September 7, 2024
Judge Harry Pregerson
About
Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Initiatives at Southwestern
These programs are made possible by a generous grant from the Rodan Family Foundation in honor of Judge Harry Pregerson.
The Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Boot Camp is designed and named in honor of the esteemed 9th Circuit judge, whose work exemplified the highest values of service in the public interest.
Southwestern continues to honor Judge Pregerson through “Harry’s Boot Camp,” a day-long skills-training and community-building program offered exclusively to Southwestern students and where students dedicated to pro bono and public interest practice will be introduced to a cohort of like-minded lawyers, faculty, staff and alumni at the outset of their studies.
In addition to Harry’s Boot Camp, Southwestern offers the Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Summer Fellowships, our premiere summer fellowships offered to select students who plan to dedicate their legal careers to working on behalf of underserved communities and causes. And, for a fourth year, Southwestern will honor an outstanding recent graduate with the Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Alumni Award for their dedication and success in the fields of public service / public interest practice.
Together, these programs aim to cultivate and celebrate the late Judge Harry Pregerson, and his values, determination, and impact on life in Southern California by encouraging successive generations of students to approach their professional lives as an opportunity to serve their communities and to help those in need.
Agenda-at-a-glance
9:30 a.m. Coffee, Conversation and Check-In with Your Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellows
10:30 a.m. Public Interest at Southwestern: An Overview
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Resilient Advocacy: A Trauma-Informed, Anti-Racist and Intersectional Approach to Legal Advocacy
4:00 p.m. Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Alumni Award Reception
Harry changed transportation planning and progressive urban development through his work on the Century Freeway. His involvement ensured development exceeded environmental standards, established housing programs to serve the displaced, set employment goals for minorities and women, and much more. Century Freeway Litigation
PublicInterestatSouthwestern: AnOverview
Presenters:
Christopher David Ruiz Cameron, Justice Marshall F. McComb Professor of Law, and Director of Labor and Employment Law Concentration
Andrea Ramos, Clinical Professor of Law, and Director of Clinical Program and Immigration Law Clinic
Julia Vázquez, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of Community Lawyering Clinic, and Director of Public Interest Law Concentration
Michelle Takagishi-Almeida, Esq., Director, Public Service Program
Description:
To help students gain an understanding of who Judge Pregerson was on and off the bench, Professor Christopher Cameron will share highlights from Judge Pregerson’s extraordinary life and legacy that has affected generations of lawyers and communities. Professor Ramos, Professor Vazquez and Director Takagishi-Almeida will follow in highlighting the importance of integrating curriculum, experiential programs and professional development in working towards a professional life in service.
By the end of this session, students will be able to identify the faculty and staff departments available to support students in meeting academic, experiential and professional development goals as well as have identified specific academic, experiential and professional development needs in attending Saturday’s program.
ResilientAdvocacy:ATrauma-
Informed,Anti-Racistand
IntersectionalApproachto
LegalAdvocacy
Description: Lorilei Williams Founder and Executive Director of the Resilient Advocates Collective Presenter:
Burnout, capacity, vicarious trauma, and structural racism continue to be pressing issues for legal advocates. This training is designed to help you rethink your approach to legal advocacy entirely that will result in increased sustainability for you as the advocate, holistic care for the people you serve, and outcomes that disrupt unjust systems. This training will provide a basic introduction to concepts relating to trauma and race, leading up to a four-part model that guides legal advocates to tangibly engage in a trauma-informed, anti-racist approach to legal advocacy This training is designed to be a very small taste for everything that can be learned, developed, and strengthened to make the work better for ourselves as agents of change and the directly impacted individuals and communities we serve.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
Identify how trauma and intersectional oppression shows up in our work as advocates.
Use a common language and frameworks related to trauma and racism. Define a four-part framework for resilient advocacy.
Identify and utilize tools and strategies to build greater personal capacity and resilience, while leveraging more meaningful systemic change.
Harry’s Bootcamp Participants with Lorilei Williams
JudgeHarryPregerson Public-ServiceAlumni AwardandReception
Description:
The Public Service Program has the privilege to honor outstanding recent graduates of Southwestern Law School whose professional lives and careers reflect the values of the late Harry Pregerson.
Award recipients are alumni who have shown extraordinary commitment and leadership in producing demonstrable results or in having undertaken exceptional efforts to help underserved individuals or communities through their professional or pro bono practice.
