Wilkins, Elizabeth

Wilkins is a graduate of Yale University who worked as an organizer for the Obama campaign in 2008 and at the White House Domestic Policy Counsel prior to coming to YLS. She began her federal clerkship with Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit before working directly for Justice Kagan in 2014. “I think the legal writing and reasoning skills are going to be things that stand me in good stead regardless of what I am doing afterwards,” said Wilkins of the clerkship opportunity.

Passionate about workers’ rights and bettering the lives of those living in low-income communities, Wilkins said her time at YLS has opened her eyes to the range of ways she can make a difference in the world, and she remains open minded about where this next phase of her career may take her.

Ms. Wilkins earned her undergraduate degree from Yale University before going to work in labor policy for the Service Employees International Union. She then served in field positions with President Obama’s 2008 campaign, including serving as a state field director for Michigan. She served from 2009 to 2010 as an urban policy and economic opportunity adviser in the White House Domestic Policy Council. Ms. Wilkins then attended Yale Law School, graduating in 2013. She served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit from 2013 to 2014, then clerked for Justice Kagan from 2014 to 2015.