.

History

Community Lawyers, Inc. was incorporated in California in May 2005. Community Lawyers, Inc. was formed to formalize mentoring opportunities for first-generation pre-law and college students to expose them to opportunities in, and the challenges of the legal profession and the needs of low- and moderate-income clients.

.

The precursor to Community Lawyers was started as an informal mentoring and internship program with private attorneys. In the years of 2002 to 2005, approximately a dozen new and future attorneys sought assistance from CLI for work and practical experience.

.

The organization seeks to create a pipeline for quality, ethical and affordable attorneys who are responsive to the needs of the communities they serve.

..

Board of Directors

Monique C. Chavoya is our newest member of the board. She graduated from Smith College in 2002 and completed a masters of arts in Urban Planning at UCLA in 2006. Ms. Chavoya's interest in community development has landed her positions as a city council field representative, a fellow at the Greenlining Institute, and a project manager at the East Los Angeles Community Corporation. She currently works on affordable housing projects at McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. Ms. Chavoya grew up in Pico Rivera, California.

Araceli M. Lerma is a board member and interim secretary of Community Lawyers, Inc. She graduated from Occidental College in 1995 and Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley in 1999. Between college and law school Ms. Lerma returned to her alma mater, Garfield High School, to teach. She has worked at the private law firms of Barbosa Garcia LLP and Herzog, Fisher, Grayson & Wolfe. Ms. Lerma is past president of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association n Los Angeles and is currently in solo practice in Paramount, California. She grew up in East Los Angeles, California.

Luz E. Herrera is co-founder, President, and a board member of Community Lawyers, Inc. She graduated from Stanford University in 1995 and Harvard Law School in 1999. From 2002 to 2008, she operated a private law office in Compton, California. She has clerked with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and organized for Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. Ms. Herrera is currently an Assistant Professor of Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego after teaching at Chapman University School of Law and completing a clinical fellowship at the Legal Services Center at Harvard Law School. Ms. Herrera grew up in Whittier, California.

___________________________________________________________

Community Lawyers, Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization whose tax ID number is 55-0898050.  Your contribution is tax deductible.