Champions for Justice

Michelle Alves, Esq. L’03
Rhode Island Public Defender

Michelle is a true-blue Rhode Islander who has dedicated her life to serving the people of the Ocean State. After growing up in the East Bay, she attended Roger Williams University and earned her undergraduate degree in biology. Although fluent in the sciences, Michelle decided to embark on a new challenge after graduation: law school. She became a Double Hawk after earning her J.D. from the School of Law at her alma mater, where she served on the editorial board of the Law Review, was a regional finalist on the National Trial team, and graduated from the Honors Program.

          After a brief stint in private practice, Michelle applied for the first open spot at the Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office and, in September of 2005, found her home at the RIPD. She started her public defender career representing indigent clients on misdemeanor charges and worked her way up to her current position as the Chief of the Trial Division. Over the past two decades, Michelle has been a courthouse fixture, representing thousands of clients on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to murder. Relying on both her scientific background and legal acumen, she has taken on some of the most complex cases and legal issues in the state. A natural litigator, Michelle has tried dozens of felony cases before a jury, which included taking some of the state’s most high-profile criminal trials to verdict. 

          But the courtroom is not the only place you will find Michelle. Even before she was tapped to lead the RIPD’s trial division, Michelle developed a reputation as a mentor and teacher, helping newer attorneys brainstorm cases, developing training programs, and presenting a myriad of CLEs to attorneys and judges. It is no surprise, therefore, that once she began teaching at the Roger Williams University School of Law in 2011, her Trial Advocacy and Advanced Trial Advocacy classes quickly became some of the most sought-after classes at the school. Her students further cemented her place in RWU history when she was selected as the 2022 Adjunct Professor of the Year. Although she is a teacher to so many, Michelle is also a life-long learner: she graduated from both the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia, and the National Public Defender Trial School at the University of Dayton. 

          Michelle’s advocacy extends into the wider community as well, where she served as a board member for the RI non-profit organization OpenDoors, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society, for many years. Her vast contributions to Rhode Island’s legal community have been recognized by both sides of the criminal bar—no easy feat!—and proven by her induction into the RIPD Hall of Fame in 2024 and the RI Criminal Justice Hall of Fame in 2025. 
 

Christine K. Castro, Esq. L’16
Senior Staff Attorney, Women’s Law Project

Christine Castro (she/her) works toward equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care through litigation, legal representation, policy development and advocacy, and institutional reform. Christine provides legal representation and assistance to Pennsylvania abortion providers on a wide range of day-to-day issues including regulatory compliance and defense from anti-abortion violence and harassment and serves as counsel on impact litigation. As the lead on our youth protection work, Christine helps young people navigate Pennsylvania’s parental consent law to access abortion care through direct representation in judicial bypass proceedings, leads WLP’s expanding judicial bypass team, and develops initiatives to increase access and improve the judicial bypass process for young people across the Commonwealth.

In 2021, Christine was awarded the Emerging Activists in Women’s Health Care by the National Women’s Health Network. Christine joined WLP staff in 2017 after initially serving as a joint If/When/How Reproductive Justice State Fellow for WLP and New Voices for Reproductive Justice. During her time at New Voices, Christine worked on state and federal policy advocacy focusing on reproductive health, rights, and justice issues as they affect Black women, femmes, and girls.

Christine earned a degree in Political Science from Temple University and a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law. She is based in Philadelphia, PA.

City of Central Falls, Rhode Island
presented to The Hon. Maria Rivera '19, Mayor of Central Falls & Matthew Jerzyk, Esq. L'08, Central Falls City Solicitor

The City of Central Falls has been an incredible partner to the law school and its RWU Law students. Through the City’s long-standing commitment to hosting law students during the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program, students have been able to learn from, and engage with, the incredible Central Falls community. In addition to facilitating law student pro bono service during our ASB program, Matt has welcomed dozens of law students into his office through the public interest externship program. RWU Law students have engaged in meaningful work on behalf of Central Falls. Most recently, Mayor Rivera and Matt Jerzyk re-launched the Domestic Violence Task Force with the help of a RWU Law extern, and this spring an extern is working on improving housing conditions for residents of the City. Centrals Falls has also been a leader in educating and preventing lead poisoning in the City’s housing stock.   

2024 The Hon Christopher K. Smith L'07
2023 Robert B. Mann, Esq. LHD’15
2022 The Honorable O.Rogeriee Thompson'10HL
2020 Amato “Bud” DeLuca and Miriam Weizenbaum
2019 Robert J. McConnell, Esq., Motley Rice, LLC
2018 The Honorable Edward C. Clifton
2017 Stephen M. Prignano, Esq., McIntyre Tate, LLP
2016 The Honorable Judith Colenback Savage
2015 Linn Foster Freedman, Esq., Robinson + Cole

2024 John Karwashan, Esq. L'15, Rhode Island Center for Justice
2023 Joy C. Dingle, Esq. L'03, Street Law, Inc.
2022 Akin Adepoju L '07
2020 Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, Esq. L’07, Community Legal Aid
2019 Diana deGroof, Esq. L’03, Rhode Island Legal Services
2018 Luis Mancheno, Esq. L’13, The Bronx Defenders
2017 Swapna Yeluri, Esq. L’07, Homeless Persons Representation Project
2016 Dena Castricone, Esq. ’98 L’02, Murtha Cullina, LLP
2015 Deborah Gonzalez, Esq. ’04 L’07, Gonzalez Law Offices, Inc.

2024 City of Central Falls, Rhode Island
2023 House of Hope CDC
2022 Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc.
2020 Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General
2019 Rhode Island Public Defender
2018 Barton Gilman, LLP
2017 Rhode Island Medical-Legal Partnership
2016 Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island
2015 Committee for Public Counsel Services