Bacon Wilson Welcomes Four Law Clerks for 2023-24

SPRINGFIELD — Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that Alexandre Pereira, Allison Hanna, Lauren Rainville, and Emily Gorney have been accepted into its law-clerk program for the 2023-24 school year.

Bacon Wilson created the clerkship program more than 40 years ago to allow law-school students to gain experience and mentoring in the legal profession. The  clerks are an integral part of the firm and participate in various firm events during their time at Bacon Wilson.

Pereira joined Bacon Wilson in May 2023. He is a Western New England University School of Law candidate for juris doctor in May 2024. He earned his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in finance from Western New England University (WNE) in 2021. Prior to Bacon Wilson, he was a teaching assistant in the academic success center at WNE. He was also a legal assistant at Marta Law Offices in Ludlow, where he gained experience in estate planning and real-estate law. Currently, he has interests in estate planning and litigation. In addition to his previous work experience, Pereira has volunteered his time at Our Lady of Fatima Parish and was also a Best Buddies International Organization member. He has lived in Western Mass. his entire life and hopes to continue his legal career here after graduation. He is looking forward to using his time at Bacon Wilson to explore many other areas of law.

Hanna is one of two returning law clerks for a second year and has been with Bacon Wilson since September 2022. She is a Western New England University School of Law candidate for juris doctor in May 2024. She earned her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laud, in legal studies from State University of New York in Canton in 2020, and her associate of applied science degree in paralegal studies from Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, N.Y. in 2018. Hanna competed on the WNE National Moot Court team and served as a student attorney for the WNE Global Justice Clinic. She is the founder and chair of the parents attending law school committee through Western New England, and also worked as a lawyering skills teaching assistant. Before joining Bacon Wilson, she was a law clerk for Riscassi & Davis, P.C. in Hartford, Conn., as well as a paralegal at Morrison Mahoney in Springfield and Newman & Lickstein in Syracuse, N.Y.

Rainville is a returning law clerk who joined Bacon Wilson in May 2022. She is a Western New England University School of Law Candidate for juris doctor in May 2024. She earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in business management from Bay Path University in 2016. Her previous experience includes negotiations and settlements with claimants’ attorneys and pro-se claimants on personal and commercial auto damage and injury losses in Connecticut. Rainville has volunteered her time at the Jewish Family Services Legal Immigration Clinic and as an educator at Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School. She participated in the WNE School of Law’s Real Estate Practicum in the spring of 2023. She is interested in pursuing a career in criminal or civil litigation, and she hopes to build on the network she has formed and practice in the Springfield area.

Gorney joined the firm in May 2023 and will be eligible for her juris doctor in May 2024 from Western New England University School of Law. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international trade and marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She is interested in family law, immigration, and international law. This fall, she will be a judicial intern for the Hartford Immigration Court. She participated in WNE’s Global Justice Clinic last spring, which provided legal aid to families separated at the southern U.S. border. She has also volunteered for the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts, and Dakin Humane Society. Gorney enjoys the personal and interactive aspects of lawyering and is passionate about advocating for underrepresented communities. She hopes to continue building a professional network in the Western Mass. area and is committed to maintaining involvement in the community.

Bacon Wilson Managing Shareholder Jeffrey Fialky noted that “we are thrilled to have these four exceptional law students continue in Bacon Wilson’s longstanding tradition of law-clerk excellence, and we are very fortunate to have this region’s best and brightest contribute to our work for the benefit of our clients.”