Dedication to justice and accountability
Hannah Schaafsma is a natural leader and tireless advocate. During her time at Duke Law, Hannah won asylum for a transgender client from Honduras and advocated for the families of disabled children in North Carolina school systems. Upon graduation, she worked as an Immigrant Justice Corp legal fellow, representing unaccompanied immigrant children in their deportation proceedings against the government. Her compassion for clients is matched by a strong intellectual rigor, enabling her to effectively hold corporations and wrongdoers accountable.
Current Cases
Hannah’s cases at Anapol Weiss currently include:
- Depo Provera – Representing women against Pfizer for their development of brain tumors after receiving birth control injections.
- Ozempic and Wegovy – Representing patients against Novo Nordisk who have developed gastrointestinal side effects from the use of this diet drug.
- Juvenile Detention Centers – Advocating for some of society’s most vulnerable, hundreds of men and women formerly in juvenile detention facilities, who experienced sexual abuse while committed to the government’s custody.
Education
Hannah earned her Juris Doctor and Public Interest and Public Service Certificate from Duke Law School. During her final year, Hannah externed as a law clerk for Judge Eagles in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Further, Hannah served as a Guardian ad Litem advocating for the best interests of children in North Carolina courts and as the Executive Director of the Duke Immigrant and Refugee Project.
Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College where she studied economics and mathematics.
Bar Admissions
- Virginia
Awards & Honors
- North Carolina State Bar Pro Bono Award for the Duke Law Class of 2024
- CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student Award for the Duke Law Class of 2024
- Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law, Editor-in-Chief