Lauren Lankenau, Vanderbilt University School of Law
Lauren Lankenau’s passion for the environment and background in science bolster her desire to create change through environmental policy and prevention. Her drive to create widespread change and obtain justice on behalf of our global community is well suited to the firm’s environmental litigation team.
A rising 3L at Vanderbilt University Law School, Lauren joined Keller Rohrback in 2020 as a summer associate. She initially became interested in the firm when she learned about our work on the Santa Barbara Oil Spill case in her civil procedure class. In 2020, Lauren joined the KR team working on that case, as well as the team working on the Monsanto PCBs litigation. This year, she will also begin working on our case against PacifiCorp for its role in the 2020 Labor Day fires. These cases exemplify the type of litigation Lauren seeks to pursue: that which creates a lasting environmental impact while providing care to affected communities.
In addition to her coursework, Lauren serves on the Jessup International Moot Court Board and the Vanderbilt Sustainability Advisory Council. She also serves as President of Vanderbilt’s Environmental and Energy Law Society, Vanderbilt’s Midwest Climate Summit Representative, and Editor for the ABA’s Water Law summary page. She also received the Vanderbilt Scholastic Excellence (Book) Award for Public International Law and clerked for the Environmental Defense Center. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys tide pooling, hiking, doing yoga, and spending time with her Aussiedoodle puppy, Jasper.
Rachel Bowanko, Stanford Law School
Stanford Law Rising 3L Rachel Bowanko develops creative solutions that challenge the status quo. Rachel’s background in renewable energy and desire to make change on behalf of those who have been harmed make her well suited to the firm’s nationally-recognized Complex Litigation Group.
Initially drawn to the firm because of cases like In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, Rachel joined the firm as a summer associate in 2020. Keller Rohrback’s history of negotiating settlements that include both financial remedies and lasting solutions to large-scale issues aligns with Rachel’s passion for the impactful ripple effects that stem from mass and toxic torts. This summer, Rachel will continue as a summer associate working on consumer protection and products liability cases, including In re: JUUL Labs, Inc. Marketing., Sales Practices, & Products Liability Litigation.
In addition to her coursework, Rachel also serves as the 3L Representative for the Stanford Law Association, as a Board Member for Stanford’s Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Association, and as the Senior Development Editor of the Stanford Law Review. She also previously served as a representative for the Environmental Law Society. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys traveling, backpacking, cooking, and spending time with her corgi, Wilson.