Godfrey & Kahn: Fellowship Awarded to University of Wisconsin Law School Student

For more information, contact:
Sharon Zalewski, Director of Marketing
(414) 273-3500
szalewski@gklaw.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MADISON, WI (August 5, 2005) – The law firm of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. announced that Monica Santa Maria Somohano has been selected to receive the Godfrey & Kahn Fellowship in Law. Santa Maria Somohano will begin her legal studies this fall at the University of Wisconsin Law School. The Fellowship provides Santa Maria Somohano with a full three-year scholarship, mentoring by Godfrey & Kahn attorneys as well as employment as a summer associate at the firm’s Madison office, LaFollette Godfrey & Kahn.

Santa Maria Somohano received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Princeton University in 1995, which she followed with a master’s degree in linguistics from MIT in 1998. Her interest in and ability with different languages served her well as she worked locally with the growing Spanish-speaking community. Santa Maria Somohano developed a strong reputation as a translator in the medical setting in Dane County, and her experiences translating in the court system influenced her decision to attend law school. In addition to Spanish, which is her first language, Santa Maria Somohano is a native speaker of English, reads French and Italian, and is currently studying Hebrew. Santa Maria Somohano was born in Mexico and moved to Madison at the age of 5 where she has been raised as a first generation Madisonian Latina.

Godfrey & Kahn provides a fellowship to one student each year who enrolls in the University of Wisconsin Law School as a participant in the Legal Education Opportunities Program, a student-organized program that represents and supports students of color. Recipients are chosen by the University of Wisconsin Law School in consultation with Godfrey & Kahn’s scholarship committee based on merit, need and an interest in practicing law in Wisconsin.

“Godfrey & Kahn’s Fellowship in Law will enable talented and hard-working students to pursue a career in law,” said Rick Bliss, managing partner of Godfrey & Kahn. “Ultimately, it is our hope to help provide the state of Wisconsin with successful attorneys who have diverse backgrounds and bring unique perspectives to the legal field.”

Founded in 1957, Godfrey & Kahn has a statewide network of offices, including locations in Appleton, Green Bay, Madison (LaFollette Godfrey & Kahn), Waukesha and Milwaukee. With more than 175 attorneys, Godfrey & Kahn provides legal and business advice to clients ranging from small businesses and governmental entities to large privately and publicly held national and international companies.