This year, the Public Service Program is thrilled to be honoring from Southwestern’s Class of 2014, Clark Lee, with the 2024 Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Alumni Award.
Clark Lee ‘14
Clark Lee serves as a Senior Advisor at the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He advises on the implementation and enforcement of civil rights and privacy laws and regulations, federal rulemaking, congressional affairs, policy, intergovernmental and intra-agency collaborations, and public affairs.
Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration as an appointee, Clark was a consultant, strategist, and lawyer in advocacy,
civic engagement, civil rights, compliance, elections, and public affairs, with more than two decades of results-proven experience He advised nonprofits, elected officials, candidates, ballot measures, and political entities.
Growing up as a first-generation American in an insular community inspired Clark to become civically engaged to help build bridges with our diverse communities and to amplify our collective voice, beginning with registering new citizens to vote at naturalization ceremonies as a student alongside his younger siblings, Arnold and Olivia.
Professionally, Clark was founding partner of Thinking Cap Strategies LLC, a boutique public affairs consulting firm with local, state, and national clients, such as the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, California’s Proposition 1 to enshrine reproductive freedom in the State Constitution, Governor Gavin Newsom’s anti-recall campaign, Adam Schiff for Congress, Mike Fong for State Assembly, Robert Luna for Los Angeles County Sheriff, and Katy Yaroslavsky for Los Angeles City Council.
Clark has served as general counsel for a national voter engagement nonprofit; a director for two presidential nominating conventions; state director for a climate action organization; and advisor or staff member for state and local nonprofits advancing civic engagement, legal services, and access to health care and social services serving the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community
As California Democratic Party Political Director, Clark scaled up its electoral and community engagement operations, spearheaded strategic partnership collaborations, and oversaw campaign efforts that helped flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives and strengthen the supermajorities in the California State Legislature. As Los Angeles County Democratic Party Political and Communications Director, he steered its electoral, organizing, legislative advocacy,
voter protection, and communications operations that helped elect or re-elect hundreds of community leaders to public offices at local, state, and federal levels, such as President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, and Governor Jerry Brown Clark also served in various roles for elected officials and candidates, such as Governor Gray Davis, U.S. Representative Judy Chu, State Assembly Member Mike Eng, and LASC Judge Edwin Chau, Southwestern alumnus and former State Assembly Member for the 49th District. Clark has organized training programs for elected officials, candidates, organizational leaders, professionals, activists, and students.
A civically engaged advocate, Clark served on the California Secretary of State’s Ballot Translation Advisory Group under Secretaries Debra Bowen and Alex Padilla. He was appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis to the Los Angeles County Information Systems Commission and the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board. Additionally, Clark served on the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Voting Systems Assessment Project Advisory Committee, Community Voter Outreach Committee, and Ballot Redesign Working Group; the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters Board of Directors; Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association Los Angeles Chapter Vice President and Mentoring Café Mentor; and various leadership positions in the Democratic Party. He helped organize community support in establishing the first environmental commission in the San Gabriel Valley region. Clark is a Truman National Security Project Partner and Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County Member.
Clark graduated from Claremont McKenna College with Honors in Government and holds a Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School with two additional Southwestern alumni in his family, brother Arnold and sister-in-law Elaine. Currently in Washington, DC, he hails from the San Gabriel Valley and enjoys hanging out with his rescued dog, Sua Sponte.
Speakersand Presenters
Sanchez v. Sessions
Harry wrote a Ninth Circuit opinion finding an egregious violation of the Fourth Amendment rights of Luis Sanchez, a small boat owner detained solely on account of his Latino appearance by the US Coast Guard during a call for help.
Darby Dickerson
President, Dean, and Professor of Law
Darby Dickerson joined Southwestern Law School as President and Dean, and as a Professor of Law, in July 2021. Before joining Southwestern, she served as Dean at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, The John Marshall Law School, Texas Tech University School of Law, and Stetson University College of Law She is currently the third longest-serving law dean in the U.S. and the longest-serving woman dean Dean Dickerson served as President of the Association of American Law Schools in 2020 and is currently the organization’s delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Representatives
She is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a Past President and current Board Member of Scribes The American Society of Legal Writers, and a former Director of the Association of Legal Writing Directors.
