The ChangeMaker Magazine - March 2022

THE

CHANGE MARCH 2022 ISSUE

MAKER

MAGA ZINE

OK N E W LO L. AND FEE PE E K TA K E A INSIDE!

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elcome to the new and improved, official California ChangeLawyers digital magazine.

Doubly called “The ChangeMaker” because you, our supporters, help make change happen in our communities, the legal profession and the lives of our ChangeLawyers scholars, fellows, alumni and extended family. The ChangeMaker will come exclusively to ChangeLawyers supporters

quarterly: every March, June, September and December and feature key updates, articles, news and information about the work and stories of California ChangeLawyers.

We hope you enjoy this new name, look and feel and we invite you to read on in the first-ever edition of “The ChangeMaker.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

Letter from Executive Director, Christopher Punongbayan

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Meet The Team

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2022 Board of Directors

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Welcome New Board Members

10 The 3L Scholarship Program 12 Thank You to Co-Sponsors 14 Celebrating a Legacy: The Dan S. Goodman Memorial Fund 16 Alumni Voices: Meet Judge Delgado 20 Leaders Forum 2022 22 Legal Empowerment Fund 24 This is What ChangeLawyers Looks Like 26 Other Ways to Support 27 A Simple Thank You

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LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEAR CHANGELAWYERS SUPPORTERS,

H

appy Spring! For me, spring is a reminder that dark times do have moments of light. We have come through a challenging winter and even as we are now solidly in the third year of the pandemic, I am hopeful. One of the main reasons is because - for the first time since 1789 when the United States Supreme Court was created - a Black woman may become a Justice of the Court. It’s hard to fathom that there has never been a Black woman on the country’s highest court. In 2019, there were 21.7 million Black women living in the United States.

The lack of representation of Black women on the federal bench is quite profound. Of the 115 Supreme Court Justices ever to

serve, only two have been black (1.7%), only five have been women (4.3%), and none have been Black women. The statistics are not much better on the rest of the federal bench. According to the Pew Research Center, there have only been 70 Black women who have served as a federal judge. That’s only 1.8% of the 3,843 federal judges ever.

While this 233 year streak of no Black women on the Supreme Court may end in the next few weeks, it is worth noting that there is a reason why historic firsts are so historic: because there were barriers that had to be broken.

Firsts are important, inspiring, and emotional. At the same time, they tend to obscure the fact that real and perceived barriers to elevating in law, and frankly to

even becoming a lawyer, are still quite real. It will be important to remember that if a Black woman becomes a Supreme Court Justice, the work is not over.

If we believe that representation matters in the executive and legislative branches of government, then representation matters in the judicial branch as well. Elevating women, BIPOC, LGBTQ, and immigrant lawyers to the halls of power is and will continue to be important. Barriers - both real and perceived - must be systematically broken down so that firsts are also not lasts.

I am so happy to share the latest and greatest news from ChangeLawyers in this issue of our digital magazine The ChangeMaker.

Our staff and board have been quite busy advancing our organizational mission of building a better justice system for all Californians. I can’t wait for you to read more about it.

Chris Punongbayan CHRIS PUNONGBAYAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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MEET THE TEAM

CARLOS AGUILAR (HE/THEY)

CONTENT DIRECTOR

Carlos imagines a future where leadership is Brown, Black, Queer, Non Binary, and Undocumented; a future where communities have the power to determine their own lives. At ChangeLawyers, Carlos serves as the foundation’s Content and Communications Director.

He curates the popular weekly newsletter News Brief, develops and hosts the organization’s virtual events and workshops, and oversees the organization’s visual design.

JASJIT SINGH (HE/HIM) PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Born in Punjab, Jasjit immigrated to California as a young child.

His commitment to serve the community is driven by a desire to give back to the many intersectional communities that raised him. He has held positions at The San Francisco Foundation, Sikh Coalition, Ensaaf, and Jakara Movement. As Director of Programs at ChangeLawyers, he is responsible for the organization’s grants, scholarships, and policy work. Jasjit received his BA in Political Science from UC Riverside, and JD from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.

WHAT’S ONE PROFESSIONAL OR PERSONAL GOAL YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR?

