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!
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!
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!
Perkins Coie Networking Etiquette Workshop
Thank you so much to Paul Navarro and Aaron Ver from Perkins Coie who came to campus last week and gave our 1Ls some essential tips on networking as students of color! Paul and Aaron gave us candid advice and perspectives on what students of color need to do differently in order to succeed in a realm that is brand new for most of us. We had a great time eating pupusas and asking questions about how to increasing our connections with firm folks at upcoming networking events!
Big Law Unveiled Panel
Together with the Law Students of African Descent (LSAD), we hosted SIX Big Law attorneys of color from all different law firms in an intimate panel for our members. This event allowed us to ask the real questions about what it means to be a person of color in the predominantly White Big Law space. After all our questions were answered, we went over to FreeHouse and enjoyed some appetizers and drinks while having casual conversations with our amazing panelists. Thank you to the sponsors of this amazing event!
Diversity in Big Law Panel with Sidley
We were very fortunate to host a panel geared towards the 1L students who are interested in Big Law jobs. For those who may not know, Big Law refers to the top large law firms that provide legal counsel to some of the largest companies in the world. Shout out to the Latinx and Black attorneys who came to campus and gave the 1L's an invaluable insider view. Stay tuned- we have more exciting programming coming your way.
Alumni Weekend Breakfast
We hosted an open house of our La Raza Association Officer with a light breakfast for our alumni to be able to visit and reminisce about the space that they helped us secure. Breakfast ranged from bagels to pan dulce and orange juice to coffee. Our Association Office is a sacred space for many of us and we recognize that we would not have this space if it had not been for those who came before us, our La Raza alumni. We had a great time chatting with alumni Cecilia Rendon and Marisa Arrona, both Class of 2003. They were able to take pictures and teach us a bit about our La Raza history.
Alumni Weekend Mixer
Alumni Weekend was a great time for both alumni and current students. Alumni got to reminisce about their time in law school, while students were able to absorb some of the wisdom of those who had been in their footsteps before. The school hosted an Alumni of Color Cocktail Hour before Friday's bbq, but La Raza and LSAD kept the celebration going by hosting an Alumni Mixer after the bbq. It was amazing to talk to Raza alumni and hear what the school was like at a time when there was much more hostility towards students of color. Some alumna talked about how much they appreciated their 1L Property professor who dared to talk about critical race in the classroom. (Sound familiar? They were talking about our very own Ian Haney López!) We appreciated their stories and perspectives and hope they'll come back again soon!
