Loyola University New Orleans Law Professor Named Fulbright Specialist

(New Orleans – February 2, 2023) A Loyola University New Orleans College of Law professor has just been named a Fulbright specialist, a distinct honor that will allow her to continue to teach at the law school while being available as a specialist to Fulbright institutions.

Davida Finger, a Clinic Professor and Director of the Stuart H. Smith Center for Social Justice, in December started a three-year term as a Fulbright specialist, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and World Learning. She is now eligible to be matched with projects designed by host institutions in more than 150 countries around the world.

Finger, who has worked with lawyers in Ukraine throughout the Ukrainian crisis, and who helped secure travel and a study opportunity for Visiting Scholar Nagina Khalili as she fled the Taliban in her homeland of Afghanistan, is a social justice leader engaged in world events and events here at home.

She founded the Law Clinic’s Community Justice section, where she and her students have represented residents on matters tied to housing, post-disaster recovery, special education, and civil rights.

Whether helping Louisianans to avoid eviction, helping New Orleans children to attain a meaningful public education, or teaching Ukrainian law students negotiation and interviewing skills critical to responding in a crisis, she pursues the law with passion and an earnest determination to make the world a better place.

“It’s truly an honor to be named a Fulbright Specialist,” said Finger. “I look forward to spending time over the next several years in close collaboration with legal institutions and social justice lawyers around the world to develop curricula, clinical programs, and experiential learning opportunities.  I am hopeful that this work will have a mutual and lasting positive impact.”