Advancing Social Change Clinic 2025 Highlights
ASCC student attorneys, fall 2025: (back l-r) Jaqueline Marquez Rocha, Mariah Behrns, Jett Gambill, Nick Esler; (front l-r) Claire Francis, Gabrielle Onessimo, Daniela Ramirez. Not pictured: Gabriella Carrethers.
The Advancing Social Change Clinic (ASCC), the newest clinic in the Student Law Office at the Sturm College of Law, is celebrating its third year. The ASCC focuses on movement lawyering and policy work and is the only clinic at Denver Law that prioritizes admission for students in our Part-Time JD Program. Working under the supervision of Associate Professor Lindsey Webb, who also serves as the Ronald V. Yegge Clinical Director for the Student Law Office, student attorneys in the ASCC use their legal training and skills to support community organizations and social movements outside of traditional litigation.
Student attorneys in the ASCC have worked with state-wide coalitions, grassroots organizations, and local lawmakers on a wide variety of projects, including data collection and review, legal and social science research, drafting and filing open record act requests, and contract and legislation analysis. Students have attended town halls, community meetings, and legislative sessions, in addition to individual meetings with their community partners. Student attorneys enrolled in ASCC in Fall 2025 have offered these descriptions of their clinic experience:
"I joined the Advancing Social Change Clinic because I wanted to start using what I’ve already learned in law school to make a real difference in my community. This clinic has been my favorite part of law school. It has deepened my understanding of social justice, organizing, and policy work, and helped me learn how to be a more thoughtful and compassionate advocate for my clients. I’m also so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from very caring, intelligent, and forward-looking people who share my commitment to creating change." - Daniela Ramirez, ASCC Student Attorney
“[My experience with my ASCC community partner] this semester has involved everything from contract review to nationwide legislative research, which has grown my legal skills in those areas. More broadly, this course has shown me the impact that many individual voices can have when they come together with a shared goal. I have also learned a lot about the work of lawmakers on the local level, and I have seen how much gets done in the background of movements and legislation. You don’t have to be a spokesperson or the primary leader to make a huge difference, which makes me really happy…. In the ASCC, I have found a group of people that I am proud to know as colleagues and this group has really given me a sense of community at Denver Law.” – Nick Esler, ASCC Student Attorney
“This was the clinic I wanted to take because I am interested in policy and legislation. [My experience with our clinic partner] has broadened my understanding of what goes into this work. I understand that you can’t come up with a solution or possible solution unless you take a deep look at the current situation and see what the issues are, and that takes a lot of time and effort…. My work in this clinic has reframed how I interact with the world and it has changed my understanding of the world around me…. It has been a great experience.” – Gabrielle Onessimo, ASCC Student Attorney
