Bryan Schwartz Law Welcomes Madina Akanova Jenks as Joseph V. Kaplan Workers’ Rights Fellow

Bryan Schwartz Law Welcomes Madina Akanova Jenks as Joseph V. Kaplan Workers’ Rights Fellow

September 3, 2024 – Bryan Schwartz Law welcomes Madina Akanova Jenks as a 2024-2025 Joseph V. Kaplan Workers’ Rights Fellow. She joins the firm after graduating from Harvard Law School.

Ms. Jenks served on the Harvard Environmental Law Review during law school, which publishes articles that concern novel issues in the world of environmental law. Ms. Jenks also worked with the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic to aid individuals who suffered persecution in their home countries with applying for asylum. She worked with the AARP Foundation Litigation to support class action litigation efforts in protecting low-income elderly individuals from exploitation and mistreatment as well.

Before attending law school, Ms. Jenks assisted low-income individuals as an intern for Legal Action of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI, while obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and French from Northwestern University. As the daughter of immigrants, Ms. Jenks understood all too well how one’s employment dictates how well people can live their lives. Being a paycheck away from being unable to pay rent or afford food can be some of the scariest moments in a worker’s life, especially when they must care for family. Helping individuals resolve these matters favorably can make an enormous difference in their lives, and Ms. Jenks seeks to continue to do that kind of work.

Ms. Jenks’s fellowship is named for Joseph V. Kaplan, Esq., the founder of Passman & Kaplan in Washington, D.C., a law firm that was dedicated to workers’ rights for over 30 years, where Mr. Schwartz first began private practice. Mr. Kaplan passed away in 2020 from complications of COVID-19. A Washington Post tribute to Mr. Kaplan can be read here.

“Joe was the person who taught me what it means to be a strong and passionate advocate for workers,” said Mr. Schwartz of the fellowship. “We lost Joe and so many others to COVID-19, but it is a fitting tribute to him that the next generation of civil rights lawyers be trained in his honor.”

“I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to continue the work of aiding workers as a Joseph V. Kaplan Workers’ Rights Fellow,” added Ms. Jenks, upon commencing the fellowship. “I look forward to honoring his legacy, and embodying the principles that he stood for,” she said.

Since 2009, Bryan Schwartz Law has dedicated itself to continuing the struggle for civil rights and equal employment opportunities, and helping Americans from every background to achieve their highest career potential. The firm focuses on individual, class, and collective actions involving discrimination and retaliation, harassment, denied disability accommodations, whistleblower reprisal, wage and hour violations, federal employees’ rights, and severance negotiations.