California Lawyers Foundation’s Pathway Initiative –  the California Legal Pathways Collaborative

The California Legal Pathways Collaborative (CLPC) is the pathway initiative for the California Lawyers Foundation.  Joining CLF in in 2023 at the CLA’s Annual Meeting, CLPC originally started at the State Bar of California in 2011 with the creation of six high school law academies.  In a partnership with the California Department of Education, we now have 21 active high school law academies across California with a vision of diversifying the legal profession.  All our law academies are in public schools and built under the Education Code 54690-97 creating California Partnership Academies.  

In our new home at CLF, we have already had a banner 9 months.  Building a new foundational structure with a Board of Advisors whose members are all passionate and committed to the work of the diversity pipeline.  In February we had 200 eager high school students in Sacramento for Legislative Day.  Inspiring speakers were elected officials and leadership from the Legislature.  The crowning panel was three women leaders from the bench/bar:  Justice Shama Mesiwala (3^rd District Courts of Appeal), Presiding Judge Bunmi Awoniyi (Sacramento Superior Court) and Chief Counsel for the Assembly Speaker Emelyn Rodriguez.  These inspiring women are making history as the “first” in their positions.  They connected by sharing their own personal stories of hardship, perservance and triumph.  One of our mottos is: “If you can see it, you can be it!”

At the end of the school year, CLPC presented our high school seniors with Certificates of Graduation with members of our board and staff doing the presentation.  It was a moving experience to see the future of our nation and the legal profession who truly represent the people we serve in California.  

Law Day was a virtual zoom with our law academy students responding to questions about Democracy – “How do you define Democracy” – and “How to Protect and Support Democracy.”  The students were engaged and answers were thought-provoking and inspiring.  

We invite you to join us at our inaugural Law Academy Symposium and Scholarship/Awards reception on September 21, 2024, at UC San Francisco.  For more information, click on this link:  https://calawyers.org/event/california-law-academy-symposium-awards-and-scholarship-reception/ 

We celebrate our inaugural honorees:

Excellence in Teaching:

Allen Mooney, Richmond High Law Academy

Excellence in Leadership

Judge Elizabeth Macias, Former Advisory Council Chair (Santa Ana Law Academy)

We will celebrate our six inaugural high school law academies:

Crawford High Law Academy (San Diego)

Cabrillo High Academy of Law & Justice (Long Beach)

Wilson High Law Academy (Los Angeles)

Florin High Law and the World (Elk Grove)

McClatchy High Law and Public Policy Academy (Sacramento)

DeAnza High Law Academy (Richmond)

CLPC’S MISSION

Fostering increased diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession through collaboration between the California Lawyers Foundation and the California High School Law Academy partners.  

CLPC’S VISION

A legal profession that reflects the rich diversity of California.