, plans to work as an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment, conducting litigation against oil refineries and other companies that disproportionately pollute in lower-income neighborhoods in south and southeast Los Angeles.

Kara Oien received the Mason C. Brown Award, honoring the student who has demonstrated a commitment to public interest work and a special aptitude for trial advocacy. As a supervisor in the Post-Conviction Justice project, Oien has shown incomparable talent as an advocate and exceptional dedication to her clients, according to nominators. In a rare opportunity for a law student, she presented a case before the 9th Circuit Court, and has worked at the Federal Public Defender's Office and USC Law's Immigration Clinic.