The Labor and Employment Law Section of the California Lawyers Association, and the California Lawyers Foundation are committed to fostering the career growth of persons of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented groups who are interested in practicing labor and employment law in areas that support and promote the goal of diversity in the labor and employment law field. We are pleased to announce a bar stipend for outstanding law students and graduates enrolled at a California or ABA accredited law school in California with a demonstrated commitment to labor and employment law. The bar stipend may be used towards the expenses related to preparation for the California Bar Examination, including but not limited to examination and preparation course fees.
Alexandria Morones, a native of Southern California, recently completed her 3L year at Santa Clara University School of Law and is currently preparing for the July 2024 bar exam. She realized her passion for employment law after taking an employment discrimination class during her 2L year at Santa Clara. Since then, she has participated in numerous Workers’ Rights and legal aid clinics providing free legal assistance to California workers. After passing the bar, she is eager to use her experience to make meaningful contributions to the field of labor and employment law.
My name is Antonio Alexander. I was born and raised in Birmingham, AL. Since my childhood, I have had a passion for sports, which has steered me in the direction of wanting to become a sports agent. I hold two Bachelorâs degree in Business Marketing and Psychology. I hold a Masterâs degree in Sportâs and Fitness Management and I recently acquired my Juris Doctorate in hopes for a better fit in the sports agent position. However, after completion of law school I have gained much interest in IP and Employment law with hopes after I sit for the bar, that I may pursue a career in these field.
Athena Arana
Jane Balkoski (she/her) recently graduated from Berkeley Law. She was a member of the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law, the Plaintiffs’ Law Association, and the Wage Justice Clinic. She also worked as a legal research and writing tutor and interned with the California Supreme Court and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. Prior to law school, Jane was a barista for three years, then a paralegal at a plaintiffs’ firm. She grew up in San Francisco.
Jessica Dimas is a recent graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law. As a student, she served as a law clerk at Legal Aid at Work with the Work and Family Program and interned at a plaintiff-side employment law firm. Prior to law school, Jessica held several positions at Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland, first as an immigration paralegal and then coordinating the Workersâ Rights Helpline and Immigrant Relief Fund projects through the pandemic. Her time in Chiapas, Mexico as a Fulbright scholar further informed her interest in workersâ rights advocacy. Jessica is passionate about uplifting community voices and propelling intersectional equity.
Former Business Owner, Public Official, and Oregonian, Kate Bonifas has found a new home in Southern California and cannot wait to begin this next chapter of life in a legal career. She is fascinated with the deeply personal nature of Labor and Employment Law, as the issues at hand relate directly to peopleâs daily lives and livelihood, and to their ability to live within our society as contributing members. Her experience since beginning Law School includes a year as a Certified Legal Intern with the San Diego Public Defenderâs Office, a year as the Legislative and Policy Intern with the California Innocence Coalition, a Research position with Professor Jessica Fink on the change in reasonableness standard for Title VII cases post âMeToo,â Clerking at The Dixon Firm, and her current position Clerking with Clarkson Law Firm. She has received a Distinguished Advocate award for her first year Appellate Argument, as well as top of the class awards for Academic Excellence in Criminal Law; her Scholarly Writing in Crimmigration, which discussed the intersection of the California Racial Justice Act and the Federal Immigration System; and for her paper in Aet Law which explored the contrast between the constitutional protection of expressive freedoms, and the regulation of bodily and personal intimate autonomy.Â
Manny Cruz is a recent graduate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in May 2024. During law school, Manny clerked at various law firms, advocating for aggrieved employees on the plaintiff side and engaging in defense work to preserve the legitimacy of plaintiff claims. This summer, Manny is preparing for the Bar Exam and will begin his legal career at Olivarez Madruga Law Organization LLP in August 2024. As a first-generation law student, Manny will continue to honor his commitment to advocating for equitable treatment within the workplace and promoting diversity in the legal community. Manny is honored to have received a scholarship from The Labor and Employment Law Section of the California Lawyers Foundation and looks forward to using his legal degree to make a positive impact.
