2021 Honors Attorneys

Catherine Bell graduated from William & Mary Law School. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Elon University where she graduated with a B.A. in Political Science. Following law school, Catherine clerked for the Honorable Robert S. Ballou in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. During law school, she obtained legal experience interning for judges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges. She also worked as a summer associate at a national employment law firm and participated in William & Mary's Special Education Advocacy Clinic. Prior to law school, Catherine taught high school English in rural Arkansas as part of the Teach for America program. 

Tori Ford graduated from Elon University School of Law. She received a B.A. in Human Services, with a minor in Business Administration, from Elon University. Tori's legal experience includes working for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of the General Counsel and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility and Public Integrity Section. Before attending law school, Tori worked for the U.S. Department of State's Human Resources Bureau. 

Haldor Mercado graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center. He received an M.A. in Modern European History and Politics from University College London and a B.A. in History from Oberlin College. He clerked at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after law school. Haldor’s legal experience also includes working during law school for the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Erin O'Brien graduated from West Virginia University College of Law. She received a B.S. in Chemistry from Edinboro University. Erin's legal experience includes working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the WVU Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic. 

Leah Vasarhelyi graduated from the University of Colorado Law School. She received a B.A. in Environmental Policy and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Loyola University Chicago. Leah's legal experience includes working for the Colorado Office of the Attorney General, Natural Resources & Environment Section, Consumer Protection Section; a law firm in Denver; and the Office of the Colorado Governor, Office of Legal Counsel.