Jenkins '09 to Study in London as 2009-10 Drapers' Scholar
She had planned to take a year off to work on organic farms. Instead, Genevieve Jenkins will be spending the next academic year studying at Queen Mary College of the University of London earning her LL.M. degree.
Jenkins, who will graduate from William & Mary Law School on May 17, received news that she would be named the 2009-10 Drapers' Scholar in November 2008.
"I was really, really excited about it," said Jenkins. "I was honored and also very surprised because a lot of highly qualified people went out for it."
The Drapers' scholarship is an annual scholarship offered by the Drapers' Company of London. The scholarship will provide Jenkins with full tuition and a stipend to cover her cost of living. The scholarship is a reciprocal exchange. While Jenkins studies at the University of London, a Drapers' Scholar from that university will enroll at William & Mary.
During law school Jenkins was a member of the William and Mary Law Review, the Internal Affairs Justice for the Moot Court Board, president of the Students for the Innocence Project, an active member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a graduate research fellow. She also was a member of the William & Mary Moot Court and Alternative Dispute Resolution teams.
"Genevieve truly has been a vibrant member of our law school community during her time with us," said Lynda Butler, interim dean of the Law School. "She is a person of considerable talent who has demonstrated a passion for environmental issues. I am delighted she will be able to further her education at one of the United Kingdom's renowned universities."
Jenkins hopes to focus her studies at the University of London on international and environmental law. Her passion for this area was deepened the summer after her 1L year, when she interned at the Environmental Law Roundtable of Australia and New Zealand (ELRANZ). Jenkins wrote articles about negotiated rulemaking in the context of environmental law, witnessed many planning and environmental trials by accompanying her boss, a barrister, to court, and was able to do site visits with a mediator for the planning and environment courts. Outside of work she was able to explore the natural beauty that surrounded her.
"The experience was incredible, for what I was able to learn about environmental and international law, for the beautiful country I explored for a summer, and for the amazing people I met," said Jenkins.
She feels that William & Mary has prepared her well for this next stage of her academic career.
"I've taken many of the international law classes here and I think we have a lot of really qualified professors in international law," said Jenkins. She mentioned international business transactions with Professor Lan Cao and international criminal law with Professor Nancy Combs as being especially enjoyable. "William & Mary has so much to offer in terms of professors and their experiences," she said.
At the conclusion of her studies, Jenkins will begin her work at Latham & Watkins in San Francisco, where she interned in summer 2008. She believes her continued studies will make her a stronger associate, prepare her to better serve her firm, and also prepare for a career focused on international environmental public service.