Rising 2L Abby Cundiff is one of about 30 law students in the country to win an esteemed Steiger fellowship. 

The annual American Bar Association competition is named for the late Janet D. Steiger, former chairperson of the Federal Trade Commission. Through the fellowship, students receive a stipend to work for eight to ten weeks in consumer protection departments and agencies. 

“What I really like about antitrust is it's one of the few areas of law where every case has the ability to shift how consumers interact with businesses, and I think that's really fascinating,” Cundiff says.  

As an undergrad, Cundiff’s experience volunteering with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and a class on competition, law and policy which focused on antitrust, exposed her to consumer protections and grew her interest in it.  

These opportunities prompted her to consider going to law school, but she spent the next three years in compliance departments in New York banks before taking that step. 

During her first semester at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law she received an email from the American Bar Association about the fellowship. Cundiff questioned whether filling out the application was the best use of her time as the deadline happened to fall in the midst of her first law school exams.  

Ultimately, she decided the risk was worth the reward. 

Not every state hosts a Steiger Fellow each year, and recipients aren’t always placed in their preferred state. Cundiff considers herself lucky to be placed in South Carolina. 

Her summer is a full one. She spent the first six weeks after final exams working with a firm. For the remaining eight weeks, Cundiff will work with the SC Attorney General's office, giving her a unique perspective on how private practice differs from public interest.  

The Office of the Attorney General is responsible for representing and advising the state in legal matters and overseeing and investigating securities transactions and violations. Although their work is on a state level, attorney generals’ offices occasionally partner in situations with national schemes.  

Cundiff is excited to take part in the process, especially now that she has a year of law school under her belt. 
She will also have opportunities to virtually network with Steiger Fellows around the country, but there’s at least one fellow closer to home.  

Early on, Cundiff discovered one of the women at the attorney general's office is a former Steiger fellow. They’ve already spoken about the impact the fellowship had on her career, which Cundiff found even more encouraging. 

“I picked the career field that I've been in for the past couple years when I was 18. Going to law school gave me the opportunity to shift my trajectory, but I find myself falling back into it, and I think that's fantastic – that I was on the right path all along.”