Bricker welcomes 2021 Summer Associates

Four top law students have joined Bricker & Eckler for the 2021 summer associate program. Throughout their time with the firm, they will have an in-depth learning experience that provides exposure to the legal profession. They will do real client work, collaborate with practicing lawyers and participate in community service projects. The 2021 class includes Lila Appaya, Jeffery Frimpong, Rebecca Joseph and Wan Zhang.

Lila Appaya will start her second year of law school this fall at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and has an anticipated graduation date of May 2023. Lila is a recipient of the Moritz College of Law’s Diversity Enrichment Scholarship, a scholarship given to top students who offer unique qualities and experiences that will enrich the student body and the legal profession. She is also a mentee for the Moritz Mentoring Program and a member of the Energy and Environmental Law Society. Lila attended Ohio State for her undergraduate studies, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and criminology. She was honored as a Morrill Scholar, Ohio State’s premier diversity/merit scholarship program. Her past work experience includes one year at Sage Sustainable Electronics, where she served as client engagement coordinator and managed their charitable community program, GoodTogether, organizing numerous technology donations to nonprofit organizations.  

Jeffery Frimpong will start his second year of law school this fall at the Northern University College of Law and has an anticipated graduation date of May 2023. Jeffery is a recipient of the 2020 Salnick Law Award and was also awarded Bricker’s 2021 Charles H. Walker Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Fellowship. He is an ambassador of the Barbri Group and a representative of the Black Law Students Association. Jeffery attended DePauw University for his undergraduate studies, earning his B.A. in political science. He also earned several notable awards and scholarships, including the Northern Illinois University College of Law L.E.A.R.N. Program Achievement Award. Prior to law school, Jeffery worked as an account executive for Total Quality Logistics, where he reviewed and drafted carrier contract agreements and analyzed market trends, and as a sales representative for Best Buy, where he collaborated with sales operations, business management and business insight leadership to drive efficiency in sales operations and processes.

Rebecca Joseph will start her final year of law school this fall at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and has an anticipated graduation date of May 2022. A second-time Bricker & Eckler summer associate (and 2020 Charles H. Walker Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Fellowship recipient), Rebecca serves as the Editor in Chief of The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution. She is also on the advisory board of the Program on Law and Leadership and she is a member of the Immigration Clinical Instructor Faculty Search Committee. Rebecca attended Ohio State for her undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences and was honored as a Morrill Scholar, Ohio State’s premier diversity/merit scholarship program. Her past work experience includes three years at Abercrombie & Fitch, where she was involved in designing and facilitating diversity and inclusion training, managing diversity-related public relations efforts and engaging senior leadership in global D&I initiatives.

Wan Zhang will start her final year of law school at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law this fall, with an anticipated graduation date in May 2022. A second-time Bricker & Eckler summer associate, Wan is the Chief Note Editor of The Ohio State Business Law Journal, and a member of both the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and the Health Law Society. Prior to law school, Wan was employed in the health care field, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from The Ohio State University, and she was recognized as an honors graduate with research distinction in nursing. While studying for her nursing degree, she was a College of Nursing Student Ambassador and Senior Clinical Practice Leader and worked as a Medical Intensive Care Unit Student Nurse Assistant at OSU’s Wexner Medical Center. She also volunteered with the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio and the Healthy Asian Youth Program. After graduation, Wan worked for three years as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.