She is active in the American Inns of Court. She serves as President of both the Southwestern Law School Inn of Court and the Bradley-Woods Inn, the nation’s first virtual Inn chapter.
Dickerson received her B.A. and M.A. from The College of William & Mary and her J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. She clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and practiced commercial litigation with the firm now known as Locke Lord in Dallas, Texas.
Her areas of teaching and scholarship include legal writing, drafting, editing, and citation; legal and higher education; torts; and pretrial practice
Her awards and honors include the Burton Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to Legal Writing Education, ALWD’s Darby Dickerson Award for Revolutionary Change in Legal Writing, the AALS Section of Legal Writing, Research, and Reasoning’s lifetime achievement award, and the Scribes Distinguished Service Award. In January 2024, National Jurist named her as one of the ten most influential individuals in legal education.
She is a volunteer microfinance loan editor for Kiva.org, has served on the Red Cross Boards in multiple cities, and has participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters.
She was born in Columbia, South Carolina and has lived in ten cities in eight states. She loves musical theater and has seen Hamilton 20 times. She has participated in a recreational ax-throwing league and is currently taking magic lessons at the Magic Castle.
Lorilei Williams
Founder and Executive Director of the Resilient Advocates Collective
L rans, non-binary Korean-American abolitionist, artist, a er of the Resilient Advocates Collective (RAC), an organization which provides training, mentorship, and community support for legal advocates committed to engaging in Resilient Advocacy – a systems-theory approach to legal advocacy that is rooted in a trauma-informed, antiracist, and intersectional understanding of individuals, communities, society, and the larger systems we participate in collectively. Through their work with RAC, Lorilei serves as an expert trainer and coach for legal services advocates and organizations across the nation, and as an immigration attorney supporting queer and trans migrants in Texas.
Lorilei’s expertise is informed by over a decade of experiences ranging from volunteer to director at nonprofit organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Legal Services NYC, and various Catholic Charities organizations. Lorilei began their career as an immigration attorney with specialized expertise developing rapid response legal service delivery models and working with the most marginalized migrants, including detained unaccompanied minors and queer and trans asylum seekers. Lorilei also served as the Training Attorney for the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, where they designed and launched a national network of expert legal advocates to lead sessions on racial justice advocacy, community-driven advocacy, systems thinking, and supervision Lorilei's experiences building power in local community groups are the foundation for their approach on building sustainable, collaborative advocacy models
Lorilei is admitted to the state bars of New York and Texas, the 2nd Circuit, SDNY and EDNY. They are a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and the University of Maryland.
Christopher David Ruiz Cameron
Justice Marshall F. McComb Professor of Law, and Director of Labor and Employment Law Concentration
Christopher David Ruiz Cameron is a recognized expert in the law of the workplace, with a special emphasis on its intersection with the laws regulating bankruptcy, immigration, and entertainment and sports. He is author or co-author of two books, nine book chapters or supplements, and 28 law review articles published by the California Law Review, UCLA Law Review, and other leading journals.
In addition to teaching and writing about labor and employment law, Professor Cameron is an Elected Member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and, since 2017, has served as a Commissioner of the Los Angeles County Employee Relations Commission (ERCOM), the agency responsible for policing labor relations between management and nearly 100,000 employees working in over 50 separate bargaining units in one of the nation's largest municipal governments.
After law school, where he was Articles Editor of the Harvard Law Review, Professor Cameron served as a law clerk to Judge Harry Pregerson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then spent six years in private practice representing labor organizations and employee benefit funds.
Professor Cameron has been a member of the Southwestern faculty since 1991 and served as Vice Dean or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for twelve years. He also served as Director of Externships for more than a decade, and as Director of the London Summer Program in Entertainment and Media Law.
Andrea Ramos
Clinical Professor of Law, and Director of Clinical Program and Immigration Law Clinic
Andrea Ramos brings many years of experience as a public interest attorney and law professor to Southwestern, where she established and directs the Immigration Law Clinic. The clinic, which began operation during the 2008-09 academic year, offers valuable services to the community, while giving students hands-on experience helping indigent and otherwise underrepresented clients.
As a law student, Professor Ramos served on the Southern California Review of Law and Women's Studies. She began her career with the law firm of Tuttle & Taylor as a litigation associate and Public Counsel volunteer She went on to serve on the staff of Public Counsel for ten years, originally leading the School-Based Legal Assistance Program, then directing the Children's Rights Project, which involves more than 700 volunteers assisting over 6,000 children and youth annually.
