Six Top Law Firms Support Public Interest Scholarship Program

San Francisco — September 22, 2008— The California Bar Foundation today announced the distribution of $147,500 to 37 future public interest lawyers through its flagship Public Interest Scholarship Program. Six of the awards are named after top law firms in California — Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., Milstein, Adelman & Kreger, LLP, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, and Seyfarth Shaw LLP — that have made multi-year commitments to the Scholarship Program, including $10,000 gifts in 2008. A seventh top award, named in honor of the Foundation's founding executive director, is being funded by a group of longtime friends and colleagues of Jim Pfeiffer.

"Today there is only one California legal aid lawyer for every 8,361 low-income Californians who need legal help, while there is one private lawyer for every 250 clients who can afford our services. But the high cost of law school, with law students graduating with as much as $100,000 in student loans, prevents many new lawyers from pursuing public interest jobs and helping narrow this 'justice gap,' " said State Bar President Jeffrey L. Bleich, who serves on the Foundation's board of directors and is a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson. "The California Bar Foundation's Public Interest Scholarship program is a way of saying, 'if you commit to serving the people of this State, we'll commit to helping you get a legal education.' "

Public Interest Scholarship recipients, who are nominated by their law schools and demonstrate a commitment to public service, academic excellence, and financial need, receive scholarships of up to $7,500 to assist with tuition and related education expenses. Six top scholars receive scholarships named for law firm supporters of the Public Interest Scholarship Program, each of which made $30,000 commitments to the Program in 2007.

"Our firm is proud to sponsor the California Bar Foundationi's Public Interest Scholarship Program, which recognizes outstanding law students who intend to pursue public interest careers," said Peter H. Mason, Partner-in-Charge of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.'s Los Angeles office. "Supporting the Foundation's efforts to invest in the next generation of public interest lawyers is an important way our firm demonstrates its commitment to the community."

For the third year, the Foundation is also recognizing one scholar who has demonstrated a deep commitment to children's issues as the Jim Pfeiffer Scholar, in memory of the Foundation's founding executive director. The Foundation is able to honor the Jim Pfeiffer Scholar with the generosity of a group of longtime Foundation supporters who have made multi-year commitments to the Public Interest Scholarship Program, including Claudia A. Carver, Nanci Clinch, Hon. Lawrence W. Crispo, (Ret.), Victoria J. De Goff, Pauline W. Gee, Leon & Martha Goldin, Robert A. Goodin, Arthur W. Gray, Jr., Michael & Hiroko Green, Bonnie Rose Hough, Edward E. & Joyce K. Kallgren, Jack W. Londen, Hon. Robert H. Oliver, Tina L. Rasnow, Herbert M. & Margarita V. Rosenthal, and Pauline A. Weaver.

The Foundation will distribute the Public Interest 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 $110,000 in Diversity Scholarships to 20 California law students at the reception.

Since 1992, the Foundation has awarded more than $2.2 million in Public Interest Scholarships to nearly 530 students attending 27 California law schools. A recent survey conducted by the Foundation indicated that almost two-thirds of tracked scholarship alumni continue to practice public interest law, often for legal aid agencies, public interest law firms, public defender and district attorney offices, and other nonprofit and government agencies.

"Investing in the next generation of public interest lawyers is a cornerstone to building a better justice system," said Scott Wylie, the Foundation's president. "This year's Public Interest Scholarship winners — who have represented asylum seekers, advised members of Congress, mentored at-risk youth, advocated for environmental reform, and counseled domestic violence victims — are amazing and give us great hope for the continued vitality of our justice system."

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

Chapman University School of Law
Sheba Saroia
Matthew Justin Wechter

Golden Gate University School of Law
Seth Lichenstein-Hill

Loyola Law School
Neda Mashayekhi
Celida B. Miramontes
Cindy Panuco

San Joaquin College of Law
Alicia L. Hinton

Santa Clara University School of Law
Molly Brennan

Southwestern Law School
Tiffany Woo

Stanford Law School
Eunice Hyunhye Cho — Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Scholar
Yara Lomeli-Loibl — Seyfarth Shaw Scholar
Jessica Oats — Milstein, Adelman & Kreger Scholar
Alexa Van Brunt — Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Scholar
Rachel Zwillinger

UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall)
Cheryl Andrada
Benjamin R. Botts — Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP Scholar Lorraine Leete

UC Davis School of Law (King Hall)
Neta Borshansky

UC Hastings College of the Law
Meredith L. Alexander
Todd Daloz
Raegan Joern
Abby Sullivan

UCLA School of Law
Moises R. Ceja
Jessica Langley — Jim Pfeiffer Scholar
Jenny Macht — Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP Scholar
Sarah Paule
Debra Weinberg

University of San Diego School of Law
Brett Barley
Julia Davis
Colin Donnelly

University of San Francisco School of Law
Meredith Marzuoli
Marie Montesano

University of Southern California Gould School of Law
EmmaElizabeth Gonzalez
Ashley Nicole Johndro
Rebecca S. Raizman

Whittier Law School
Taylor Irene Dudley
Sherin Larijani

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