CALIFORNIA LAWYERS FOUNDATION ESTABLISHES FIRST HIGH SCHOOL LAW ACADEMY IN SAN FRANCISCO

SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- California Lawyers Foundation (CLF) announced today that it has partnered with Balboa High School through CLF's California Legal Pathways Collaborative (CLPC) to establish the first CLPC Law Academy in San Francisco.

CLPC is the highly successful high school education program of CLF. Its multi-year Law Academies bring civics engagement, government, and the law to underserved classrooms, where 50% and as high as 90% of students are identified as "at promise." Students learn from legal professionals and are given unique mentorship, internship, and job opportunities. Thousands of Law Academy students have completed the rigorous three-year curriculum, with most being the first in their families to pursue an undergraduate education.

CLF is the charitable arm of California Lawyers Association (CLA), the largest volunteer bar association in the state with 50,000 members. With the new partnership in San Francisco, what began as six CLPC Law Academies in 2010 has become 27 programs positioned across California, including Law Academy partnerships in Oakland and Richmond, with more than 3,100 student participants annually.

"Our Foundation is focused on key issues such as civic education and preparing students to become active and engaged citizens, and building a diverse pipeline into the legal profession," says CLF President Jerrilyn Malana, a chief deputy district attorney with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. "Through our CLPC program and our new partnership with Balboa High School, we are committed to developing civic-minded students and inspiring them to pursue careers in the legal profession."

Balboa High School has offered a Law Pathway for its junior and senior students through the San Francisco Unified School District and the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) since 2004. According to program director and educator, Michael Rosenberg, "The law pathway helped take Balboa High School from one of the most challenged high schools in our district to one of the best schools." Unfortunately as a result of COVID, some law program opportunities were diminished.

"This new partnership with CLF and CLPC will allow our program to be more relevant and offer more timely resources for our students. Law mentorships, job shadowing, field trips, and the curriculum itself will help our students. CLPC can push us forward and take our Law Academy to new places."

CLPC Founder and attorney, Ruthe Ashley, played a crucial role in taking the needed actions to reinvigorate the law pathway for Balboa High School students. "CLPC has wanted to have a Law Academy in San Francisco for a long time," Ashley shares." It's the enthusiasm from people that make it all happen."

Maria Cooks, President, Charles Houston Bar Association (CHBA), and a senior associate at Murphy, Pearson, Bradley, and Feeney in San Francisco, will serve as the Chair for the CLPC Balboa High School Advisory Council. "Living and working in San Francisco, I want to be intentional about CHBA's engagement with local schools and organizations, Cooks says. "I am grateful for the opportunity to help carry the torch forward, building on the foundation established by the Bar Association of San Francisco to make the Law Academy program stronger than ever. After listening to and learning about Balboa's needs, I know our work here will be groundbreaking."

CLF and CLPC recently awarded prestigious scholarships to students from DeAnza High School, Oakland Technical High School, and Richmond High School. All three have well established CLPC Law Academies in the Bay Area. Scholarships are funded by generous individuals who are concerned about providing an educational pathway for students from diverse backgrounds who hope to have a career in the legal field.

To learn more about California Lawyers Foundation and support its California Legal Pathways Collaborative program, please visit: https://calawyersfoundation.org/

SOURCE California Lawyers Foundation