As Directing Attorney of the Project, Professor Ramos represented children in Special Immigrant Juvenile cases, the Violence Against Women Act and U-Visa cases, and provided training and workshops to lawyers and social service providers. She also served on the adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California Law Center for four years as a co-teacher of the Children and the Law course.
She was recognized for her legal work benefiting the Los Angeles community by the USC La Raza Law Students Association, which presented her with the Inspirational Alumnus Award in 2007 and by the USC Public Interest Law Foundation, which named her as the 2008 Attorney of the Year.
Julia Vázquez
Clinical Professor of Law, Director of Community Lawyering Clinic, and Director of Public Interest Law Concentration
As the first Clinical Fellow in the law school's Immigration Law Clinic and now as a Supervising Attorney, Julia Vázquez works closely with the Clinic's director, Professor Andrea Ramos, in the representation of clients, supervision of law students and development of course curricula for the clinic and the Immigration Appeals Practicum. She also participates in teaching the clinic seminars and research. She brings both professional teaching experience as well as experience as an immigration law clinic student to her position at Southwestern.
While in law school, Professor Vázquez was a Public Interest Law Program, Immigration Law Clinic, and Critical Race Studies student. She served as President of the Immigration Law Society, Co-Chair of La Raza Law Students Association, Articles Editor for the Chicana/o Latina/o Law Review and Writing Advisor in the First-Year Lawyering Skills Course. She volunteered as Student Director for the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project's UCLA Detention Center Clinic, and UCLA's Migrant Summer Leadership Program.
Prior to earning her law degree, Professor Vázquez completed an M.A. in Education with a focus on critical pedagogy and worked for several years as a teacher-andparent educator in South Central Los Angeles. She eventually left teaching to pursue a legal career with a focus in immigration and public interest law.
Michelle TakagishiAlmeida
Esq , Director, Public Service Program
As the Director of the Public Service Program, Michelle is responsible for the administration and oversight of students’ experiential learning through a voluntary program that encourages students to engage in a minimum of 75 hours of lawrelated service during their studies at Southwestern In developing and expanding community-centered collaborations in volunteer initiatives, Michelle ensures students are educated on and connected with advocacy opportunities that meet underserved legal needs while also furthering the development of students’ practical legal skills
Michelle began her legal career with The Alliance for Children’s Rights representing transition-aged foster youth of Los Angeles County and then went on to serve as the Pro Bono and Volunteer Coordinator for Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a nationally recognized force in poverty law and social justice advocacy. In 2016, Michelle joined Southwestern as part of the Career Services Office counseling students and alumni on legal recruitment, career planning, and job search strategies with an emphasis on public interest and government employment, including post-graduate fellowships.
Michelle currently serves on the Board of Directors of Inland Counties Legal Services, the largest civil legal aid organization in the Inland Empire, on the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section of Pro Bono and Access to Justice Executive Committee, and is a former Chair of the Public Service Section for the National Association for Law Placement, a member organization of over 2,500 legal career
professionals advising law students, lawyers, law firms, and law schools on pathways leading to public sector, public interest, and pro bono practice
Michelle also serves on Southwestern’s Faculty Public Interest Law Committee and directs the Judge Harry Pregerson (JHP) Public Service Initiatives at Southwestern, which include the JHP Public Service Boot Camp for newly admitted students and the JHP Public Service Fellowships, Southwestern’s premiere summer fellowships offered to select students who plan to dedicate their legal careers to working on behalf of underserved communities and causes.
Michelle received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine, and her J.D. from the University of La Verne College of Law. She is a member of the California State Bar.
JudgeHarryPregerson PublicServiceFellows
Raiders - NFL Antitrust Litigation
As a district judge, Harry granted a preliminary injunction preventing the NFL standing in the way of the Oakland Raiders from becoming the Los Angeles Raiders and taking up tenancy in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Nicole Bala
Class of 2026
Nicole (she/her) is a second year law student in the full-time program and is the first in her family to pursue a law degree. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and Sociology from Gonzaga University and, prior to attending Southwestern, worked at Homeboy Industries, Inc (HBI), the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. Through her work and relationships within the HBI community, she became intimately familiar with the injustices that underserved, marginalized communities face and witnessed firsthand the importance of having an effective legal advocate
This summer, she served as a law clerk for the Ventura County Public Defender’s Office supporting felony trial attorneys in drafting motions, conducting client interviews, and in preparing expungement motions to help clients clear their criminal records.
