2007 Awards Benefit 39 Future Public Interest Lawyers

San Francisco — September 24, 2007 — The California Bar Foundation today announced gifts totaling $180,000 from six of California's top law firms in support of the Foundation's flagship Law School Scholarship Program. Scholarship awards to outstanding California law students intending to pursue public interest law careers have been named after the six participating firms — Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, Dreier, Stein & Kahan LLP, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., Milstein, Adelman & Kreger LLP, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, and Seyfarth Shaw LLP — each of which have pledged $30,000 to the Scholarship Program over three years. "Our firm is privileged to participate in the California Bar Foundation's Scholarship Program, which, by supporting future public interest lawyers, helps ensure full and equal access to justice," said Bradley S. Phillips, a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson and a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors. "We are thrilled to invest in impressive law students committed to giving back to their communities. It is an investment in human capital that will benefit the justice system for years to come."

This year, the Foundation is distributing $187,500 in Law School Scholarships to 39 students from 17 California law schools. 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 of the top recipients will receive scholarships named for one of the sponsoring law firms. For the second year, the Foundation is also recognizing one scholar who has demonstrated a deep commitment to children's issues as the Jim Pfeiffer Scholar, in honor of the Foundation's founding executive director. The Foundation will distribute the awards at a reception on Thursday, September 27, at the State Bar of California's Annual Meeting in Anaheim.

"We believe that our lawyers have a professional obligation to participate in public service throughout the course of their careers, but pursuing public interest jobs can be challenging for students who graduate with as much as $100,000 or more in student loan debt," said Larry Kramer, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School. "The California Bar Foundation's Law School Scholarship program provides critical financial support for future nonprofit and government lawyers. We are grateful that over the past 15 years, more than 60 Stanford Law students have benefited from the generosity of the California Bar Foundation and its supporters."

Since 1992, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in Law School Scholarships to nearly 500 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. "With an array of work and volunteer experiences at public defender offices, Street Law projects, civil rights organizations, HIV clinics, international relief organizations, and many other community groups, this year's scholarship winners are inspiring. The breadth and depth of their leadership ability and commitment to the community give us hope for the continued vitality of our justice system."

The complete list of 2007 Law School Scholarship winners, by law school, is as follows:

California Western School of Law
Catherine Pugh - Dreier Stein & Kahan LLP Scholar
Anne Marie Rios

Golden Gate University School of Law
Anna Benvenue
Kira Murray

John F. Kennedy University School of Law
Peggy Bristol-Wright

Loyola Law School
Jonathan Ames
Jessica DeWitt
Ashley Ruiz

New College of California School of Law
Rana Chang

Santa Clara University School of Law
Nicole Clemens

Stanford Law School
Brian Bilford
Kristin Burford
Jesse Hahnel - Jim Pfeiffer Scholar
Ruth Zemel

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall)
Lindsay Harris
Vanessa Ho - Seyfarth Shaw Scholar
Melinda Pilling

University of California, Davis, School of Law (King Hall)
Nagmeh Shariatmadar

University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Raegan Joern
Matthew Melamed
Abigail Sullivan

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law
J. Andrew Boyle - Milstein, Adelman & Kreger Scholar
Vivek Mittal
Shayla Myers - Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Scholar
Carmina Ocampo - Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Scholar
Desmond Wu

University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
Victor Copeland

University of San Diego School of Law Hasmik Badalian
Rebecca Blain
Desiree Serrano

University of San Francisco School of Law
Phyra McCandless
Hannah Seigel

University of Southern California Gould School of Law
EmmaElizabeth Gonzalez - Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP Scholar

Ventura College of Law
Denise Trerotola

Whittier Law School
David Minh Duc Do
Melissa Duchene
Melinda Gomez
Amy Kaye
Kelly Nguyen

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 public interest 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 California law school students intending to pursue public interest law careers. For more information, please visit our website at www.calbarfoundation.org.

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