Alexa Van Brunt

Clinical Associate Professor of Law

Biography

Alexa Van Brunt is the Director of the MacArthur Justice Center Clinic at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where she litigates complex civil cases designed to end mass imprisonment and promote criminal legal system reform. She has served as lead counsel on class action suits challenging discrimination and excessive force by law enforcement, the violation of prisoners' rights in correctional facilities, denial of access to counsel for people in custody, wrongful conviction damages actions, and the elimination of cash bond in the criminal courts. She supervises teams of law students who serve as junior counsel on MacArthur’s cases. 

She is the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Illinois Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) "Legal Eagle" award. Prior to joining the Justice Center, she clerked for the Hon. Myron Thompson, U.S. District Court – Middle District of Alabama. Van Brunt received a law degree, with distinction, from Stanford Law School, and a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Brown University.

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Areas of Expertise

  • Civil Procedure
  • Civil Rights
  • Criminal Law
  • Constitutional Law

Courses

Selected Publications

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Education

  • BA magna cum laude, Brown University
  • JD, Stanford Law School

Prior Appointments

  • Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, Northwestern University School of Law
  • Law Clerk, 2009-2010, Hon. Myron Thompson, US District Court – Mid. District of Alabama

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