The Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) named a leading human rights lawyer as its 2025-26 Drinan Chair in Human Rights, the university announced Sept. 2. 

Agnieszka Fryszman (LAW ’96) is the founder of the human rights practice at the law firm Cohen Milstein, an advocacy firm, where she leads the human rights practice and litigates cases dealing with issues such as Holocaust-era atrocities, human trafficking and forced labor. The Drinan Chair position was established in 2006 in honor of Fr. Robert F. Drinan, S.J., who taught international human rights law at Georgetown for over 25 years. 

Fryszman said her career experience has inspired her desire to help students feel more confident striving to do good through the law. 

“When I started at Cohen Milstein, I started the practice group,” Fryszman told The Hoya. “It wasn’t there when I got there — I convinced the firm to start it and to maintain it. So I want kids to leave with the confidence that wherever they are — whether they end up at a big firm, an NGO, the State Department or somewhere else — they can do good and to give them the skills with which to do that.”

“I want to make people feel confident that they can go out in the world and help others, and use the law to do that,” Fryszman added.

Throughout her legal career, Fryszman has won cases against government contractors and major corporations, securing widespread commendation from legal groups and journals.

Fryszman, who came to the United States as a refugee from Poland, said studying under Drinan during her time at Georgetown helped her adjust to the law center after initial discomfort. 

“I’m an immigrant, and I’m a first generation American, and I was a refugee, so when I started law school, I didn’t really feel like I fit in at all,” Fryszman said. “Everyone had bought the books, everyone had done all the highlighting, and I got to class and I hadn’t even bought my books yet. I just thought, ‘Oh my god, what am I doing here?’”

“He was really lovely, really supportive, and was a wonderful mentor. He took me to dinner at the Jesuit Hall, and we ate Oreos together,” Fryszman added. “So it’s really cool to get this lovely honor, and hopefully I’ll be able to give back and make some other students feel welcome and inspired and achieve their dreams.” 

Edie Tepper (LAW ’25), a law graduate and fellow in GULC’s Human Rights Institute, said she was excited for Fryzsman to join the Law Center. 

“Professor Fryzsman has already brought so much to the human rights community during her career, and I am thrilled that she will now share that experience with future human rights lawyers and Georgetown Law,” Tepper told The Hoya. “I look forward to learning all I can from her.” 

Alysha Posternak (LAW ’27), another law student, said she thinks human rights defense is a vital part of a law education. 

“I think it’s important that we use the law to fight for human rights, which are very significant in the world,” Posternak told The Hoya. “They are something that should be focused on right now and are an important lens to look at issues through.”

Fryszman said the support and guidance from professors such as Drinan is what pushed her to return to Georgetown. 

“It was really the professors that opened my eyes to all the things that were possible,” Fryszman said. “There were so many people that were so generous with their time, that were wonderful mentors and helped me explore what I was good at, what I was not good at, what I was interested in. Georgetown is really lucky to have all these really terrific professors who look out for their kids and have served that same role for generations of students. I wanted to come back and do the same.”