In the upcoming year, Nicole is proud to serve as a Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow, as the Fundraising Chair for the Mass Incarceration Awareness Law Society, Staff Member for the Southwestern Law Review, Teaching Assistant for Professor Kemba Taylor and as a student clerk in Southwestern’s Community Lawyering Clinic.
Donald Bullock
Class of 2025
Donald came to law school to make a difference in his community. As a future attorney, Donald aspires to work in criminal defense and has served as a law clerk for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office for over the past 16 months and counting During his time in the Public Defender’s Office, Donald has conducted numerous client interviews, arraignments, and pre-trial motions. Seeking to uphold the constitutional rights of individuals charged with crimes has been an incredibly rewarding experience and Donald seeks to continue fighting for their rights.
Donald is a third-year law student in the full-time program, a returning Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow, a Dean’s Fellow, a Teaching Assistant for Constitutional Law and Criminal Law, on the Peer Mentor Advisory Board, and the Co-Vice President for the Black Law Students Association.
Kierra Capurro
Class of 2026
Kierra is a second-year law student passionate about criminal law, criminal justice reform, and international law. Born and raised in Reno, Nevada, Kierra graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in Cultural Anthropology. Kierra is from a family familiar with political advocacy and lobbying as well as drug addiction and struggles with rehabilitation. Prior to her legal studies at Southwestern, she interned with McDonald Carano’s Government Advocacy Group supporting issue advocacy efforts in lobbying the Nevada Legislature on behalf of children, the unhoused, and individuals suffering from addiction
This summer, Kierra served as a law clerk in the Community Violence Reduction Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. There, she gained experience in drafting motions, preparing trial exhibits, engaging with defense attorneys and witnessed the balance the District Attorney’s Office strikes between enforcing the law and seeking equitable justice. She left with the knowledge that she would be happy to return to serve in the Office again, and perhaps become a judge one day.
In addition to serving as a Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow, Kierra holds leadership positions with Southwestern’s Criminal Law Society, the Neurodivergence and Differently Abled Advocates and as a staffer for Southwestern’s Journal of International Law.
Olivia Dilas
Class of 2026
Olivia Dilas has persevered through the atrocities of war and a childhood marked by displacement as a refugee. Often living undocumented, she eventually arrived in the United States on political asylum. Despite these challenges, Olivia spent 15-years in Silicon Valley's tech industry and is now pursuing a second career in public interest law, driven by a deep commitment to helping the most vulnerable communities and individuals
This summer, Olivia served as a law clerk in the Felonies Department’s Pre-Trial Unit of the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office There, she gained valuable skills interviewing clients in county jail, assessing client eligibility for pre-trial release, assisting in arraignments, and drafting motions for felony mental health diversion. She worked closely with vulnerable community members, including the unhoused and new refugees, many facing untreated mental health conditions and lack of access to healthcare.
Olivia is a third-year law student in Southwestern’s part-time evening program, a staffer for the Southwestern Journal of International Law, Co-Chair of the Women’s Law Association and, in the fall, will serve as a student clerk in Southwestern’s Community Lawyering Clinic, continuing her dedication to public service and advocacy for those in need.
Alexander Drew
Class of 2025
Alexander Drew is a third-year law student, first-generation college graduate, Marine Corps Veteran, dedicated cat dad and husband, and a returning Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow.
Alex has devoted his budding legal career to public service beginning with his summer law clerk experience with the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and followed by his work in Southwestern’s Immigration Law Clinic assisting children and victims of crime as they continued their arduous journey to obtain permanent legal residence.
Alex spent the past summer as a law clerk in the Washington DC headquarters of the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice where he worked on premerger investigations, Hart-Scott-Rodino Act compliance, and conducted interviews with market competitors and customers in order to better understand industry impact of impermissible mergers and the best remedies that would mitigate anti-competitive effects. Along the way, Alex has volunteered over 200 hours with Public Counsel's Center for Veterans Advancement, assisting veterans with a variety of issues, including discharge upgrades, VA debt relief, and with service-connected disability claims.
