HBA-DC Foundation

Welcome to the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. Foundation, which was established in 1995 as a separate non-profit entity.

The mission of the Foundation includes supporting the law student community by providing fellowships for law students working during the summer for public interest legal organizations serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. These fellowships allow students to gain valuable work experience and exposure to an area of public interest law. At the same time, these students assist with providing legal services to individuals or groups served by the legal service entities. Sponsoring organizations are non-profit, non-governmental organizations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that provide legal services at little or no cost to clients. Past fellowship recipients have worked for AYUDA, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Legal Aid Society of DC, Migrant Legal Action Program and others.

First year and second year students attending accredited law schools in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area are eligible to apply for an HBA-DC Foundation fellowship. One or more fellowships in the amount of $5,000 may be awarded by the Foundation. The deadline for the 2010 HBA-DC Foundation Fellowship was April 7, 2010.

In addition, the Foundation awards one $10,000 fellowship to a First Year Law student on behalf of National Council of La Raza/Patton Boggs. This fellowship is intended to provide funding for a law student working for the summer in a public interest legal position that is otherwise not compensated by the sponsoring entity. To be eligible, an applicant must be: (1) a first-year Latino/a law student; (2) actively enrolled in, and attending, any accredited law school in the United States or Puerto Rico; and (3) accepted to work for a minimum of eight weeks with the sponsoring entity. The sponsoring entity may be a not-for-profit organization or a governmental agency, and must be located in any of the following cities in the United States: the Washington DC metropolitan area; Denver, CO; Newark, NJ; New York, NY; Dallas, TX; or Anchorage, AK. Preference will be given to students working with entities whose client base includes the Hispanic/Latino community. The deadline for the NCLR/Patton Boggs Fellowship was April 7, 2010.

In addition to the Fellowship Program, the Foundation holds an annual graduation celebration called PASOS, which takes place in the spring of each year. The Pasos event is a celebration attended by graduating law students, their families and friends, members of the Hispanic Bar, and others from the community. We acknowledge the many Hispanic students who are graduating that year from all law schools in the DC area: Washington College of Law at American University; Georgetown University Law Center; George Washington University's National Law Center; Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America; Howard University School of Law; and the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia.

PASOS 2010 took place on Friday, May 21, 2010 at the Washington College of Law at American University beginning at 7pm.

2010 Fellowship Recipients: Jose Magana, Brandes Ash and Jose Campos. Not pictured is Maia Falconi-Sachs.

The 2010 NCLR/Patton Boggs Fellowship Recipient:

Jose G. Magana: Mr. Magana is a first year law student at Baylor Law School in Texas where he has received a full tuition scholarship. Mr. Magana's sponsoring organization is AYUDA, a non-profit, community based organization in Washington, D.C., offering legal and social services to low income immigrants in the field of immigration, domestic violence, family law and human trafficking.

The 2010 HBA-DC Foundation Fellowship Recipients:

Jose Campos: Mr. Campos is a second year law student at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. Mr. Campos' sponsoring organization is CASA de Maryland, a non-profit community based organization in Montgomery County, Maryland seeking to improve the quality of life and obtain justice on behalf of Latinos and low income families through legal services, education and advocacy projects.

Brandes Shene'e Gabrielle Ash: Ms. Ash is second year law student at Howard University School of Law. She was selected this year as a Marshall Brennan Fellow. Ms. Ash's sponsoring organization is Our Place, a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., that provides incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women with the opportunity to successfully re-enter the community through programs and legal services in the areas of family law and criminal law.

Maia Falconi-Sachs: Ms. Falconi-Sachs is a first year law student at the Georgetown University Law Center. Ms. Falconi-Sachs' sponsoring organization is Kids In Need of Defense ("Kind"), a non-profit national organization with offices in Washington, D.C., coordinating and providing legal representation for unaccompanied children facing legal/immigration systems alone.

For questions about the HBA-DC Foundation or to assist with the Foundation's efforts, please contact Foundation Chair, Robert Raben, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 202-466-8585. For questions about the HBA-DC Foundation Fellowship Program, please email Linda M. Estrada at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The HBA-DC Foundation, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charitable organization, invites you to consider making a tax deductible contribution during the 2010 fundraising cycle. Your contribution will help sustain the work of the Foundation, which raises and distributes funding for law students working in public interest organizations and sponsors the annual PASOS celebration for law school graduates and their families. Your contribution, payable to HBA-DC Foundation, should be mailed to HBA-DC Foundation, PO Box 1011, Washington, DC 20013-1011. For more information about fundraising, please contact Robert Raben at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).