NLLSA Conference Scholarship Application OPEN NOW

La Raza at Berkeley Law is excited to be cohosting the National Latinx Law Student Association Conference with UC Hastings March 5-7, 2020. This year’s conference theme, “Yo soy el pasado, el presente, y future de mi gente,” pays tribute to the shoulders we stand on, recognizes our current power for change, and acknowledges our responsibility to the future of the Latino/a community. Latino/a have made strides in this country to provide us the opportunity we all have today as legal professionals.

The Conference is a three-day event that brings together hundreds of diverse law student leaders, professors, practitioners, judges, military personnel, and prominent community leaders from all over the country. It features interactive panels, a moot court competition, networking events, a job fair, engaging lectures, a keynote speaker, and an opportunity to give back to our community through a pro bono work session. Ultimately, it provides a forum where student participants can (1) debate critical legal issues, (2) discuss how Latina/o attorneys can be successful in a field where we have been historically underrepresented, and (3) become empowered to strengthen our communities as zealous advocates. 

In honor of the conference's commitment to uplifting the next generation of Latinx law students, NLLSA has presented a scholarship for prelaw students and current law students. Applications are due February 14, 2020 to chair@nllsa.org.

APPLICATION HERE: https://www.nllsa.org/scholarship

Bi-Weekly Study Halls

By the time Friday comes along, after a long week of class—it is impossible to find the will to stick around and finish out strong. This is why La Raza has started organizing study halls every other Friday. With the bi-weekly study halls, La Raza seeks to provide a space for our members to come in community and review the material of the week for a couple more hours. Not only do study halls provide for a time for our members to spend productive time with each other, but the organization also provides dinner for those who come. The study halls are a great way to tie the loose knots of the week, while feeling good about starting the weekend off right. 

Latinx Family Dinner for Prospective Students

On December 3rd, Berkeley Law's Office of Admission and La Raza Association hosted its first-ever Latinx Family Dinner in Los Angeles for prospective Latinx student applicants to Berkeley Law. Joined by Latinx alumni, representatives from the admissions office, and current Raza students, prospective students had the opportunity to engage with Berkeley Law and ask questions about the application process and student life. The event was a huge success! Many applicants were able to attend and build connections with La Raza Association on campus but also with Latinx professionals. We are excited to continue this new tradition and host more Family dinners such as these in the future. We also look forward to expanding into new cities. More to come on this so stay tuned!

Cruz Reynoso Committee

The Cruz Reynoso Gala 2020 planning is underway! At our first meeting, the Committee of 1L, 2L, and 3L La Raza students (and one undergraduate bear) decided on our theme for this year: Latinx Excellence: La Lucha Por la Justicia! We are also in the process of scoping out this year’s speaker! We are so excited to fundraise even more money this year to support Latinx law students who pursue public interest work. Cruz Reynoso scholarship recipients last year used the fellowship to pay for rent, food, and allowed them to do work they were truly passionate about. If you are interested in attending the event or sponsoring, please reach out to the Cruz Reynoso Gala Co-Chairs Karla Maradiaga, karla.maradiaga@berkeley.eduor Rosa Hernandez rosahernandez32@berkeley.edu.

Financial Planning Workshop

Maria Ku, a CPA and mom to one of our members, gave a presentation about financial planning for La Raza students and guests on fNovember 13, 2019. She spoke about how to manage student debt and finances for our financial wellbeing in the long term. About thirty students attended the event and greek food was served. We covered budgeting skills, making moves to boost your credit score, loan repayment options, the value of compound interest when saving, and different types of retirement plans, amongst other topics.

Big Law Unveiled

In November, La Raza and Morrison & Foerster hosted a panel made up of attorneys working in big law firms. Daneille, Joanne, Lilia, Mallory, Melissa, and Nadia talked about their experiences as attorneys of color working in private practice. They also talked about navigating the job hunt as a 1L and about the 1L diversity positions at their respective law firms. After the panel the attorneys networked with our 1L students!

Hot Job Summer: Diversity in Government Jobs

Today La Raza brought back four alumni (‘98, ‘07, ‘17, and ‘18) to come talk to us about their experiences working in government. Cristine, Lisa, Gilbert, and David work at the San Francisco DA, California Attorney General, Conta Costa County PD, and Oakland City Attorney offices respectively. They talked about their career paths, their job search, their experience as Latinx attorneys, and their favorite parts of being La Raza members. Our 1Ls left with a lot information to start off their job search with! And, we are always grateful when alumni come back to share their wisdom!

