Scholarship

The East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association (EBLRLA) organizes a gala dinner to fundraise for the EBLRLA Scholarship Fund, a non-profit, charitable 501(c)(3) organization that awards scholarships to law students who live, work, or study in Alameda or Contra Costa counties. The current president of the EBLRLA Scholarship Fund is Miguel A. Saldaña.

EBLRLA Scholarship Fund also partners with California ChangeLawyers and other donors to award additional scholarships. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the EBLRLA Scholarship Fund, visit its Donorbox site or email them at eblrlasf@gmail.com.

If you are a law student, we highly recommend that you join as a dues-paying member to receive our scholarship announcements, reminders, and special opportunities. Some scholarships are only open to EBLRLA members. Law student dues are only $1.00! Please also visit our Resources page for more scholarships besides the ones listed below.


EBLRLA Scholarship Fund Public Interest Law Summer Stipend
The 2024 application is now open! Apply by Sunday, May 5, 2024, 11:59 PM. 

The EBLRLA Scholarship Fund, in partnership with the East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association, invites all law students that meet the below-detailed criteria to apply for a 2024 Public Interest Law Summer Stipend. This year the Fund will award multiple stipends, each in an amount ranging from $2,000 to $3,000. 

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Law student is placed, or searching for placement, in an unpaid public interest law role for the 2024 summer including at a Bay Area non-profit, legal aid, government agency (e.g., public defender, district attorney, city attorney, county counsel, etc.), or court. Preference will be given to applicants with ties to Alameda and/or Contra Costa counties.
  2. Member of East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association. (Dues are only $1 for law students: www.eblrla.org/join.)
  3. Demonstrated financial need.
  4. Demonstrated commitment to using the law to advance social justice.
  5. Demonstrated commitment to academic success and/or leadership experience.
  6. Commitment to attend EBLRLA’s Gala on October 11, 2024, at which the recipient will be recognized.

Submit your completed application form and the requested documents as a single PDF file to eblrlasf@gmail.com with “2024 Summer Stipend” in the subject line no later than Sunday, May 5, 2024, 11:59 PM. Late applications will not be considered. We anticipate notifying the summer stipend recipients during the week of May 19.

Application Form: 2024 EBLRLA Scholarship Fund Summer Stipend Application.


Application:

Law students are strongly encouraged to become members of the California Lawyers Association (CLA), including the Litigation Section, join for free!

The East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association (“EBLRLA”) and the EBLRLA Scholarship Fund have partnered with the Litigation Section of the California Lawyers Association (“CLA Litigation Section”) to present multiple 2023 Diversity Bar Study Scholarships for law students in their final year of law school and recent law school graduates who have demonstrated an intent to pursue a career in litigation and have shown commitment to a career in litigation for social justice.


Piedad and Raul Castro Scholarship
The 2024 application is now closed. The 2025 application will open in early 2025.

Since 2021, the EBLRLA Scholarship Fund has invited qualified candidates to apply for the Piedad and Raul Castro Scholarship, an annual $5,000 scholarship funded by the Honorable Arturo Castro, Judge with the Superior Court of Alameda County, in honor of his parents:

“This scholarship is dedicated to my parents, who, alongside countless other immigrant
families, personify the perseverance, sacrifice, and selflessness of those who are
committed to advancing future generations, with no thought or expectation of personal
gain. By giving back in their names, the spirit of their sacrifices will live on, supporting
young minds who are equally dedicated to making the world a better place.”
– Hon. Arturo Castro

The Piedad and Raul Castro Scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding law student on pace to graduate in spring 2024 and is designed to assist with expenses related to preparing for the California Bar Exam and transitioning to formal practice as an attorney. (Judge Castro will not be involved in the selection process.)

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Financial need.
  2. Graduation from law school expected in spring 2024.
  3. Significant ties to, or expects to practice in, the East Bay (Alameda or Contra Costa Counties).
  4. Demonstrated commitment to employing the law to advance social justice.
  5. Demonstrated academic success and potential to succeed as a future lawyer.
  6. Commitment to attend EBLRLA’s Gala on October 11, 2024, at which the recipient will be recognized. 

To be considered for the Piedad and Raul Castro Scholarship, please submit the completed EBLRLA Castro Scholarship Application 2024 form no later than 11:59 PM Pacific, April 7, 2024. 



In partnership with California ChangeLawyers, the EBLRLA Scholarship Fund will award two (2) $5,000 scholarships to law students/recent law school graduates who are committed to becoming legal changemakers as future California attorneys with the goal of creating a more just and representative justice system. Open to 2023 and 2024 law school graduates who will be taking the July 2024 California Bar Exam for the first time and meet the other eligibility criteria, including demonstrated financial need. Visit changelawyers.org/scholarships for the full eligibility criteria and application instructions. Applications were due Monday, March 4, 2024.

Note: California ChangeLawyers also has a 1L Scholarship program for diverse students who will begin attending an ABA or CA accredited law school in the fall; that application usually opens in June. Visit changelawyers.org/scholarships or email scholars@changelawyers.org for more information.


Past EBLRLA Scholarship Recipients

Year

Recipients

Name of Scholarship

2023

Monique Ramirez
Maribel J. Sanchez
Ale Vallejo
Nancy Alcaraz Arreola
Brisely Martinez
Kim Martinez
Ariana Camarena
Michelle Valdez Borbon

ChangeLawyers Scholarship
ChangeLawyers Scholarship
Piedad & Raul Castro Scholarship
Summer Stipend
Summer Stipend
Summer Stipend
California Lawyers Association, Litigation Section Scholarship
California Lawyers Association, Litigation Section Scholarship

2022

 

Natassja Urrutia
Karla Y. Martinez Rojas 
Yesenia Sandoval
Stephanie Roque-Hurtado

Bar Study Scholarship
California Lawyers Association, Litigation Section Scholarship
ChangeLawyers Scholarship
Piedad & Raul Castro Scholarship

2021

 

Lilian Lopez-Zepeda
Violeta Alvarez
Jennifer Estevez

Bar Study Scholarship
ChangeLawyers Scholarship
Piedad & Raul Castro Scholarship

2020

Leticia Chavez

ChangeLawyers Scholarship

2019

 

Victor Escobar Troya
Violeta Alvarez
Wendy M. Hernandez
Lilian Lopez
Nancy Avila Villatoro

ChangeLawyers Scholarship




2017

Daniela Huerta
Miguel A. Flores
Dustin Hovda Pérez
Zulma Muñoz

 

2015

Maritza Perez Medina
Allyssa (Villanueva) Victory
Angelo Villareal

 

2013

Ana (Baires Mira) Flores
Sonja Francine Marie Diaz
Perla Edith Parra

 

2011

María D. Domínguez
(not a complete list)

 

2009

 

 

2008

Lucero Chavez
Gloria (Colon Espitia) Martinez
Miguel Angel Manriquez
Carolina Rodriguez Garcia

 

2007

 

 

Updated 04/18/2024