STACI L. YOUNG (SHE/HER) DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Staci has been with California ChangeLawyers for one year leading our development department in fundraising, supporter relations, database management; and creating this amazing magazine for you. Staci has a passion for service and storytelling, which informs how she navigates being a fundraising professional. Staci is a proud graduate of Cal State Fullerton (BA Public Relations) and USC (MA Communication Management).

She’s also a filmmaker and screenwriter and lives in sunny Los Angeles with her family.

CARLOS: Lawyers have so much potential to change systems and institutions. This year, I’d like to tell the stories of lawyers and activists who are working to take back control of federal courts, and inspire a generation of progressive lawyers to see themselves as future Supreme Court Justices.

JASJIT: I see myself in our ChangeLawyers, as I too was the first in my family to attend law school and am navigating the financial burden that it carries. A particular focus of mine this year, is to ensure that our ChangeLawyers are fully informed and supported as they navigate the many changes to the Federal Student Loan situationespecially the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

STACI: I recently started taking Bikram yoga and I hope that by year end, I can stretch and move into all the correct poses.

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2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS JEANNE FUGATE, PRESIDENT King & Spalding Los Angeles MARK SELWYN, CO-VICE PRESIDENT WilmerHale Silicon Valley MARCI RUBIN, CO-VICE PRESIDENT Immediate past Executive Director of California Minority Counsel Program Oakland RASHA GERGES SHIELDS, SECRETARY & PRESIDENTELECT Jones Day Los Angeles ROGER PEREZ, TREASURER Roy & Patricia Disney Family Foundation Los Angeles BENNIE J. MACKEY, AT-LARGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General San Francisco

ALEXIS AMEZCUA, AT-LARGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER Morrison & Foerster LLP San Francisco

JONATHAN D. LIBBY Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California Los Angeles

OLAMIDE ABIOSE Stanford Law Student Bay Area

CLAUDIA SANCHEZ WILSON Zynga Bay Area

DEEPAK AHLUWALIA Singh Ahluwalia Immigration Law Firm Fresno CHRISTINE AVALOS CHIRLA Los Angeles SHEILA BAPAT Program Officer Security and Rights Collaborative Proteus Fund San Francisco

HONORABLE TAM NOMOTO SCHUMANN Orange County Superior Court Orange County CHRISTOPHER A. STECHER Keesal, Young & Logan San Francisco JASMINE SINGH Patreon San Francisco

CECILIA CHEN Akonadi Foundation Oakland

AMY TOVAR San Francisco Giants San Francisco

ANJAN CHOUDHURY Munger, Tolles & Olson Los Angeles

ALICIA VAZ Cox Castle & Nicholson LLP Los Angeles

DAVID KELLY Golden State Warriors Oakland

MICHELLE YBARRA Keker Van Nest & Peters San Francisco

KENNETH J. LANGAN FaZeClan Los Angeles

PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBERS!

TERESA BECK Klinedinst PC San Diego

PURDEY CASTLE Google San Francisco

WILLIAM HANEY DoorDash Los Angeles

Teresa M. Beck, Shareholder at Klinedinst, has litigated and supervised the litigation of hundreds of civil cases. She represents a wide variety of clients, including small and large businesses, nonprofits, governmental entities, care centers, developers, law firms, insurance companies and individuals. Additionally, Ms. Beck serves as outside general counsel for several corporations. Ms. Beck is passionate about the advancement of women in the workforce, work/ life management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion causes.

She is involved with and serves as a board member for a number of organizations whose missions align with her interests. Teresa is deeply involved in her church, and she and her husband and three children often volunteer for church activities.

​​​ Purdey Castle is a duallicensed attorney with over 15 years of experience advising on privacy and data security law. She advises Google on US federal and state privacy laws, international data protection laws, and cybersecurity standards.

Purdey is passionate about protecting human rights, she contributes to legal policy development focused on improving privacy and security protections, and advocates for keeping individuals’ interests at the center of product development. Purdey is committed to social justice and furthering opportunities for women and underrepresented groups and is involved with initiatives to create diverse and inclusive spaces. Outside of work, Purdey loves to travel and do fun art activities with her two children.

Will Haney recently joined the in-house legal team at DoorDash as Product & Regulatory Counsel. From 2016 to 2022, Will was an in-house attorney for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, a federally recognized tribal government in Southern California. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Haney served as Treasurer and then President of the California Indian Law Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the practice of law in tribal communities in California. Will is an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribal government. He lives in Southern California with his wife and son, and in his free time enjoys sculpting, video games, and writing, recording, and performing original music.

