Areas of Practice

Jae Gakou joined Ropes & Gray's tax, employment, and benefits practice group in 2024.

Jae graduated from Columbia Law School (CLS) in 2024 as a James Kent Scholar. While at CLS, Jae served as the Executive Director of Collaboration and Engagement for the Jailhouse Lawyers Manual (JLM), an editor for the Human Rights Law Review journal, and co-founder of the JLM Reimagination project.

During her 2L year, Jae served as an extern at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, working closely with Judge Denny Chin on criminal and labor law appeals. Her leadership extended further as a legal intern at the Columbia Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, where she helped represent immigrant families in their cases for asylum, withholding of removal, and employment authorization. She also dedicated her efforts to The Bronx Defenders, focusing on immigration and criminal defense. Jae represented clients in their misdemeanor cases, bail applications, and Convention Against Torture (CAT) relief claims.

Jae also played a pivotal role as the International Trip Chair for the Black Law Students Association, organizing a significant legal aid trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

Prior to law school, Jae attended New York University, where she was a recipient of the Academic Achievement Program’s Travel Grant, the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund, and the Gilman Scholarship. She studied at NYU Ghana and later, NYU London, where she conducted vital research on the maternal health of West African women through the Presidential Honors Scholars Program.

Areas of Practice