A flurry of orange
shirts and flashing lights surrounded Simon Hall on Friday night,
as hundreds of students prepared for the arrival of “The O.C.”
star Peter Gallagher.
Gallagher, who plays
former Orange County public defender and Boalt Hall School of Law
alumnus Sandy Cohen on the show, presented a $5,000 fellowship to
first-year Boalt law student Ronnie Lin.
The annual
Sandy Cohen Public Defense Fellowship, created two years ago
to offset the financial burden of an unpaid internship in
the field of public defense, is funded through contributions
from Gallagher, Fox Broadcasting Company, and The O.C. at
Boalt, a club for fans of the show.
“Public
defense is a noble departure in law, one of public service and indigent
defense,” Gallagher said in an interview. “This fellowship
is something that’s encouraging to genuinely provide adequate
public defense.”
Lin,
who will intern at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office
this summer, said the fellowship will help his law career by giving
him experience in various fields.
“I
want to explore and see what’s out there,” Lin said.
The
organization annually selects a recipient for the fellowship based
on an essay on the influence of Gallagher’s character.
“Ronnie
provided the most insight in Sandy Cohen’s character and showed
the spirit of the show,” said Ilona Turner, head of the club.
“We felt that he was a great representative of the club.”
Gallagher,
a former law student who attended UC Berkeley for a summer, said the
parallel between the character and himself “was one of the lovely
ironies” of the show.
“Sandy
Cohen embodies working for social justice in every aspect of his personal
life and his career,” Turner said.
“The O.C.” writers chose UC Berkeley
as Cohen’s alma mater because of its “radical”
reputation, which highlights the lifestyles and liberal background
of his character on the show, Gallagher said.
“They selected Berkeley in a collective
conscience. Berkeley is known for its 60s radical aura and has a
good vibe,” Gallagher said.
The club, started by former law student John
Kim in 2003, set out to dispel the notion that Boalt law students
are too serious, he said.
“The other law clubs are jealous that
we are having fun. They’re just afraid that we make our school
look bad,” he said.
Boalt law professor Stephen Bundy, who watches
the show with his daughter, said although the organization is about
reducing the stress that law students are prone to, Boalt Hall students
are still deeply committed to public service.
“Law school is where progressive people
make things happen for a long time,” Bundy said
