Cristina Rebeil

When a legal services consumer meets Cristina Rebeil, there is an almost instantaneous connection. “I am them,” says Cristina, a solo practitioner in Southeast Los Angeles County who volunteers at Community Lawyers, Inc. (CLI).

Cristina identifies with many of the obstacles legal services consumers face. She was born to undocumented parents and grew up in a home marred with violence. Her father attempted to kill her when she was a toddler. Shortly after the attempt against her life, Cristina and her siblings escaped the abuse when their mother fled with the children to Magdalena, Sonora, a Mexican town near the Arizona border.

Cristina’s migration back to the United States was motivated by a quintessential California event - The Tournament of Roses Parade. Almost every year Cristina watched the parade as it aired live on Tucson television. She learned English by watching Bullwinkle and the Brady Bunch. She remembers, “One year I saw the UCLA Marching Band. It captured my imagination and I said, ‘I want to go to UCLA.’”

We are looking for seasoned lawyers who can help mentor and teach new attorneys in various substantive areas of law and law office management. Our summer program also places law students in attorneys offices and incorporates attorneys in different practice settings in our intensive program that kicks off the summer program. If you are available to mentor or teach please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Ana Castro grew up in South Los Angeles. She is entering her third year at Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas. She received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Spanish Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to joining Community Lawyers, Ms. Castro served as an intern for the Texas Supreme Court, under Justice David Medina, where her case research and writing of internal memoranda have contributed to the adjudication of issues currently before the Court.

Mayra Galvan recently completed her first year at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Galvan served as Bilingual Event Marketing Representative for ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Northern California. In this capacity, she coordinated national fundraising programs targeted to the Latino market. While earning her Bachelor’s degrees in Political Economy of Industrial Societies and History at the University of California, Berkley, Ms. Galvan was a founding member of the UC Berkley chapter of the Lambda Theta Alpha Latina sorority in addition to participating in Raza Retention and Recruitment on campus.

Teresa Gutierrez grew up in San Pedro, California. She received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Southern California and is currently a first year student at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, in San Diego, California. Ms. Gutierrez has extensive experience advocating for the underrepresented. She served as a legal secretary for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles as well as a Program and Operations Associate for Kids in Need of Defense, where she conducted intake services for child immigration cases. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Gutierrez was a staff assistant for Senator Edward M. Kennedy where she drafted correspondence and memoranda in response to constituent inquiries.

Oscar Lopez is entering his second year at Columbia Law School. He grew up in Los Angeles and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. During the school year, Mr. Lopez participated in the Columbia Human Rights Internship Program and is a member of the Latino/a Law Students Association. In addition to attending law school, Mr. Lopez teaches at the High School Law Institute in New York, New York, where he teaches the principals of constitutional law to area high school students. Prior to law school, he was a teaching assistant in the Los Angeles Unified School District where he assisted biology teachers to develop and deliver biology curriculum. Upon graduation, Mr. Lopez hopes to continue this commitment to education with a career in education law.

America Vidana is entering her third year at University of La Verne College of Law in Ontario, California. Ms. Vidana is currently working as a translator for her law school’s Justice and Immigration Clinic, which provides pro bono assistance to clients seeking asylum in the United States. Ms. Vidana has also volunteered at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials Citizenship drive, where she assisted permanent residents in properly completing naturalization applications. In addition to her extensive law school background, Ms. Vidana acts a mentor and motivational speaker for high school students interested in pursuing a career in law.

Students who wish to meet their law school's pro bono or writing requirements may be able to work with Community Lawyers, Inc. Students should desire to conduct research into and/or develop projects that will have a significant impact on the availability of legal services to low income clients. Students should send an email expressing their interest along with information about their school's requirement to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Community Lawyers, Inc. will work with law students and their law schools to ensure that projects meet the academic standards of each institution.