Cross-Affinity Group BBQ

In October, La Raza and LSAD co-hosted a cross-affinity BBQ where students from all affinity groups were invited to attend. Alongside Oakland’s beautiful Lake Merritt on a sunny Saturday afternoon, students from various backgrounds enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers (including veggie burgers) and music. Having spaces and events outside academics and networking are important to La Raza. In these events we aim to build strong social bonds to assure that students feel a sense of community within the law school and the legal world generally (spaces that can feel alienating to various affinity groups).

Alumni Weekend Happy Hour

In October, we had our annual alumni weekend mixer. Our current and former students all got together to share law school highlights and horror stories over Freehouse’s famous brussel sprouts and sweet potato fries. Thank you to our alumni for making it out and continuing to build community across decades of Raza!

Lunch with Judges-In-Residence

On September 23, 2019, La Raza students were invited to have a private lunch with Berkeley Law’s Judges-In-Residence. The conversation was moderated by Anya Ku (‘20) who asked the judge to share about their paths to law school, their experiences as attorneys, and their current jobs as judges. We also discussed the importance of clerkships, and when asked “how many of you are think about clerking?” nearly all members raised their hands. La Raza is honored to have been offered this opportunity and is excited to continue supporting our members with all of their aspirations including clerkships!

Meet Your Professors Mixer

Early in the semester, La Raza hosted our second annual Meet Your Professors Mixer. This event allowed our new 1L students the opportunity to chat with their 1L professors in a casual setting. The students and professors shared some snacks and non-class related conversations in Steinhart Courtyard. The goal was to strengthen relationships so that students feel more comfortable attending office hours and reaching out to their professors when they need help as the semester progresses. Both professors and students alike were happy they attended! 

RAZA-ING THE BAR: What is the Bar?

On September 10, we hosted the first installation in our Raza-ing The Bar, bar prep series! Our first event “What is the Bar?” was presented to us by Chris Ide-Don, UC Davis School of Law’s Academic Success Director. Chris presented to a group of about 15 first-ten Latinx 3Ls and allowed us to ask every question we haven’t felt comfortable asking before! He walked us through the costs of the applications and the exam, the structure of the exam, the classes covered, and tips for how to approach the exam with confidence. After the event we got great feedback from students who shared that they now feel a little more stressed about the bar, but a lot more confident that they will pass!

2nd Annual Latinx Judicial Panel

On April 19, 2019, La Raza hosted its 2nd Annual Latinx Judicial Panel. This event was created with the intention of introducing our Raza members to Judges who are not only amazing but who look like them and share a similar background. We feel that highlighting and introducing our Raza members to amazing judges like Judge Vasquez, the first Latina appointed to Sacramento County Superior Court, Judge Cortes, the first Latina or Latino appointed to Yolo County Superior Court, & Judge Olguin first Latino appointed to the Federal District Court for the Central District of California will encourage our Raza to continue to dream, aim, and achieve at the highest levels. Imposter syndrome is a real threat to our community, but events like these, people like our panelists including Venable Partner Angel Garganta, help us defeat those feelings of unworthiness and uncertainty. A special and warm thank you to Judge Vasquez, Judge Cortes, Judge Olguin, Angel Garganta and Venable for generously sponsoring our event and spending their Friday afternoon with us. We hope that this tradition continues. 

17th Annual Cruz Reynoso Gala

On April 5th, 2019, La Raza celebrated the 17th Annual Hon. Cruz Reynoso Fellowship Gala. We celebrated the legacy of Cruz Reynoso the first Latinx judge to serve on the CA Supreme Court and the fellowship recipients. We ate good food, danced, and laughed all night. This year our Keynote was Judge Elizabeth G. Macias. In her speech, she reminded us that we need to help one another and to serve as mentors for future generation so we can uplift one another.

We recognized Kazan, MoFo, and Kirkland for over a decade of sponsorship to the fellowship. We also recognized the Academic Skills Program Director and Associate Director, Professor Kristen Holmquist and Professor Diana DiGennaro for their commitment to the academic success of students of color.

