WHEREAS, California’s legal profession, despite progress, still does not reflect the diversity of the state, with particularly severe underrepresentation for Women, AAPI, Black, Latino/a, Native American and other communities of color, underscoring the need to strengthen and widen the pathway into legal education and legal careers; while White attorneys are overrepresented in California’s attorney population (64 %) compared to their representation in the state’s adult population (37%) and people of color are notably underrepresented in the attorney population (36%) compared to the state’s adult population (63%) and Latinos are the most underrepresented, constituting 37% of California’s population but only 6% of California’s active licensed attorneys;[1]
WHEREAS, The underrepresentation of historically marginalized students in law school along with persistent attrition and a reduced sense of belonging remains a serious equity issue in legal education, as people of color comprise about 62% of California’s adult population but only 46% of students in ABA-approved law schools, with particularly large gaps for Latino, Black, Pacific Islander, and other underrepresented communities that contribute to the continued overrepresentation of white students in legal education;[2]
WHEREAS, California community colleges, the largest system of higher education in the United States, serving over 2.2 million students across 116 colleges in 73 districts provide a uniquely statewide platform to expand equitable academic and career pathways aligned with Vision 2030’s call to reimagine access and meet learners where they are; however, despite serving the state’s most diverse student population, the system has only 36 pre-law programs, resulting in inconsistent and under-resourced pre-law infrastructure and limited access to early legal preparation, advising, and mentorship for first-generation and historically underrepresented students seeking pathways to law school and legal careers [3],[4],[5]; and
WHEREAS, The Foundation for California Community Colleges is the official nonprofit partner to the California Community Colleges System, advancing statewide, mission-aligned initiatives through system support, partnership-building, and scalable program infrastructure while student leadership, especially through multiple statewide participatory organizations, ensures these pathways are shaped by lived experience, equity, and community accountability to strengthen civic engagement and student success across the system; [6],[7]; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for the creation of a California LAW Pathways (Leadership, Access, Workforce)/(Cal LAW) also known as Pathways to Law School program at all 116 California Community Colleges that builds equitable, structured preparation for students pursuing legal careers including attorneys, judges, paralegals, and other justice-system professionals through advising, mentorship, transferable preparation, and experiential opportunities;
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for each of the 116 California community college campuses to establish the Pathway to Law School program as a legal knowledge and empowerment hub that strengthens students understanding of rights, civic participation, and advocacy to protect and advance marginalized communities, including immigrant communities; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage the creation of a statewide advisory council comprised of representatives of statewide partners including the Student Senate for California Community Colleges to coordinate scalable statewide implementation support, partnerships, and resource development for a statewide Pathway to Law School Program across the CCC system.
Citations:
[1]https://www.calbar.ca.gov/news/despite-historic-highs-new-attorneys-leg…
[2]https://publications.calbar.ca.gov/law-school-profile/student-diversity…
[3] https://www.cccco.edu/About-US
[4] https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Vision-2030
[5]https://www.calbar.ca.gov/sites/default/files/portals/0/documents/repor…
[6]https://foundationccc.org/our-work/system-support/partnering-with-state…
[7]https://foundationccc.org/our-work/system-support/scaling-mission-align…