Miranda Flores-Tirado
Class of 2026
Miranda is a proud first-generation college graduate and second-year law student in Southwestern’s full-time program. Having grown up in Northeast Los Angeles, Miranda's love for her community is deeply instilled, and she knew she wanted to spend a career helping others as a future attorney and to help protect clients' rights as they traverse the legal justice system.
This past summer, Miranda served as a law clerk for the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office, assisting with motions and legal research while providing support to clients through one of the most difficult times of their lives These experiences had a great impact on Miranda’s continued pursuit to become a criminal defense attorney for indigent clients.
In the upcoming year, Miranda is honored to serve as a Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow, as a student clerk in Southwestern’s Eviction Defense Clinic and as a research assistant for Professor Kathryn Campbell.
Desirae Ibarra
Class of 2025
Desirae Ibarra is a proud first-generation college graduate and third-year law student who hails from Oakland, California. She joined the full-time program at Southwestern Law after earning her B.A. in Politics and Legal Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz Desirae pursued law school to make a difference in her community and is driven by a mission to protect indigent clients’ rights in criminal matters as a future attorney
This past summer, Desirae served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Karen Stevenson of the United States District Court - Central District of California and has devoted over 400 hours volunteering for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office with plans to return as a law clerk for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office in the upcoming year.
A returning Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow, Desirae also serves as a Dean’s Fellow, Co Vice-President for the Black Law Students Association, Teaching Assistant for Constitutional Law and Criminal Law, Director of Community Service for the Western Region Black Law Students Association, and as a Student Ambassador for LegallyFit. She is confident these experiences will prepare her to become a skilled, zealous advocate for indigent clients and is dedicated to fighting mass incarceration one client at a time.
Sarah Kreager
ass of 2025
Having lived in Los Angeles for most of her life, Sarah has witnessed significant transformations in the city, including the affordable housing and homelessness crisis. As a future attorney, she intends to channel her passion in advocating for tenants’ rights by focusing on eviction defense – a critical need heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sarah has previously served as a law clerk for Inner City Law Center, where she witnessed firsthand the profound impact legal aid can have on vulnerable communities, as a legal volunteer for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and Bet Tzedek Legal Services, as a student clerk in Southwestern’s Eviction Defense Clinic and, most recently, as a summer law clerk in the Legal Unit of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
A third-year law student in the full-time program, Sarah is active on-campus holding leadership positions as Co-Chair of the Public Interest Law Committee, as student advisor to the board of the Homelessness Prevention Law Project and as a Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow. In the spring, she is excited to be joining Southwestern’s new Asylum Law Clinic as a student clerk providing advocacy to LGBTQ+ individuals fleeing persecution from their countries of origin.
Matthew Ospina
Class of 2026
Prior to his legal studies at Southwestern, Matthew worked in numerous immigrant churches throughout Los Angeles and then in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office as a Client Advocate. This past summer, Matthew served as a law clerk for both the District Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles County in California and the District Attorney’s Office of Pima County in Arizona through Fair and Just Prosecution’s split-summer program There, he worked personally with elected District Attorney George Gascón and Pima County District Attorney Laura Conover on their respective Office policies and the expansion of Restorative Justice Programs, Victims Services, and Convictions Integrity.
As a second-year student in the full-time program, Matthew is looking forward to returning to a client-facing role as a student clerk in Southwestern’s Asylum Clinic in the fall and will serve as Co-Vice Chair of the National Lawyers Guild – Southwestern Chapter helping to spread awareness in the school community about abolitionism.
Lianne Urriza
Class of 2025
Lianne is a third-year law student who was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother at the age of seven. From a young age, Lianne was familiar with what it meant to advocate for herself and her family as it was her experiences surrounding her family’s journey from the Philippines as well as her first-hand experiences in being treated differently for her disability that has set her path directly into the public interest realm and to being molded into a fierce advocate for marginalized communities.
Lianne is deeply passionate about special education law and children’s rights, the two oftentimes coinciding with the other throughout her law clerk experiences. As a law clerk with the Elder Law and Disability Rights Center, Lianne was introduced to disability rights advocacy, which led her to the Lanterman Special Education Legal Clinic. At Lanterman, Lianne developed a deep passion connecting with youths and their families through the power of special education advocacy. Lianne spent this past summer as a law clerk for the Children’s Law Center of California, which allowed her to combine her two passions of special education and children’s rights advocacy in the field of dependency law.
