Hannah Goldberg Receives Future Attorneys of America Scholarship Award

Since 2017, the Answering Legal Foundation has awarded its $5,000 Future Attorneys of America Scholarship to up-and-coming law school students. The applicants represent the future of the legal world, and each year there are so many great candidates that our selection committee has trouble choosing a winner.

Nevertheless, we are proud to announce that Hannah Goldberg, a 1L at University of Miami School of Law, is the newest recipient of our scholarship.

Check out our interview with this year’s scholarship winner below!

Hannah’s Story:

After growing up in Lutz, Florida, Hannah went on to attend Florida State University, where she graduated Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.6. During that period, Hannah also got to experience an internship at a public defender’s office, which sparked her interest in the world of law. In particular, it was the case of a young man named Justin that really grabbed her attention.

“There was a huge trial going on for this boy about the same age as me,” Goldberg said. “He was there for a crime that he was accused of when he was under 18. He was someone who had a lot going for him and was about to face getting that all taken away because of this accusation.”

Justin went on to receive a not guilty verdict, and Hannah’s career mission became clear.

“I've never seen a whole office impacted by a client,” Goldberg said. “(There were) tears. Everyone was clapping afterwards. You just felt it kind of run throughout your body, all the emotions, and really in that moment it emphasized the importance of representation for me and how attorneys can change someone's life for the better.”

Goldberg also had the experience of working as a full-time receptionist at Novey + Gonzalez Family Law Firm, where she was able to get a different perspective on what the legal world can look like.

“Since (the practice) was small, I was able to build meaningful relationships with everyone in the office,” Goldberg said. “In a smaller firm you have the time to actually get to know each other. It also was fun to go from criminal to family law, just to learn about different fields inside the legal realm.”

Goldberg is currently working her way through law school at the University of Miami, making great friends along the way and dreaming about her future career.

“I don't want to be someone who just guides (people) through the legal system,” Goldberg said. “I want to add to their support system and help them get back on their feet… I want to be able to help them out more, give them a second chance. And I feel as if the best chance to do that right now is as a public defender.”

Statement From Answering Legal CEO Brooke Shatles:

“Hannah clearly has a great passion for law, and perhaps more importantly, a really big heart. This makes her an incredibly worthy recipient for our scholarship prize this year. We are thrilled to support her dreams of breaking into the legal industry and are confident she’ll make a positive impact on the world once she’s there. Congratulations, Hannah!”

Learn about our past scholarship recipients:

2022: Edward Friedman

2021: Felicia Gordon

2020: Juan Bedoya

2019: Martin McSherry

2018: Irene Hong

Students and Future Attorneys of America, visit our scholarship page and apply to be our next recipient!