The Vermont Bar Foundation (VBF) has announced the selection of Cilena Thenthirath as its 2026–2029 Poverty Law Fellow. Thenthirath will begin the three-year fellowship later this month (August 2026). She will be based in the Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law & Graduate School, where she will lead an immigration-focused project that expands access to civil legal services for noncitizen Vermonters.
The Poverty Law Fellowship is a cornerstone of the Vermont Bar Foundation’s work to strengthen Vermont’s civil legal services system while cultivating the next generation of public interest attorneys. Established in 2008, the Fellowship has supported innovative legal projects addressing critical civil legal needs across Vermont whi
le launching the careers of attorneys committed to public service. The Fellowship brings together emerging attorneys, legal aid organizations, and community partners to address critical gaps in access to justice across Vermont.
Each Fellowship cycle is intentionally designed around a different area of unmet civil legal need. By responding to emerging challenges and partnering with organizations best positioned to serve Vermont communities, the Fellowship expands Vermont’s legal capacity in areas where it is needed most. The 2026–2029 Fellowship will focus on immigration law and will be housed within the Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law & Graduate School.
This Fellowship cycle is made possible through the generous financial support of the Trout Lily Foundation. The Poverty Law Fellowship would not be possible without the enduring generosity of Vermont’s legal community and law firm partners, whose support has sustained the Fellowship and its mission for nearly two decades. The Fellowship is a collaborative initiative of the Vermont Bar Foundation, Vermont Law & Graduate School, the Vermont Bar Association, the Vermont Access to Justice Coalition, and legal partners working to strengthen access to civil justice throughout Vermont.
Thenthirath is a recent graduate of Western New England University School of Law, where she concentrated in public interest law and served as both a Student Attorney and Teaching Assistant in the Global Justice Clinic.
Throughout law school, her work focused on immigration law, community advocacy, and expanding access to justice for underserved populations. She previously interned with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, where she supported deportation defense, immigration policy advocacy, and Know Your Rights initiatives. She also represented low-income consumers through the Center for Social Justice’s Lawyer for a Day program.
As the daughter of a Laotian immigrant and a first-generation law student, Thenthirath brings both lived experience and professional expertise to the Fellowship. Throughout her legal education, she examined the legal barriers facing immigrant communities, particularly Southeast Asian families navigating the intersection of the criminal and immigration systems.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Cilena to Vermont’s legal community,” said Sebastian Arduengo, President-Elect of the Vermont Bar Foundation and member of the Poverty Law Fellowship Hiring Committee. “As a first-generation American herself, Cilena understands through deep personal experience how our immigration system profoundly shapes the lives of vulnerable families. She’ll bring that unique perspective as well as a groundswell of compassion to her role as Vermont’s Poverty Law Fellow.”
“Vermont’s immigrants are facing unprecedented challenges. The rule of law is being tested, as is our community, which is strengthened by immigrants,” said Brett Stokes, Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law & Graduate School. “It is fitting that Vermonters have rallied to their aid, recognizing the critical gap in pro bono civil legal services. By joining forces, the Vermont Bar Foundation and Trout Lily Foundation have enabled the Center for Justice Reform Clinic to hire a talented immigration law fellow for the duration of the current federal administration. We are elated to welcome Cilena Thenthirath to Vermont and to the clinic. Cilena will expand the clinic’s representation of noncitizen clients across the state and enrich the network of immigration law practitioners in service to our neighbors in need.”
As Vermont’s 2026–2029 Poverty Law Fellow, Thenthirath will provide direct legal representation to noncitizen Vermonters while collaborating with community partners to strengthen access to justice through community outreach, legal education, and systemic advocacy. Her work will help address growing legal needs within Vermont’s immigrant communities while building long-term legal capacity throughout the state.
