RMBLSA Member of the Month

Anietie Akpan

St. Mary's University School of Law

Anietie Akpan is currently a third year law student at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. During her time at St. Mary's, Ms. Akpan has served as an Officer for Black Law Students Association, Women's Law Association and St. Thomas More Society. She has also worked with the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic at St. Mary's Center for Legal and Social Justice. She handled immigration cases (specifically adjustment of status and cancellation of removal cases), drafted legal documents to submit to court and opposing counsel and prepared clients for trial and presented cases in Immigration Court. As a result of her work, one of her clients has successfully become a Legal Permanent Resident and the other was granted prosecutorial discretion.

Her involvement in BLSA has allowed her to serve as Secretary and Historian, attend the RMBLSA Regional Convention where she served as a bailiff for the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition. As an Executive Board member, Ms. Akpan played an active role at Board Meetings and General Meetings and managed advertisements for meetings and upcoming events. Further, while serving in this capacity, Ms. Akpan started a mentorship program between BLSA chapter members and San Antonio Black Lawyers Association.

She is currently a Research Assistant for St. Mary's Law Ministry Office where she serves as liturgical coordinator for various services throughout the school year; she most recently worked as Co-Coordinator for San Antonio's 60th Celebration of Red Mass at San Fernando Cathedral, an evening in which law students, local attorneys, judges and other members of the legal community gather for an annual blessing of the judicial year and legal studies.

Anietie is also an Executive Editor for The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice; her comment "Dark Medicine: How the National Research Act Has Failed to Address Racist Practices in Biomedical Experiments Targeted at the African-American Community" will be published in the forthcoming Volume 11, Issue 3 of the Seattle Journal for Social Justice next spring. She graduates next May and is interested in practicing in environmental law, urban planning and land use.