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3L SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM W

e’re in the middle of our signature 3L Diversity Scholarship program. We’re currently matching prospective scholars with the co-sponsoring bar organizations. We are so excited to share that a limited number of scholars, co-sponsors, board members, and staff will be safely meeting in person to confer the scholarship awards in April.

In case you didn’t know about the 3L Scholarship program, the scholarship award is intended for diverse California law school graduates who are committed to working in California’s public interest and assists the transition from the classroom to the courtroom with flexible support that can be used for bar prep courses or living expenses.

California ChangeLawyers and co-sponsoring bar associations partner knowing the social and economic inequity that lead to significant disparities in bar passage between white and BIPOC test-takers, or first generation, women, LGBTQIA+ and disabled populations. The scholarship award of $5,000 can lessen the strain on a test-taker’s mental health, financial situation, or access to resources.

We are so excited to have 25 scholars join our California ChangeLawyers community next month! And we’d like to extend a big thank you to the co-sponsoring bar associations, funds and organizations for being our partner for this program. Please take a look at our generous and committed co-sponsors for 2022. THANK YOU!

HOW THE 3L SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM WORKS $2,500

from a bar organization, affinity organization, giving circle, or memorial fund

+ $2,500

from California ChangeLawyers

= $5,000

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD TO A SCHOLAR

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Thank You to our 2022 Co-Sponsors of the 3L Diversity Scholarship Program.

WE COULDN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!

THE DAN S. GOODMAN MEMORIAL FUND 13

CELEBRATING A LEGACY:

THE DAN S. GOODMAN MEMORIAL FUND

With the awarding of six 2022 Daniel S. Goodman Memorial Fund scholarships to 3L scholars, the fund will come to a close. Bringing a total of 12 Years (2010-2022), 27 first- and third-year law scholarships and total awarded amount of $125,000 through the Daniel S. Goodman Memorial Fund.

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aniel S. Goodman, a beloved colleague of 20 years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and was a friend to many in his community. His passing at only 48 years old sent a shockwave of grief, but Daniel’s wife, Susie Goodman, brought some light when she decided to start a legal scholarship fund in his honor. Daniel’s friends gave generously in the months after his death. To Susie’s great surprise, they kept giving - until the Daniel S. Goodman Memorial Fund grew to over $127,000. While Susie never imagined the fund would take on a long life of its own, she states “it’s been a privilege to financially help these future leaders complete their legal education.” Thank you to Susie and all the friends and community of Daniel S Goodman and the Goodman Memorial Scholarship.

SINCERE THANK YOU TO: Rick Rathmann & the Rathmann Family Susie Goodman Sheila Tepper Shirley Wilson Sharon Gerber Julie Werner-Simon Terry Shubert Bart H. Williams Carl H. Moor Cathy Ostiller Daniel P. Collins Ellyn Marcus Lindsay Fred A. Rowley Jr. Glenn Douglas Pomerantz Gregory J. Weingart Henry Weissmann Kimberly A. Dunne Luis Li Mark Howard Epstein Richard E. Drooyan William David Temko

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ALUMNI VOICES: MEET JUDGE DELGADO J

udge Jessica Delgado was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom in March of 2021.

She graduated from University of California at Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Politics and earned her Juris Doctor from University of California at Berkeley. Prior to appointment, Delgado served the community as a public defender for more than twenty years. A proud member of both the Latinx and LGBTQ+ communities, Delgado serves on the Santa Clara County Superior Court’s Executive, Community Outreach, and Collaborative Court committees. Judge Delgado is also a member of the California Judges Association (CJA) LGBT

Judicial Officers of California and the California Latino Judges Association. She sits on the CJA Elimination of Bias Task Force and the Judicial Diversity Summit Working Group.

HOW DOES YOUR IDENTITY AS A PERSON OF COLOR, LATINA, QUEER INFORM YOUR WORK? JUDGE DELGADO: I've thought a lot about how to take space, just being present and occupying space, and to make space for people. A big part of my application process was to be completely myself, because there have been different moments, especially in practice, where 17

I haven't felt that I could be completely out. I announce my pronouns when I open every court session; doing that has really made space for other parties to share their pronouns, to share the name that they go by even if it's not the name that they're charged under.

