Becoming a Voice
John Rafferty '12, was featured in the 2012 Super Lawyers magazine in an article entitled "Becoming A Voice," which described John's mission to help the powerless during his time as a legal officer aboard a Navy frigate in Japan in 2008 and later when he was reassigned to a mine countermeasures squadron on the island state Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.
A feature article on Rafferty was also published in the May 19, 2012 edition of Main Line Suburban Life entitled, "Anti-trafficking Villanova Law grad earns Fulbright scholarship."
In May 2012, Rafferty was honored for his outstanding pro bono service with the Villanova Law Alumni Association Award for Pro Bono Service. This award is presented annually at the Third Year Brunch to the 3L who has contributed the most meaningful pro bono service to those in need.
Rafferty has spoken at local churches, colleges, international human rights conferences and has worked with the Pentagon in an effort to increase awareness about human trafficking. He is currently assisting the ABA's Labor and Employment Law Section's Immigration Committee to organize a seminar on human trafficking, and is drafting a resolution for the PBA on Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
This September, Rafferty will return to Ecuador with the U.S. Fulbright program where he will be studying the scourge of human trafficking in greater depth. Relying on partnerships he has already developed with non-profit, government and U.N. representatives, Rafferty will identify strategies that have made counter-trafficking partnerships effective in the U.S. Capitol, and will work with stakeholders to determine how these best practices can be effectively implemented in other cities.
Following his participation in the Fulbright program, Rafferty was selected as an Independence Fellow with Friends of Farmworkers, Inc. in Philadelphia.
