Find out about our previous law student interns here...

 

 

Summer 2010 Law School Interns

Born in Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, Oscar Espino graduated from UCLA in 2007 with a B.A. in Political Science. He is currently a second year law student at UCLA School of Law and will be starting a joint graduate public policy degree next year at the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Before entering law school, he spent sometime working as a program development consultant and as a community organizer. Oscar is interested in issues of law and policy affecting Latino/as, immigrants, the LGBT community and youth.

 

 

 

Aariel Holmes was born in Los Angeles, California. She received her Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University and is currently a first year student at Howard University School of Law in Washington, DC. Growing up in a minority community sparked her decision to pursue a career in law creating a passion to give back. After completion of law school Aariel plans to return to California to practice law and contribute to closing the gap of access to justice.

 

 

 

 

Douglas Kim is currently a second year law student at the University of Southern California Law School. He grew up in the Bay Area, attended UCSD. During the school year, Doug serves as an intern for the USC Small Business Clinic, which provides basic corporate legal assistance to aspiring small business owners who cannot afford to pay market rates for these services. Although his interests are many, he hopes to focus his career on immigration law reform, children’s' rights, or criminal justice.

 

 

 

 

Valeria Lopez was raised in the communities of South Park and Barrio Logan, San Diego. She is a student at Columbia Law School and earned her History degree at UCLA. Her primary legal interests are in the areas of family law and community enterprise. She would like to apply community-economic development principles to the legal profession in order to address systemic injustice.

 

 

 

 

 

Nichole Rapier was born in Downey, California and grew up in Orange County. She received her bachelor’s degree from U.C. Berkeley where she studied fine arts. Prior to law school, Nichole worked as an artist, using traditional women’s handicrafts and sculpture to unite diverse subcultures through a common story of women as caretakers. She currently attends U.C. Davis School of Law. After law school she hopes to provide affordable legal aid to those who traditionally have not been able to afford adequate counsel, particularly single working mothers.

 

 

 

Samantha Swanson was born and raised in Ventura County, California. She graduated from California University of Long Beach in 2009 with a B.A. in Philosophy and is currently attending Western State University of Law. Most of her scholastic career has been focused on community service. After law school she hopes to help provide a voice to people who are unable to advocate for themselves.

 

 

 

 

Summer 2009 Law School Interns

Growing up in Orange County with strong ties to South Los Angeles, Candace Jones understood at a young age the disparities in opportunity, education, and standard of living that exist throughout different communities. After receiving her B.S. in Business Administration from Hampton University, Candace is now a law student at Southwestern Law School and is interested in creating new business models to help her and others establish law practices that serve the needs of underserved communities. Candace worked with Community Legal Services and in Norwalk and with various private attorneys during her summer placement.

 

Karen Suri attends California Western School of Law in San Diego. Born and raised in New Jersey, Karen moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics. She is interested in pursuing a career in civil rights and constitutional law. Karen is dedicated to learning more about bridging the gaps between legal services already offered  to low and moderate incomes in the community, and how address the current problems communities are facing with access to legal help.  Karen worked with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County and helped develop CLI’s outreach plan during her summer with CLI.

Jose Cervantes received his bachelor degree in business administration from California State University, Long Beach and is a recent graduate of UC Davis School of Law. Before law school, he worked for several years in a large corporate accounting firm as an employment tax consultant. He was raised by immigrant parents in South Los Angeles. His childhood experiences and his continuing ties to the community have allowed him witness the needs in underserved communities firsthand. Jose looks forward to continue to give back as an attorney. During his summer with us, he worked with attorney Mario Vega and with Community Legal Services in Compton.

Summer 2008 Law School Interns

The following students participated in the 2008 Summer Law Student Internship Program which was a successful collaboration between Community Lawyers, Community Legal Services and the Legal Aid Society of Orange county:

Araceli Almazan was born in Torrance, California. She received her bachelor degree from UCLA where she majored in political science and minored in both public policy and education. Immediately after graduating she participated in the Senate Fellows Program in Sacramento. Araceli earned her law degree from UC Davis School of Law in 2009.  She is currently finalizing the second year of an MPA dual degree program with Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and the London School of Economics. She attributes her passion for public interest law to her upbringing in South Los Angeles and she aspires to give back to her community. Araceli spent her CLI summer working with attorneys Salvador Alva and Araceli Lerma in addition to working at Community Legal Services in Compton.

