Orange County Coastkeeper is thrilled to welcome three passionate law clerks to our water quality enforcement and environmental litigation program this summer. Tara, Allie, and William bring sharp legal minds and a shared commitment to environmental justice. They’ll be working alongside our attorneys to hold polluters accountable and safeguard the clean water protections our communities depend on. Get to know the newest members of our legal team below!
Tara Shafiei
A California transplant, Tara loves spending time at the beach. Before moving to California, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Spanish at the University of Virginia in 2016. Through Teach for America, she moved to San Diego after graduating and taught high school Chemistry and Biology while earning her Master’s in Educational Leadership from National University in 2019. Her love of science and the outdoors pushed her to further her advocacy interests, and she is currently a rising second-year law student at the University of California, Irvine.
During her first year of law school, Tara served as a 1L representative for the Environmental Law Society and First Generation Professionals. She also worked on a variety of pro bono projects with Legal Services of Northern California and Community Legal Aid SoCal. She is currently a staff editor on Law Review.
Outside of the legal world, Tara is perfecting the art of making the world’s best cup of coffee, very slowly ticking off visiting every National Park, and is training her newly adopted puppy.
Allie McMullen
Allie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, her Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability, and received a certificate in conflict management from Pepperdine University in 2023. She is currently pursuing a joint degree where she will receive her Juris Doctor from Pace University and her Master of Environmental Management from Yale University in 2028. During her 1L year, Allie was a scholar at the Land Use Law Center, where she contributed to legal research on sustainable development. Before law school, Allie worked with Mental Health America of San Diego, where she helped implement 51 impactful community enrichment projects across San Diego County. She is especially interested in environmental law, with a focus on how climate change affects communities and ecosystems. Allie is excited to join Orange County Coastkeeper as a law clerk and looks forward to gaining hands-on experience in environmental advocacy and legal work.
In her free time, Allie enjoys reading, traveling, exploring new hiking trails, taking hot yoga classes, going to the beach, and spending time with her cat.
William Funk
William Funk is an environmental advocate devoted to the protection of California’s natural ecosystems. In 2022, William received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Colorado College, where he explored the intersections of history, environmentalism, and politics. William is currently enrolled in the University of California, Irvine School of Law where he serves as the co-chair of the Public Interest Law Fund and the fundraising director of the Environmental Law Society. Prior to attending law school, William worked for two years as a project manager at Turning Green, a Bay Area-based environmental nonprofit, where he ran a cost-free environmental studies competition for students around the world.
In his spare time, William loves surfing across Orange County’s beaches, hiking in nearby state parks, and reading outdoors.
