Foundation Distributes $110,000 in 2008 Diversity Scholarship Awards to 20 Incoming First-Year Law Students

San Francisco — September 22, 2008 — The California Bar Foundation today announced gifts totaling $330,000 from eleven of California's top law firms in support of the Foundation's new Diversity Scholarship Program. Scholarship awards to incoming California law students who come from communities under-represented in the California Bar have been named after the eleven participating firms — Buchalter Nemer, A Professional Corporation, Fenwick & West LLP, Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin, A Professional Corporation, Keesal, Young & Logan, A Professional Corporation, Keker & Van Nest LLP, Lim, Ruger & Kim Foundation, The Morrison & Foerster Foundation, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Foundation, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation — each of which have pledged $30,000 to the Scholarship Program over three years.

"By supporting minority law students through the California Bar Foundation's Scholarship Program, our firm renews its commitment to diversifying the legal profession," said Lawrence B. Rabkin, chairman and managing director of Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin. "Our support of the Diversity Scholarship is an investment not only in an impressive group of law students as they enter the challenging first year of their legal studies, but also in the future of the legal profession and its ability to meet the needs of our clients in an increasingly diverse and global economy."

Launched this year, the Diversity Scholarship aims to help bolster the pipeline of diverse individuals entering the legal profession. With awards of up to $7,500, the Diversity Scholarship alleviates the significant financial burden of attending law school, which can leave recent graduates more than $100,000 in debt, and provides confidence-boosting recognition to law students during the crucial first year of law school. In the program's inaugural year, the Foundation is distributing $110,000 in Diversity Scholarships to 20 students attending nine California law schools. Recipients, who were selected from a competitive pool of more than 200 applicants, demonstrate academic excellence and financial need, are committed to the community, and, in many cases, have overcome significant obstacles to attend law school.

"The 20 Diversity Scholarship winners — who include a refugee from Cambodia, the children of Latino farm workers, an Ethiopian immigrant, nonprofit leaders, state legislative aides, and an ordained minister — represent the best and brightest of today's law school students," said Vivian L. Kral, chair of the Foundation's Scholarships Committee. "The breadth and depth of their academic accomplishments, work experience, and community activities are breath-taking. We are thrilled to help ease the financial burden of attending law school that they face and, ultimately, to support their quest to become productive, practicing attorneys."

The Foundation will distribute the Diversity Scholarship awards at a reception on Thursday, September 25, at the State Bar of California's Annual Meeting in Monterey. The Foundation will also award $147,500 in Public Interest Scholarships to 37 California law students at the reception.

"The California Bar Foundation is committed to improving the justice system's ability to serve California's increasingly diverse population," said Holly J. Fujie, President-Elect of the State Bar of California, Foundation Board member, and a partner at Buchalter Nemer, one of the sponsoring law firms. "By creating the Diversity Scholarship, the Foundation is playing an important role in increasing the number of minority lawyers and giving law firms that share this commitment to diversity the opportunity to support the next generation of California attorneys."

The complete list of 2008 Diversity Scholarship winners, by law school, is as follows:

Golden Gate University School of Law
Angel Rodriguez — The Morrison & Foerster Foundation Scholar

Monterey College of Law
Rafael J. Albarran

Pepperdine University School of Law
Amber N. Lee — Lim, Ruger & Kim Foundation Scholar

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall)
Alexander Hernandez
Joshua J. Johnson — Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Foundation Scholar
Amaha Imanuel Kassa — Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin Scholar
Tam Mai Ma

University of California, Davis, School of Law (King Hall)
Anel Carrasco
Esmeralda Z. Soria — Keker & Van Nest LLP Scholar

University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Juan Leonel Alvarez — Keesal, Young & Logan Scholar
Coral H. Arias — Fenwick & West LLP Scholar
Houng Claire Mao
Jimmy E. Rodriguez
Sheila Shayda Winslow — Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation Scholar

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law
Kenia Acevedo — Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP Schola
Lisa M. Alarcon — Buchalter Nemer Scholar
Robert Montano

University of San Francisco School of Law
Carmen L. Franklin

University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Cristina Pena — Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP Scholar
Marwa Mohamed Rifahie

About the California Bar Foundation
The California Bar Foundation is committed to building a better justice system for all Californians. We champion full and equal access to the justice system, invest in the next generation of California's lawyers, educate Californians about their rights and responsibilities under the law, and promote philanthropy throughout the legal community. A nonprofit founded in 1990 and affiliated with the State Bar of California, the Foundation annually awards grants to California organizations conducting innovative law-related projects and scholarships to outstanding California law students. For more information, please visit our website at www.calbarfoundation.org.

Media Contact
Leslie Hatamiya
Executive Director
(415) 856-0780 ext. 303
lhatamiya@calbarfoundation.org