Our theme this year was, “Tu eres mi otro yo, por eso seguimos pa’lante; you are my other self, and so, we persevere.”that everyone has wisdom and knowledge to share. We hope everyone left that night with the reminder that when we come together as one we are stronger and more resilient than when we are alone. The Hon. Cruz Reynoso Fellowship is a great example of the power and impact that community can have. Back in 2002, La Raza Law Students Association created the fellowship for members pursuing social justice internships and judicial externships. Over the first two years of the fellowships the association raised $60K to start the fellowship. The fellowship has now been sustained for seventeen years through the collective contributions of students, alumni, non-profits, law firms, and allies who understand the value of serving communities who lack access and believe that everyone deserves justice. This year we kept that legacy alive by awarding the largest number of scholarships in the history of the fellowship, and raising over 60K to continue the fight ahead!

California Supreme Court Visit

On March 6, 2018, a group of Raza students attended the oral argument at the Supreme Court of California. We were able to hear three cases argued both by private and government attorneys. One of the cases focused on conditions imposed after bond. The second case dealt with the scope of habeas corpus jurisdiction in order to make a record of “mitigating evidence tied" to youth. 

 For some of us, this was the first time we had watched oral arguments. It was fascinating to see the various strategies employed by the attorneys. It became clear to us what made an attorney an effective advocator and what behavior we should stray away from.  

After some lunch, we were invited to Justice Cuéllar's chambers where we were able to ask sit down and have a discussion about what it is like to be a judge. Justice Cuéllar spoke on the difficulty of getting everybody to agree and the understanding he has gained through his role as a judge. 

Womxn's Potluck Brunch

At the Lawtina brunch, Marcela graciously hosted us at her home in Lafayette. There was a beautiful array of bagels, coffee, scrambled eggs, pastries, and bacon. Araceli from the National Immigration Law Center and  Judge Gonzalez-Rogers from the Norther District of California joined us in an intimate conversation about what it means to be Latina in the law. We talked about the importance of being able to talk to someone who holds different views than you, no matter what your views are. We also talked about ways the bridge the divide between public interest students and big law students, and what healthy relationships between big law and public interest lawyers can look like.

Raza Tahoe Retreat

We all need a break from our day-to-day lives every once in a while. Why not escape from our realities while building community? Last weekend, Raza students made their way from Berkeley up to Lake Tahoe for a relaxing weekend in the snow. We built snowmen, played board games, ate family-style meals and enjoyed each others’ company for the weekend. We hope we are able to continue this amazing tradition!

Latinx Leaders: Justice Cuellar & Judge Rodriguez

On Tuesday, we had the honor of hosting a conversation between our members and Justice Cuellar of the California Supreme Court and his former chief of staff, and now judge, Judge Rodriguez. Dean Chemerinsky did us the honor of introducing our speakers and then one of our co-chairs, Anya, proceeded to moderate a conversation the the judges. We talked about their backgrounds, why they decided to pursue law, details of their work including Justice Cuellar’s experience working in the Obama transition team and Judge Rodriguez's newly created civil domestic violence department. We then opened up the floor for student questions and our members asked interesting questions ranging from advice for 1Ls who don’t know what they want to do yet to what do the judges think about the executive branch’s oversight of immigration courts. The event was a blast, and we were so glad to connect with some former bears (Gonzalez ‘04) and people who wished they went to Berkeley Law!

Latinx Leaders: Hon. Macias

On Thursday, January 24th, we were extremely lucky to get a visit from Judge Elizabeth Guerrero Macías, a Superior Court Judge in Orange County. Her visit to Berkeley marked the first law school visit of her listening tour on behalf of the California Latino Judges Association's Judicial Outreach Committee. She listened to our suggestions on how to make law school more accessible to Latinx students, and we listened to her awesome life story. She told us about growing up poor and having to become the caretaker of her family at a very young age. We were particularly blown away by her tenacity. Despite growing up in a difficult situation, she became the first in her family to get a high school diploma, graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a double major, and received her JD from California Western School of Law. She says she was never daunted by not having the same "pedigree" as some of her counterparts. "What they don't know is my ganas. My motivation to succeed. I will not fail. I run circles around people who went to Harvard." After several years as a public defender, she went on to become a judge. Just two years after becoming a judge, she was supervising other judges. In addition to her hard work and determination, she credits much of her success to always working with integrity. We are incredibly proud to have her represent the Latinx community on the bench! 

Zumba with Maribel

On Sunday morning, we burned off some calories together to get us ready for a day of studying. We got together on the school’s courtyard with our water bottles and high spirits. Thank you to our wonderful classmate Maribel who is a certified Zumba instructor for taking some time to teach us some cool moves while getting a good workout in! Afterwards, we indulged in some healthy snacks and went on our way to a productive Sunday. Can every Sunday be this productive?