 

Joseph Alvarado is a 2010 graduate from Seattle University School of Law, where he was an editor for the Seattle Journal for Social Justice. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he attained his B.A. in Philosophy from California State University, Northridge and a Paralegal Certificate from the UCLA, Extension, Attorney Assistant Training Program.  Prior to law school, Joseph was a paralegal at Kirkland & Ellis, LLC and at the ACLU of Southern California.  He plans to sit for the Washington and California bar exams, and eventually practice in the areas of criminal law and civil rights. Joseph spent his 2008 summer working with attorney Alex Moisa in Whittier and Community Legal Services in Norwalk.

Eric Dominguez is a recent graduate of Chapman University School of Law. Born and raised in Orange County, Eric graduated from Chapman University with a degree in Political Science. During law school, Eric developed his interests in immigration and employment law while interning at California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the ACLU of Southern California. Eric spent his CLI summer working on employment law matters with attorneys Monica Guizar and Sandra Munoz and at Neighborhood Legal Services in El Monte.

Michelle Kim received her bachelor degree in political science from UCSD and graduated from Western State College of Law. Her interest in becoming a public interest lawyer developed while growing up in an Asian community where cultural and language barriers and excessive fees discourage many Asians from seeking legal services. She hopes to build her future in family and immigration law. During law school Michelle worked at the Self-Help Legal Access Center in Pomona and as also worked as a discovery clerk for a family law solo practitioner. Michelle spent her CLI summer and is currently working with attorneys Eileen Chun and J. Craig Fong on immigration matters.

Diana López joined the California bar in 2009 and is currently working with a small plaintiff’s firm in Orange County. She graduated from Chapman University School of Law and Pitzer College in Claremont, California. Before attending law school, she was a math teacher and tutor. Her decision to go to law school was sparked by the various injustices that she witnessed facing her family and community. In her professional future, she wishes to one day set up a small, general community practice where she can offer legal services at affordable prices and help alleviate the current imbalance of access to justice that exists in underserved communities like her hometown of Santa Ana. Diana spend her summer working with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County and the Law Office of Luz E. Herrera.

Aaron Tenzer also joined the bar in 2009. He graduated from Chapman University School of Law and Chapman University. After the completion of law school he intends to work in the public interest sector in the field of criminal defense. Aaron spent his summer working on community economic development and affordable housing projects under the supervision of attorney Francisca Gonzalez Baxa.

 

 

 

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Due to limited resources, Community Lawyers, Inc. is not currently offering summer opportunities for pre-law students. If you are interested in The following students participated in the Community Lawyers, Inc. Pre-Law summer program for college students:

 

2007 Summer Pre-Law Interns

Devon Lee graduated from the University of California, Davis and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in African American Studies at the University of Kansas. During his internship at CLI Devon decided that he was interested in continuing to facilitate community building programs but to do so through graduate school. As an undergraduate Devon led marches against police profiling and organized campus events to change and improve the recruitment and retention rates of historically under-represented and under-privileged students.  Devon was born in Inglewood and raised in Long Beach, California. He continues to work with CLI on various community development projects.

Alberto Audifaz Gonzalez graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently applying to law school.  As a college student he interned with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D.C. and with the Greenlining Institute in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he conducted research on sustainability issues in low-income communities and on college affordability. Since 2005 Alberto has worked with state policy makers in Sacramento, California He plans on pursuing a joint-degree program in law and public policy to represent his community.  Alberto was raised in Pico Rivera, California.

 

 

2006 Summer Pre-Law Intern

Andrew Lomeli grew up in Hacienda Heights and Boyle Heights. There he was active in his parish and learned the trade of upholstery from his father, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1960s. Andrew attended Loyola High School in Los Angeles before attending and graduating from Stanford University. Andrew was active in student government in college and was actively involved the 2008 presidential campaign. He is currently working in Washington, D.C. but hopes to attend law school in the future to have a greater arsenal to advocate for immigrants' rights.

 

 

2005 Summer Pre-Law Intern

Judith Sandoval was born in Jalisco, Mexico and immigrated to the United States with her parents at a very young age. She grew up in Compton, California and graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor degree in Political Science and a master degree in Education. Her main interest is law and politics within communities of color.  Her career plans involve working with youth, and the Latino community, especially immigrants and low-income families. Judith is currently teaching in South Los Angeles and intends to learn more about education before applying to law school.

 

2004 Pre-Law Intern

Johanna Cardenas graduated from Smith College in 2004 and since then has worked as a legal assistant in Los Angeles with various solo and small firm practitioners. She has always remained politically active by volunteering her time to organizations that empower minority communities. She wants to be a lawyer to represent communities that have been underrepresented. She was born and raised in South Gate.