10/14/2026
✨🌟 Alumni Spotlight: Elia Wilson 🌟✨
Elia Wilson is an alumna of Just The Beginning’s 2022 Summer Judicial Internship Project and is now an attorney at Thompson Coe, where she specializes in appellate ligation. Through SJIP, she interned with Judge Al Bennett for the Southern District of Texas after her first year of law school. She later externed for the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals. During her SJIP internship, Elia learned that judicial clerkships have the potential to accelerate an attorney’s professional development by several years through invaluable exposure to a wide range of cases, legal issues, and judicial decision-making. ⚖️🏛️
📚💼 After graduating magna cm laude from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Elia secured a clerkship in the Northern District of Texas, one of the most competitive federal districts in the country. Elia’s internship with Judge Bennett played a significant role in her ability to speak confidently about her experience and demonstrate that she was prepared for the demands of a federal clerkship. As a first-generation immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago and a first-generation attorney, Elia describes JTB as instrumental in providing the exposure, opportunities, and encouragement that continue to shape her career and inspire her to pour into others. 💡🙌
Elia says, “I strive to approach my life and legal practice in a way that allows me to serve as a beacon of hope for the next generation, just as others have been for me.” Elia remains involved with JTB as a volunteer — participating in our Law Day program and recently leading a student session at our 13th National Conference. During her session, JTB scholars practiced evaluating facts and evidence to learn how lawyers construct a persuasive case. We are grateful for passionate alumni like Elia Wilson who give back to JTB students and provide mentorship that encourages the next generation of judges and lawyers. 🤝💙
