uclawsf.edu/center-for-social-justice/ BRITTANY GLIDDEN AND GAIL SILVERSTEIN Prepared by : CENTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE ANNUAL REPORT 2022-23
Message from Co-Directors
Brittany Glidden and Gail Silverstein
This was the inaugural year for the Center for Social Justice and what a year it was! Social justice related activities, curriculum, events, and opportunities have long been part of the campus culture at UC Law SF. After all, the College’s motto is Fiat Justitia, roughly translated as "Let Justice Be Done". Yet there was no home and no coordinating hub for all that was going on in this realm at the law school. As such, students and others could feel lost, and synergies were missed. The result was that many students who entered law school with a desire to engage in social justice with their degree ceased such pursuits while in law school.
At the same time, in recent years, the need for lawyers dedicated at least in some measure to the cause of social justice had become more necessary than ever. The pandemic, coupled with the racial reckoning following the brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, and others, revealed the stark social inequities and systemic injustices in our society and the fatal consequences that can result.
At the Center for Social Justice, we believe that all lawyers – and therefore all law students – should integrate into their professional practice at least some advancement of the cause of social justice. We want to empower and support all students in seeking out opportunities to further justice. As such, we started the Center to consolidate, coordinate and communicate about the social justice opportunities at the law school, so students can more easily learn about and engage in social justice work and be connected to faculty, staff and other students who engage in social justice programming and education.
We look forward to your partnership and support as we continue to address this large, broad need to inculcate social justice into the fabric of every law student’s professional identity.
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What is Social Justice?
Social Justice is a value; those acting to further social justice promote access to resources, equity, participation and human rights. Social justice lawyers advocate for these concepts in partnership with people and communities that have less structural and political power. There are many means that lawyers use to work toward social justice, including litigation, community organizing, public education and outreach and policy advocacy.
Mission Statement
The Center for Social Justice provides strategic leadership of social justice activities at the law school and promotes a strong public interest campus culture. The Center’s goal is to help all students find meaningful ways to incorporate justice work into their professional identity and future practice.
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Affiliated Faculty & Staff
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Fairuz Abdullah Deputy Director of the Career Development Office
Blaine Bookey Adjunct Professor of Law and Legal Director, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies
Kyla Burke-Lazarus
Associate Director of Public Interest Public Service Programs of the Career Development Office
Ming H. Chen Professor and Harry & Lillian Hastings Research Chair , Director of the Center on Race, Immigration, Citizenship and Equality
Clark Freshman Professor of Law
ThaliaGonzález Professor of Law and Harry & Lillian Hastings Research Chair, Co-Director of the Center for Racial and Economic Justice
Affiliated Faculty & Staff
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Emily Haan Assistant Dean of Student Services
Amy Kimmel Assistant Dean of the Career Development Office
Jennifer D. Oliva
Affiliated Scholar and Visiting Professor of Law
Ascanio Piomelli Professor of Law
Dorit Reiss
Professor of Law and the James Edgar Hervey '50 Chair of Litigation
MiguelZavala Associate Director of Student Life & Inclusion
Supporting Students from Day One...
Orientation
Many incoming 1Ls spent their first day on campus volunteering in the local community -- serving food, offering free clothing, or preparing menstrual kits for unhoused teens. The Center paired 100 1Ls with upper-division Public Interest Peer Mentors.
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...through graduationSocial Justice Celebration
Celebrating student achievement and serv
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Gaining Experience Through Pro Bono
UC Law SF’s Pro Bono Program offers students opportunities to meaningfully engage with clients and bring essential legal services to underserved communities. Students who choose to participate gain practical skills, and make sincere connections with non-profits and lawyers.
UC Law SF’s unique location in central San Francisco allows students to work with our neighbors on a range of issues, including fighting evictions, seeking asylum, challenging death sentences, and setting up sociallyfocused businesses. Find out more in the Pro Bono Annual Report.
Numbers at a Glance for 2022-23
77 Grads earned Pro Bono Honors (45 hours of service)
179 students in the Class of 2023 logged pro bono hours
162 Community Partners supervised students engaged in Pro Bono work
8,477 Pro Bono hours performed by students
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Student Involvement in Pro-Bono Work: Alternative Spring Break Projects
Students participated in Alternative Spring Break Trips, working for various public interest organizations and gaining invaluable experience!
"I learned about the challenges that are faced when providing legal representation to rural communities and I was able to compare them to the challenges faced in urban areas. "
-VIVYANA PRADO '25 ON WORK WITH LAWNY
"On this trip, I was able to connect directly with clients by conducting interviews and writing declarations and motions. I hope the thought and care I put into that work will help their cases be dismissed and records cleared."
-ELLEN SLATKIN '25 ON WORK WITH THE FRESNO PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE
"It was really awesome to see Las Americas, their model, and how they work. It was tough but critical in my development as an attorney to be in detention and speak to clients there."
