The Inclusion & Diversity Fellowship program is a joint program managed by the California Lawyers Foundation (a 501(c)(3) charitable organization) and the California Lawyers Association Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section. The Fellowship provides training, mentorship, and career opportunities for students from underrepresented groups in the legal profession, increases interest in antitrust and unfair competition law, and promotes the work of the Section.

To further the Section’s diversity and inclusion goals, the Fellowship is designed for law students who (i) are a member of a diverse population or group that historically has been underrepresented in the legal profession; or (ii) have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to diversity that will be furthered by award of the Fellowship. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in practicing law in California. In selecting Fellowship recipients, the Committee will consider, among other things: strong academic performance, writing skills, demonstrated leadership qualities, ability to overcome obstacles, a strong interest in antitrust and unfair competition law, and a desire to contribute to the Section’s publications on antitrust or UCL issues. 

The Section strongly encourages applications from law students from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds (including but not limited to diversity arising from the applicant’s race, color, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, first generation professional, and veteran status), as well as from law students whose backgrounds may have presented obstacles to accessing the legal profession. The Section will consider this information, as described in the applicant’s personal statement, in selecting Fellowship recipients.

The Fellowship recipient will be the Section’s Inclusion & Diversity Fellow. The program is open to all law students interested in practicing antitrust and unfair competition law in California. Students must be members of the Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section to be eligible for the Fellowship. The California Lawyers Association allows all law students up to three one-year Section memberships at no cost. A Fellowship recipient who is not already a Section member will be required to join the Section.

The Inclusion & Diversity Fellowship Program offers a pathway for law students who are interested in the practice of antitrust and unfair competition law. In addition to a monetary stipend, the Fellow receives a year-long mentorship from a practicing antitrust or UCL lawyer and a summer internship in a government agency working on antitrust and unfair competition law matters. Specific details are below:

• Award Amount: The Fellowship awards the selected recipient a total of $10,000.
  • The award can be combined with other tuition-remission programs and is not preclusive of other forms of financial aid that the student may receive for the same school year. The award can be combined with other tuition-remission programs and is not preclusive of other forms of financial aid that the student may receive for the same school year.
• Mentoring: The Fellowship recipient will be assigned to an antitrust or UCL practitioner as a mentor. The mentor will be responsible for maintaining year-long regular contact with the student and offering the student support, guidance, and advice as appropriate throughout the year.
• Government Internship: The Fellowship provides the student a summer internship with a federal or state governmental antitrust or UCL enforcer, such as the California Department of Justice or the U.S. Department of Justice, which student is required to accept and complete as part of receiving the Award. If the recipient does not complete the internship, the total Award will need to be returned.
• Engagement: The Fellow is expected to attend Section events, including the Section’s annual Golden State Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Institute with free conference registration. The Fellow is expected to contribute to the Section’s publications related to antitrust and UCL issues.

Applicants must either:

• be law students currently enrolled full-time in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school and who have completed at least one semester of law school as of application closing date.
• be part-time (four-year program) or joint-degree student currently at least in their second year of law school in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school. Current undergraduate students, students who are not currently enrolled, and LLM students are not eligible to apply.

Applicants also must either

• be a member of a diverse population or group that historically has been underrepresented in the legal profession.
• demonstrate a long-standing commitment to diversity that will be furthered by award of the fellowship. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in practicing law in California.

Selection considerations will include but are not limited to: strong academic performance, writing skills, demonstrated leadership qualities, ability to overcome obstacles, a strong interest in antitrust and unfair competition law, and a desire to contribute to the Section’s publications on antitrust or UCL issues.

Please include the following materials in your application packet:

• Completed application form.
• Cover letter
• Resume
• Undergraduate official transcripts
• Law school official transcripts
• Legal writing sample
• Two references (only contact information is required, but letters of reference will be considered)
• Personal essay of no more than 750-1000 words (explaining your interest in the Fellowship program, and describing how you meet the eligibility requirements and how your experiences have impacted your personal growth and your vision for the legal practice).

Fellowship selections will be based on the above application materials and may include video conference interviews by members of the selection committee. Applicants may also be interviewed by prospective employers.

Iman Eslami is a first-generation American and second year law student at UC Berkeley School of Law. He has been selected as a 2024-2025 CLA Antitrust & Unfair Competition Section Diversity Fellow where his passion for antitrust and competition law has continued to grow. While in law school, Iman has worked at the CA Department of Justice Antitrust Section as well as the plaintiff-side antitrust firm, Zelle LLP. On campus he is involved with the Berkeley Law Center for Consumer Protection and Economic Justice where he conducts pro bono research for the DC Attorney General. He is also a cofounder of Berkeley’s Antitrust Law and Economics student group and an associate editor for the California Law Review. Prior to law school, Iman worked as an economic consultant for complex litigation disputes. He completed his undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley in Data Science and Economics. He hopes to continue building a career as an antitrust advocate and appreciates the support he has received from CLA to become a leader in the field.

Check out the Youtube Video below!

Karla is a 2L at the University of San Diego, School of Law. She is an associate member of the San Diego Law Review and is a competing member of the Transactional Law Team. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, New York, she spent 16 years as an undocumented immigrant before becoming a U.S. citizen last March. Despite this challenge, she is a proud first-generation college and law student. Karla earned her B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Political Science from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She previously worked as a paralegal at the Legal Aid Society of D.C. for two years and then as a case assistant at Mintz. She looks forward to pursuing a fulfilling career in antitrust and unfair competition law.

Check out the Youtube Video below!