Leadership
Director
Anita Ritchie is a veteran of creating innovative branding and marketing strategies for multinational consumer brands at global ad agencies. Anita has also worked in publishing at the award-winning daily newspaper The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and was a Founding Partner/General Manager of one of China’s first joint-venture publishing companies, which launched City Weekend, quoted by Time Out Magazine, "As one of China's first major English-language lifestyle media outlets that paved the way for other media outlets in China looking to connect English-speaking residents with the cities they live in."
Residing in Boston after 16 years as an expat in Asia and Europe, Anita brings her valuable global business and culture insights to consult for clients seeking to have meaningful relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders. | LinkedIn | anita@lwow.org
Legal Technology Officer
Having first participated in LawWithoutWalls as a student in 2016, Felix signed on to LWOW as a volunteer, assisting in tech and legal design. Six years later, Felix is the backbone of LWOW Sprint, instrumental in the design and execution of events that bring participants together in-person as well as virtually from across five continents. Felix is also LWOW’s seriously talented resident DJ, a hobby he relishes and that LWOW benefits from. Outside of LWOW, Felix was an Associate at Eversheds Sutherland in the Commercial (Technology) team from 2020-2025. Currently, he is a Legal Counsel working on the frontlines of artificial intelligence at Faculty. He also serves as a Board Member of BVL, a social mobility charity which runs projects to help students from state schools explore the UK legal system. | LinkedIn
Program Coordinator
A native of New Jersey, Ashlynn is the Program Coordinator for LawWithoutWalls at the University of Miami Law School. She studied Criminal Justice and Forensic Science at the University of Delaware where she gained professional experience working with the University of Delaware Police Department, all the while participating as an active member of the university dance team. After school, Ashlynn worked as a home health aide in New Jersey before relocating to Florida to pursue her passion for dance. In June 2024, she realized her goal of becoming a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader. Ashlynn now balances her career as a Program Coordinator during the day with her role as an NFL Cheerleader in the evenings. | LinkedIn
Sprint Lead Coordinator
Mahder is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont, where she studied Agroecology and Landscape Design. She now resides outside of Boston, Massachusetts but originally grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In her time at UVM, she was most passionate about serving as the student body president as well as interning for a semiprofessional team, Vermont Green Football club, in the summers. At the core of her passions is environmental justice which she hopes to practice by furthering her education to become a landscape architect. | LinkedIn
Sprint Videographer & Event Coordinator
Veronica Hulbert is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont, where she studied Community-Centered Design with minors in Mandarin and Film & Television Studies, focusing on documentary storytelling. She is launching a freelance videography and photography business and currently works as a Creative Event Coordinator at REInvent.world. Passionate about the intersection of storytelling, strategic design, and systems thinking, Veronica is a fourth-year intern with LawWithoutWalls, where she leads videography and photography, creating dynamic content that captures the energy of LWOW’s global experiences. Her work promotes LWOW’s mission and showcases the impact of each event. | LinkedIn
Ambassador & Volunteer
Natalia is pursuing a BSc in International Development with Economics at the University of Bath, set to graduate in 2025. As part of her placement year, she worked in the President’s Cabinet at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels and is currently gaining experience in accounting at Recurrent Energy in London. Bilingual in Spanish and English, with intermediate French, Natalia is passionate about sustainability, democracy, and global development. She has participated in COP26 and the One Young World Academy, and has completed internships with NatWest Group, RSGI, and the International Bar Association. She also teaches Spanish at the University of Bath. | LinkedIn
Summer Sprint Intern 2026
Kenzie Kaplan is a Rising Sophomore and Political Science student at Tulane University from Miami, Florida. She is involved in campus life as a writer for The Tulane Hullabaloo, where she explores topics affecting students and the broader community. Kenzie is also a member of Phi Alpha Delta, reflecting her interest in law, advocacy, and public service. In addition to her academic and extracurricular involvement, she studied abroad in Rome, an experience that broadened her global perspective and strengthened her adaptability. Through her internship with LWOW, Kenzie is excited to continue developing her professional skills, contribute to meaningful projects, and learn from experienced professionals while making a positive impact in the community. | LinkedIn
Summer Sprint Intern 2026
Sascha Davenport is a fourth-year student at the University of Florida studying economics, political science, and business administration. Originally from Miami, Florida, she brings an English, American, and Indian background to her academic and professional interests. Sascha is passionate about social justice, the arts, and environmentalism, and hopes to build a career that brings these areas together in meaningful ways.
She recently studied abroad in London, where she interned at an economic consulting firm and supported projects for the European Commission. Outside of her academic and professional work, Sascha enjoys reading classic literature, watching films, listening to and playing music, and continuing to learn about the world around her. She hopes to spend her life traveling, immersing herself in different cultures, and discovering all that the world has to offer.
Summer Sprint Intern 2026
Saurish Gottipati is a rising senior at South Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia. Driven by a steadfast ambition to attend law school and pursue a career in the legal profession, he is honored to join the LWOW team. Saurish deeply admires the organization's innovative mission and is highly motivated to contribute to its profoundly positive impact on the global legal community. | LinkedIn
Founder
Professor, University of Miami School of Law
Program Chair, Harvard Law School Executive Education and Visiting Professor, Harvard Law School
Michele DeStefano is a legal educator, author, and innovation strategist who teaches across global universities and executive education programs. Recognized by the ABA as a Legal Rebel and by the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers as one of the top 20 Market Shapers in the practice and business of law in the past 20 years, Michele is a professor at the University of Miami and a visiting professor at Harvard Law School. She teaches both established and aspiring legal professionals how to lead in a complex, rapidly evolving marketplace. Michele designs and leads learning experiences with general counsel, law firm leaders, and rising legal talent to develop the mindsets and skills needed to drive change through collaboration, creativity, and stakeholder-centricity. She is the founder of LawWithoutWalls, a global experiential initiative that unites diverse stakeholders to tackle real-world busines-of-law challenges and change how lawyers collaborate, learn, and lead. Michele has authored three books on leadership, client-centricity, and teamwork, including her most recent, Leader Upheaval: A Guide to Client-Centricity, Culture Creation, and Collaboration. Beyond the classroom, Michele frequently delivers keynotes and facilitates design-thinking workshops for professional service providers worldwide helping them strengthen leadership, spark innovation, build client-centered cultures, and influence change across their organizations. Michele earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Dartmouth College and a J.D. degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. LinkedIn | Read more | md@law.miami.edu