My name is Nathalie Alvarez and I am a recent graduate of Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. I am a first generation Mexican American, and was the first person in my family to go to college. Since the spring semester of my 2L year, I have been working at a Plaintiff’s employment law firm called Koul Law Firm, APC. I am passionate about labor and employment law, specifically cases concerning wage and hour violations. I hope that through practicing employment law, I can advocate for those in my community and help other underrepresented communities. I will be sitting for the California Bar this upcoming July, and look forward to my future legal career.
Olivia Totten received her J.D. with a concentration in Employment and Labor Law from the University of San Diego School of Law in May 2024. She is a Law Clerk at Van Dermyden Makus, a firm dedicated to providing neutral workplace investigations. There, she assists in investigations regarding employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and misconduct. Oliviaâs law school experience as co-chair of the Name and Gender-Marker Change Clinic and board member of Pride Law influence her investigations regarding LGBTQ+ matters. After taking the California Bar Exam in July 2024, she will return to Van Dermyden Makus to begin her legal career. Â
Roxana Martinez Lopez was raised in Koreatown, Los Angeles, in a low-income indigenous Oaxacan community that shaped her views on access to opportunity and legal resources. She attended Southwestern Law School’s Part-Time Evening Program while working full-time throughout her four years there. Roxana graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science and Chicana/o Studies and a Minor in Labor and Workplace Studies. Before attending law school, Roxana worked in labor union community organizing, immigration law, and workers’ rights. As a law student, she continued to engage in opportunities that taught her how to advocate for and provide resources to low-income workers. Roxana is optimistic that, with the assistance of this scholarship, she can thrive during her California Bar Exam preparation and in her pursuit of labor and employment law. With support from organizations and communities like CLA, she feels empowered to continue advocating for underserved BIPOC working communities.
Sabrina Medler graduated from UCLA School of Law this May, with specializations in the law schoolâs Public Interest Law & Policy and Critical Race Studies programs. During law school, Medler pursued direct legal services for low-income domestic violence survivors; impact litigation and policy advocacy at the ACLU SoCalâs LGBTQ, Gender, and Reproductive Justice Project; worker collective action through UNITE HERE Local 11; civil litigation concerning workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation at the plaintiff firms Haeggquist & Eck and Allred, Maroko, & Goldberg; and government representation of low-income workers at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After taking the California Bar Exam, Medler will return to the plaintiff firm Allred, Maroko, & Goldberg, pursuing a career as a civil rights and employment attorney, and holding institutions such as workplaces, schools, and government entities responsible for unlawful infringement of basic liberties.Â
Samia Syed earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in 2024. She is a first generation law student and the daughter of Pakistani immigrants from Orange County, California. Samia’s interest in and dedication to Labor and Employment law stems from her passion for civil rights advocacy. While in law school, she participated in internships with the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the California Attorney General’s Worker Rights and Fair Labor Section. At GW Law, Samia served as a mentor with the Law Association for Women and Mock Trial Skills Board. Samia enjoys de-stressing from work through kickboxing, driving down PCH, and spending time with her puppy. Samia is honored to receive the 2024 Summer Bar Studies Scholarship from the California Lawyers Association, and looks forward to beginning her post-graduate legal career with the National Labor Relations Board Honors Program this fall in Los Angeles California.Â
Urepanny Morales. Originally from Salinas, CA, and a UCLA alumnus, I am a recent graduate from the University of California, Davis School of Law. During my time at law school, I was involved in the wage claim clinic, the business law journal, the Latinx Law Student Association, and the Arriba Las Vegas worker center. After taking the California bar in July, I plan to continue my work in plaintiff-side labor and employment.Â
Raised in San Franciscoâs Chinatown, Victoria Chan is an advocate for workers’ rights. Prior to law school, she spent nearly six years as a Senior Community Advocate for Asian Americans Advancing Justice â Asian Law Caucus, where she empowered and represented low-wage and immigrant workers on issues including wage and hour, unemployment insurance, and workplace health and safety. During law school, Victoria worked at the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, Golden Gate University (GGU) Law’s Women’s Employment Rights Clinic, and Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP. Additionally, Victoria externed for the Hon. Michelle Tong of the San Francisco Superior Court. After graduating with honors from GGU Law in May 2024, Victoria will be working at Legal Aid at Work as the 2024 – 2026 Foundation for Advocacy Inclusion and Resources Fellow.Â