Michelle Smith-Pontell Award ($2,000)

Created in memory of family law attorney Michelle Smith-Pontell, who held two advanced degrees (art history and law) and was actively involved with UCI, this fellowship is awarded annually to a doctoral student or PhD candidate who has shown outstanding accomplishments in graduate study. In 1980, Pontell received the American Jurisprudence Award in Community Property while attending the UCLA School of Law, and after graduation, she entered a family law practice with now-retired Justice Sheila Prell Sonenshine, who was appointed to both the Superior and the Appellate Courts by Governor Jerry Brown. Subsequently, Pontell established herself as one of the leading family law attorneys in Orange County.