Now, when I'm addressing them in court, their client feels that they are being seen.

“Every person matters to me and hopefully with enough persons mattering to me, there's some change effected.”

What I have realized -that I didn't know- is that what I do as a judge in a public courtroom has a tremendous impact on people.

Even if it's just to feel for a moment that somebody in authority has afforded respect and has given compassion and room for someone to be present. Every person matters to me and hopefully with enough persons mattering to me, there's some change effected.

YOU RECEIVED A CALIFORNIA BAR FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP IN 1996. WHAT IMPACT DID THE SCHOLARSHIP HAVE ON YOU? JD: I remember that scholarship being significant because it was a way for me to help fund my work at a time when there really wasn't anything else available. People who were interested in public defender work and in a prosecutor work we're on our own, in terms of being able to fund ourselves during the summers. On an emotional standpoint, I felt that the work that I was doing was seen in some way by an entity that was connected to a larger sense of community statewide.

ANY ADVICE THAT YOU WOULD GIVE TO OUR CHANGELAWYERS COMMUNITY, WHICH ARE YOUNGER, LGBT FOLKS, ATTORNEYS OF COLOR OR LAW STUDENTS OF COLOR? JD: This idea that in this country, you can do whatever it is you want to do kind of lives right next to some very significant systemic and institutional barriers that are not movable or changeable by the individual students of color, or first-generation student, or LGBTQ

PHOTO FROM JUDGE DELGADO’S L AW SCHOOL GRADUATION.

“We need to be rethinking and reimagining the way we think about mentorship or what structurally we need to change. The stories are too similar from 30 years ago.” person. I'm interested in building a community of mentorship and talking through ways to survive being in institutions that still really

are not designed for the success of all people; at the same time being realistic and recognizing what cannot be changed by the individual. We tell young people all the time, if you just do X, Y, and Z, it's going to be fine and you're going to make it. We don't do enough talking about what it's going to feel like to be in an institution where you are not really included... We need to be rethinking and reimagining the way we think about mentorship or what structurally we need to change. The stories are too similar from 30 years ago.

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Leaders Forum is a virtual leadership development academy for lawyers and activists, running through June 2022.

Workshops will include essential career skills like salary negotiations, how to overcome imposter syndrome, and how to avoid burnout.

Register for upcoming events here.

OUR NEXT EVENT:

April 13th

Register here!

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LEGAL EMPOWERMENT FUND

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n December of 2021, California ChangeLawyers launched the inaugural “Legal Empowerment Fund.” This new grant opportunity adopts a broad-based approach to harnessing the power of lawyers for good. Specifically, we seek to: foster movement lawyering; build the capacity of smaller and newer legal organizations; and support new, diverse leaders in the legal profession.

The Fund was created as a response to the deepening public consciousness about the importance of law on social justice issues and the need for lawyers of all backgrounds to rise to the challenges posed by the ongoing racial reckoning and the lack of equal justice under the law.

Through philanthropic partnerships and support that included Akonadi

Foundation and Van Loben Sels/ Rembe Rock, ChangeLawyers raised a total of $495,000.

Applicants were asked to apply to one of four categories: Capacity Building, Movement Lawyering, Leadership Development (General) and Leadership Development (Legal Fellowship.) After a thorough review process of all 41 applicants, 13 organizations were selected to receive grants. These organizations represent communities, geographical areas, and legal issues that span the entire state of California.

We hope to build on the success of this pilot-year by bringing on more philanthropic partners to grow this Fund so we can expand our cohort and provide meaningful funding that supports ever-important legal work for our communities.

MOVEMENT LAWYERING LEADERSHIP PATHWAYS CAPACITY BUILDING 23

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THIS IS WHAT NGELAWYERS LOOKS LIKE

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OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT Donate One-Time or Monthly

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Have Your Company, Firm, or Organization Sponsor a Program or Event

Start a Peer2Peer Fundraising Campaign

Serve on our New Events Committee

Give Through Your DonorAdvised Fund

Sign Up to Be a Mentor

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Attend an Event Share Our Page on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook

THANK YOU FOR READING AND BEING A CHANGEMAKER! Contact Staci L. Young at staci@changelawyers.org for more information on how to support, or any questions, comments or feedback.

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