San Francisco — April 2, 2007 — The Foundation of the State Bar of California today re-launches as the California Bar Foundation. The new name is part of a broad effort to build a stronger and more visible identity for the organization and to re-introduce its important charitable work on behalf of the state's legal community. Along with the new name, the California Bar Foundation is unveiling a new logo and a new website address, www.calbarfoundation.org.

"As the California Bar Foundation — a short, concise name that is easy to remember — we areare on the road to creating a stronger identity for the Foundation, raising greater awareness of our programs, and taking our fundraising to the next level," said Scott Wylie, the Foundation's president. "But even though our name and look may be changing, one constant remains: our commitment to building a better justice system for all Californians."

For nearly two decades, the California Bar Foundation has made meaningful investments in the improvement of California's justice system, championing full and equal access to the law, investing in the next generation of public interest lawyers, educating citizens about their rights and responsibilities, and promoting philanthropy throughout the legal community. Founded in 1990 as the charitable arm of the State Bar of California, the California Bar Foundation has distributed more than $6.2 million in grants to community organizations, legal aid agencies, courts, local, minority, and specialty bar associations, and the State Bar of California, and in scholarships to future public interest lawyers from the state's many law schools. The California Bar Foundation relies on voluntary annual gifts from more than 10,000 California attorneys and a growing number of law firms, as well as revenue from corporate sponsors who offer benefits to State Bar members, to fund its programs.

"Despite the significant support the Foundation has given over the years to legal services, courts, bar associations, law students, and others committed to improving the justice system, we have maintained a relatively low profile within the California legal community," said Leslie Hatamiya, executive director of the Foundation. " By re-launching as the California Bar Foundation, we want to bring increased attention to the important work that our program beneficiaries are doing to serve the critical legal needs of an increasingly diverse California and to the countless attorneys, law firms, and other supporters whose generous contributions make our programs possible. Our efforts generate immeasurable goodwill for the statei's entire legal community."

In 2007, the California Bar Foundation plans to distribute about $350,000 in grants to a wide array of innovative legal education, outreach, and service projects and $220,000 to law students and recent graduates headed for public interest law careers. As part of a continuing partnership with the State Bar, the California Bar Foundation will cosponsor the upcoming re-publication and distribution of Kids and the Law: An A-to-Z Guide for Parents, an informative resource on a wide range of legal issues facing children and their families today.

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