East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association

Happy Holidays to all our Friends!

Save the Date — January 24, 2008

The East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association is proud to host our annual

Judicial Excellence and Scholarship Awards Dinner
“Sueños de Libertad: Transcending Borders Across Generations”
January 24, 2008, 5:30pm
Waterfront Plaza Hotel, 10 Washington St., Oakland.

It is with great pleasure that we recognize our 2008 Judicial Excellence Honorees:

• Hon. Cruz Reynoso, Professor Emeritus U.C. Davis School of Law (King Hall) and former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
• Hon. Carlos G. Ynostrosa, First Latino Judge, Alameda County Superior Court
• Hon. George C. Hernandez, Jr., Presiding Judge, Alameda County Superior Court

The scholarship recipients will be announced at the event. Scholarships are available to first year Latina/o law students who live, work or study in Alameda or Contra Costa counties. For scholarship applications, contact the EBLRLA.

For information about becoming a Scholarship Awards Sponsor, call our event coordinator, Coco Corona, BY Design, at 707-644-4218. As a Sponsor, you will have an opportunity to meet with our honorees, special guests and dignitaries as well as participate in the Scholarship Awards presentation.

Sincerely,

EBLRLA Board

Please mark your calendar for the EBLRLA’s Annual Holiday Party at the home of the Hon. & Mrs. Carlos Ynostroza.

Friday December 7, 2007
6:00 p.m.

Join us for this annual event. Comida buena and refreshments will be provided. Bring yourself and your loved ones to relax, catch up with friends, meet new Raza lawyers, and make plans for the coming year.

To RSVP, please contact the EBLRLA board.

This is a good opportunity for community outreach as a high school mock trial team attorney-coach or competition scorers. This competition is run by the Alameda County Office of Education and is part of a nation wide competition. The county winner goes to the California state championships.

I believe last year, 38 of the 58 counties sent their champions. The California winner goes to the national championships in which almost every state is represented.

Attorney coach needs: a minimum of one coach for each district (Fremont and San Lorenzo).

The teacher contacts in Fremont are:

• Mary Jo Ip, mip@mail.fremont.k12.ca.us, 510/797-0100 ext. 29302
• Gino Barichello, gbarichello@mail.fremont.k12.ca.us, 510/306-7125

The San Lorenzo teacher contact is:

• An Ta, ata@slzusd.org, 510/317-4417

For more information about the time commitment, contact another attorney coach, including:

• Anne Bookin, bookin@pacbell.net, 510/339-3130
• Shawn Sax, ososax@sbcglobal.net, 415/533-8741

Interested attorneys can also view or download a copy of the attorney/judges handbook.

Sincerely,
Rachelle DiStefano, JD EdD
Director of Educational Support Services
and Professional Development
Educational Services Division
Alameda County Office of Education
313 W. Winton Avenue, Room 220
Hayward, CA 94544-1198
Email: rdistefano@acoe.org
Direct: (510) 670-4147
Fax: (510) 670-3147

EBLRLA’s Immigrant Rights Committee Presents:

Armed with Knowledge: A “Know Your Immigrant Rights” Workshop

October 18, 2007
Time: 6:30 pm- 8:30pm

Law Center For Families
510-16th Street, #300
Oakland , CA 94612

This bilingual (Spanish/English) event will provide basic knowledge and skills on how to teach others about their rights when confronted with an ICE agent or if an employer/employee receives a Social Security Match Letter. This event is open to anyone who wants to learn how to teach others about their rights regarding these issues. For more information contact bernice_espinoza@hotmail.com.

As you may already know, the EBLRLA recently established an Immigrant Rights Committee (“IRC”); its draft statement of purpose can be found here.

On a personal note, I am extremely excited about this announcement. As a new EBLRLA member, I have often thought that the EBLRLA is in a unique position to add our voice to the national and statewide debate on immigration law and the rights of residents.

The timing could hardly be better: the anti-immigrant climate in this country, which seems to have morphed into a more aggressive anti-Latina/o climate, has gained momentum in recent years. As the presidential election draws near, this noxious climate is bound to grow.

EBLRLA consists of some of the Bay Area’s brightest legal minds, including individuals who have committed entire careers and lifetimes to these issues, all with the belief and understanding that rights do not come stickered to papers, and that dignity belongs to us all. The EBLRLA IRC provides us with the opportunity to amplify these individual voices.

To that end, the EBLRLA IRC has organized a “Know Your Immigrant Rights Workshop” to be held in Oakland.

If you are interested in becoming more involved with EBLRLA IRC, in whatever capacity, please feel free to contact me directly.

Adelante!
Paul Chavez

Paul R. Chavez, Esq.
Donahue Gallagher Woods LLP
300 Lakeside Drive, Suite 1900
Oakland, California 94612
http://www.donahue.com