Top Law Firms Support Scholarship Programs

San Francisco — May 4, 2010 — The California Bar Foundation today announced the awarding of the 2010 Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarships to assist aspiring public interest lawyers from California law schools with the costs associated with taking the California Bar Exam. Twelve graduating law students — including three former inner-city teachers, an immigrants' rights activist, and two single mothers who have overcome substantial personal and academic obstacles to graduate from college and law school — are receiving the scholarships. Two of the top awards are named after prominent firms that have generously underwritten the cost of the scholarship program — Reed Smith LLP and The Sidley Austin Foundation.

"Sidley is very pleased to participate in the California Bar Foundation's Bar Exam Scholarship Program, which, by supporting the next generation of legal aid attorneys, public defenders, and other government and nonprofit lawyers, helps ensure full and equal access to justice," said Michael Kelley, the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office of Sidley Austin LLP. "We are proud to help these impressive law students fulfill their goal of becoming public interest attorneys dedicated to serving their communities. "It is a long-term investment that will benefit the justice system for years to come."

The Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarship is one of the few scholarship programs in the country specifically aimed at providing Bar exam-related support for public interest lawyers-to-be, who typically graduate from law school with more than $100,000 in student loan debt. Unlike classmates who have private employers subsidizing the cost of taking the exam, enrollment in a bar review course, and living expenses while studying for the exam, these students often take on additional debt to overcome this final hurdle in becoming practicing attorneys. With the support of Reed Smith and Sidley, the Foundation is awarding the recipients $2,000 scholarships to assist with the costs of taking the California Bar Exam. The top six recipients also receive California BAR/BRI Law Review Bar Exam review courses valued at more than $3,500 each.

"With the goal of making our legal system more accessible and fair for everyone, Reed Smith supports pro bono efforts throughout the world," said Reed Smith partner Theodore Ting. "Sponsoring the California Bar Foundation's scholarship program, which recognizes top performing law students who plan to pursue public interest careers, is one part of the firm's ongoing commitment to this goal and our local communities."

Nominated by their law schools, the 12 Bar Exam Scholarship recipients have demonstrated a commitment to public service, including hundreds of volunteer hours at legal clinics and other nonprofit organizations, an impressive academic record, and an average educational loan debt of $143,000. Recipients' plans after graduation include Skadden and Equal Justice Works Fellowships, federal judicial clerkships, the Army National Guard JAG Corps, and positions at various district attorneys' offices, public defenders' offices, and legal services organizations.

The Foundation launched the Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarship in 1997 in memory of Imelda Rosenthal, a Guatemalan immigrant, small businesswoman, and tireless community volunteer. Foundation Past President Herb Rosenthal and his wife, Margarita, continue to support the program with a generous annual contribution. In addition, for the past five years, BAR/BRI of California has provided the Foundation with discounted bar review courses for the top winners. Since 1997, the Foundation has awarded $200,000 in cash awards and bar review courses to more than 230 graduates of California law schools.

"As many Californians continue to struggle in the current recession, the need for public interest lawyers is greater than ever, while the escalating cost of law school has made a public interest career financially challenging for most law students," said Mario Camara, Foundation President. :We applaud these 12 amazing students who have the academic, extracurricular, and professional credentials to follow any number of career paths yet have chosen to serve their communities by pursuing modestly paying public interest work. It is inspiring to be able to make such a difference in their professional careers and in the lives of the countless clients they will serve."

The complete list of 2010 Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarship winners, by law school, is as follows:

California Western School of Law
Kyung Eun Latimer
Lisa Orozco
Liseth M. Saravia

Stanford Law School
Katrina Eiland
Rachel Marshall

University Of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall)
Angela McNair Turner — Reed Smith Scholar

University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Meredith L. Alexander
Anna Claire Johnson

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law
Maribel Gonzalez — The Sidley Austin Foundation Scholar
Julia I. Vazquez

University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Jessica Hewins
Harden Sooper

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.

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