Class of 2021 Members Honored with I’Anson, Thurgood Marshall and George Wythe Awards
The Law School faculty awards the I’Anson Award to a graduating student or students in recognition of great professional promise as demonstrated through scholarship, character and leadership. The award is named in honor of Lawrence W. I’Anson (1907-90), who earned his undergraduate degree at William & Mary and was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1974 to 1981.
Dorothy M. Canevari was president of the Art & Cultural Heritage Law Society and a board member for the Public Service Fund (PSF). In the summer of 2019, Canevari worked in the Supreme Court Chambers of the United Nation’s Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The tribunal prosecutes senior leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea for the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Canevari hopes to use her law degree for victim assistance, to advocate for fair criminal trial rights and to help end impunity for world leaders. One faculty member wrote: “I never wanted to intrude on her TA sessions, but judging from the reactions of students over the last two years, Dolly is the best TA I've had in my over-20 years of teaching. The students adored her. From my perspective, she has been an exemplary student and interlocutor and someone that I count as a friend. She will be profoundly missed.” After graduation, Canevari will become a Judicial Law Clerk at the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Taylor K. Lain worked with the Center for Legal and Court Technology (CLCT) for three years, holding a 
number of important positions, including working on CLCT’s joint AI and Legal Profession research project with the University of Montreal. She also served as student chief of staff during the 2020-21 academic year, coordinating the effort of ca. 30 student staff members, notwithstanding the Covid 19 pandemic. In addition, Lain was a research assistant, helping with research, case editing, and drafting of patent law textbook chapters relating to conduct of patent litigation in federal court and post-grant administrative proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Lain also served as online editor of the Law Review, was a Criminal Law teaching assistant, and president of Law Cappella. Members of the CLCT said she was “never…too tired or too overworked to enthusiastically support us in every way conceivable”; and one of her professors wrote, “Simply put, Taylor is awesome. Her impressive intellect is paired with a kind and caring heart and a sense of immense responsibility. She is never too busy to help someone else. She defines ‘caring.’” After graduation, Lain will be working at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP.
Thurgood Marshall Award: Alicen M. Rodolph
The Law School Association gives this honor each year to graduates who exhibit the ideals of distinguished public service exemplified by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908-93).
Alicen M. Rodolph led the PSF through one of the most challenging times this past year. As 3L co-chair, Rodolph dedicated herself to implementing creative solutions/events to make sure other students could pursue their public interest career goals. Dedicated to public service, Rodolph has been a champion for victims of human trafficking. During her 1L summer, she interned in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for a non-profit combatting human trafficking, and continued this passion her 2L summer with the DOJ’s human trafficking unit in the Civil Rights Division. As a 3L, she served as a Douglass Fellow for the Human Trafficking Institute. In this role, she started a podcast called Trafficking Matters to make conversations around this issue more accessible. On the side, she also volunteered with a non-profit aiding military families, and in December 2020 received a pro-bono award for her work. Discussing Rodolph’s background as “a non-traditional student…[coming] from a background of hardship, growing up with little formal education,” a student nominator described her as “one of the most selfless people I know, and there is no one in the 3L class more deserving of this award.” Rodolph will be joining the Army JAG Corps after graduation
George Wythe Award: Nicholas S. Agyevi-Armah
The award is named in honor of George Wythe—William & Mary's and the nation’s first professor of law—and is given by the Law School each year to a graduating student in recognition of his or her outstanding and selfless service.
Nicholas S. Agyevi-Armah served as President of the Student Bar Association, selflessly and passionately 
advocating on behalf of the student body through the challenge of the Covid 19 pandemic. One nominator wrote, “Despite the many challenges this year presented, Nick led with grace and was a student leader that made everyone feel welcome and heard.” Thanks to Agyevi-Armah’s work, the SBA created the Movement for Inclusive Excellence, which established an anti-racist agenda and laid the foundation for numerous programs that will benefit students for years to come. “We are better people because of Nick’s tireless dedication to William & Mary, which has no comparison in our history,” wrote another nominator. Agyevi-Armah also served as Professional Development Chair of the Black Law Students Association, the Vice President of Lawyers Helping Lawyers, and the Outreach Chair of Equality Alliance. Agyevi-Armah recently won the US National ABA Client Counseling Competition, and represented the entire U.S. in the International Client Consultation Competition hosted virtually in Wales. After graduation, Agyevi-Armah will become an Incoming Global Compliance Senior Analyst at Goldman Sachs.
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Legal education in a university setting began at William & Mary in 1779. Now in its third century, America's first law school continues its historic mission of educating citizen lawyers who are prepared both to lead and to serve.