-VALERIA VERA '25 ON WORK WITH LAS AMERICAS
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Student Involvement in ProBono Work: On-Campus Student Organizations
LARC (LEGAL ADVICE AND REFERRAL CLINIC): IN PARTNERSHIP WITH JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY CENTER
VITA (VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE) : IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC
HOMELESS LEGAL SERVICES: IN PARTNERED WITH ORRICK AND HOUSING ADVOCACY PROJECT
CIVIL LEGAL AID PRO BONO STUDENT ORG : IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEGAL AID OF WESTERN NY
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RECORDS CLINIC: IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD, BAY AREA CHAPTER
HASTINGS TO HAITI: IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CENTER FOR GENDER & REFUGEE STUDIES
ABOLITION AND PRISONER OUTREACH: IN PARTNERED WITH SEVERAL CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
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Restorative Justice Fellowships
In 2022, Faculty Co-Director Gail Silverstein created four new summer fellowships in partnership with the Director of the Indigenous Law Center Professor Jo Carrillo and the Restorative Justice Advisory Board and with funding from the Chancellor & Dean’s Office These summer fellowships are part of the restorative justice efforts the law school is making to the Indigenous community due to the atrocities committed against them by founder and former namesake, Serranus Hastings, in the 1850’s.
Students were placed in Summers 2022 and 2023 at five different placements, all nonprofits or government agencies who serve Indigenous communities with an emphasis on those located in Mendocino County where the Round Valley Indian Tribe, the tribe affected by Hastings’ atrocities, is located.
In Summer 2023, four rising 2Ls received the fellowship: Katherine Hanson (California Tribal Families Coalition); Sion Park (Legal Services of Northern California – Ukiah Office); Hazel Stange (California Indian Legal Services – Eureka Office); and Ricardo Parada (Chambers of Chief Tribal Judge Joseph Wiseman).
The Indigenous Law Center produced a video showcasing the work of the students in summer 2022 that can be viewed here.
The entities involved include: California Indian Legal Services, California Tribal Families Coalition, Legal Services of Northern California – Ukiah Office, Superior Court of Mendocino County’s Self Help Center, and the Chambers of Chief Tribal Judge Joseph Wiseman.
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Sponsoring Events
Speakers & Events
The Center hosted a Social Justice Community Welcome
Fall semester's Social Justice Speaker Series was focused on 1L students' questions
The Center co-sponsored networking events and informational panels related to justice work.
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Social Justice Speaker Series
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022
HOW TO BE A SOCIAL JUSTICE 1L
OCTOBER 4, 2022
PATHWAYS TO BECOMING A SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
NOVEMBER 1, 2022
HOW TO LAND AND FUND A SOCIAL JUSTICE SUMMER JOB
STRATEGY
JANUARY 26, 2023
ELIMINATING DISCRIMINATORY FINES & FEES IN EDUCATION: A MULTI-PRONGED ADVOCACY APPROACH
FEBRARY 23, 2023
ACCORDING TO WORK
DEFENDING ANIMAL RESCUERS IN CRIMINAL COURTS
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MARCH 21, 2023
IMMIGRATION ADVOCACY: WORKING AT THE BORDER
DISCUSSION
APRIL 10, 2023
BRINGING TRAUMA-INFORMED LAWYERING PRACTICES TO SUMMER JOBS"
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SEPTEMBER 30, 2022: NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD: DISORIENTATION
Other Affiliated Events
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022: PRO BONO FAIR
OCTOBER 24-28, 2022: PRO BONO WEEK
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NOVEMBER 3, 2022: HOUSING MIXER
MARCH 15, 2023: SOCIAL JUSTICE LAWYERING PANEL AND RECEPTION WITH NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD STUDENT ORG
MARCH 23, 2023: POST-FELLOWSHIP PANEL WITH CAREER DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
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JD Concentration in Social Justice Lawyering
The Social Justice Lawyering concentration prepares students to make a positive impact on the world by serving under-represented clients and communities Students attracted to this concentration come from diverse communities and perspectives, but all share a strong desire for a career that aligns with their values. This shared sense of calling builds a strong, supportive, enduring community that helps sustain concentrators as they enter and pursue this work.
The concentration offers an array of more than 100 classes that are taught by over thirty full-time UC Law SF faculty, as well as adjunct faculty who include some of the nation’s preeminent public interest lawyers Hands-on work is an important component of this concentration: Every student in the concentration must take a clinical course or externship and many take more than one And they must also take at least one class on negotiation and one on the impact of race in our society.
A year-long seminar in the second year brings students and faculty together to explore what it means to be a social justice lawyer. This intensive experience
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THANK YOU
Thank you for your continuous support and generosity.
To donate to the Center please scan the QR code:
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