Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation – Dedicated to Justice for Women and Minorities

2024-25 Vernellia grants

2024-25 grant recipients

2024-25 grant recipients

About the OWLS Foundation

Armonica Law Student Grant

Armonica Law Student Grant

2023-24 OWLS Board

2024-25 OWLS Foundation Board

2024-25 OWLS Foundation Board

2015 Armonica Law Student Grantee: Mei Tsai

"The Armonica Law Student Grant gave me the opportunity to be mentored by a highly-respected member of the legal community (the Hon. Youlee You). She shared her experiences of entering the legal profession as a woman of color, which prepared me to enter the same profession as a woman of color. She also guided me through questions about career paths and interests. I am grateful that we were connected and the effect she has had on my confidence and career."

Where Are They Now? Reflections from Past OWLS Foundation Grantees

Learn more about Mei Tsai

Suleima Garcia 2014

2014 Armonica Law Student Grantee: Suleima Garcia

"This grant afforded me more than just monetary support. It connected me with a mentor to help me navigate the last year of law school and develop relationships with other lawyers. This was invaluable because I didn’t know any lawyers. I am the first person in my family to go to college and to pursue a professional degree. Having someone connect me with attorneys who were inviting and supportive helped shape who I am as a professional.”

Where Are They Now? Reflections from Past OWLS Foundation Grantees

Learn more about Suleima

Shenoa Payne 2014

2007 Armonica Law Student Grantee: Shenoa Payne

The Armonica Grant program provided me not only with valuable financial assistance but paired me with an appellate judge — Judge Darleen Ortega — who provided invaluable mentorship and guidance when I most needed it. I am forever grateful for the impact the grant program had on the trajectory of my legal career.”

Where Are They Now? Reflections from Past OWLS Foundation Grantees

Learn more about Shenoa

Heather Murray 2013

2013 Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grantee: Heather M. Murray

“After a personal tragedy in my third year of law school, I was at risk of not being able to graduate. Fortunately, I was thrown a lifeline by the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation. Through the Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant, I was able to finish law school, graduate on time, and take and pass the Oregon Bar that summer. I was fortunate to have a job in the fall, and still am a practicing litigation attorney in Oregon. I am extremely grateful for the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation,and have paid its generosity forward so that others can have the same chance to fulfill their dreams.”

Where Are They Now? Reflections from Past OWLS Foundation Grantees

Learn more about Heather

Jacqueline Alarcon 2009

Jacqueline Alarcon

2009 Armonica Law Student Grantee: Hon. Jacqueline Alarcón

Judge Alarcón has said of mentoring:“I believe that I have a duty to improve the legal community. Being the recipient of generous mentorship, I understand the importance of mentoring others, and being part of continuous change for the better within our legal profession.”

Where Are They Now? Reflections from Past OWLS Foundation Grantees

Learn more about Judge Alarcón

Vanessa Nordyke 2007

Vanessa Nordyke

2007 Armonica Law Student Grantee: Vanessa A. Nordyke

“The Armonica Law Student Grant empowered me by connecting me with a seasoned leader in the legal community (the Hon. Youlee You) to build my confidence and chart my own course for leadership. I’m forever grateful to this program and the impact it’s had on my career.”

Where Are They Now? Reflections from Past OWLS Foundation Grantees

Learn more about Vanessa

Justice Betty Roberts
Leadership Conference Grant

Jane Paulson, Hon. Betty Roberts, and Maureen Leonard

The Justice Betty Roberts Leadership Conference
Grant is available to those who identify as women
and/or as members of other historically
disadvantaged groups who are board members
of an Oregon legal association and desire to
attend a leadership conference but do not have
sufficient conference funds available through the
organization that they serve.

Vernellia R. Randall
Bar Exam Grant

Vernellia Randall and Gerry Kahn

The Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant is available to custodial parents in their final year of law school, who have children under the age of 18.

Armonica Law Student Grant

Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Armonica Gilford in 1997

The Armonica Law Student grant is available to students in their final year at one of the three Oregon law schools. Successful applicants intend to practice law in Oregon and can demonstrate a commitment to the Foundation’s goals through volunteer or educational experience. Recipients receive $3,000 for textbooks and a mentoring relationship with a female judge.

Janis Hardman Medical Support Grant

Janis Hardman, Phylis Myles, and Terri Kraemer at a 1996 Oregon Women Lawyers Board Retreat

The Janis Hardman Medical Support Grant is available to lawyers who identify as women and/or as members of any other historically disadvantaged groups who need financial support because they are unable to work or can only work a reduced schedule during a time of medical need.

2025 Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Recipients Named

Tara Zak and Sarah Griffith

Congratulations to 2025 Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Recipients Tara Zak and Sarah Griffith

Tara Zak and Sarah Griffith, students at Willamette University College of Law who will be studying for the July 2025 Oregon Bar exam, have been named recipients of the Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant. The award, named in honor of a founding Oregon Women Lawyers board member, provides a financial grant to a law student parent who is preparing for the Oregon Bar ... Read More

You will become a member of the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation Legacy Society by pledging a gift to the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation through your estate or financial plan. Making a simple bequest (through your Will or Trust) or naming the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation as a direct beneficiary of your retirement account, investment account or insurance policy is a powerful and meaningful way of creating a legacy and making a lasting impact in supporting future generations of women and minorities in accessing and participating in the justice system. To explore how you can create a lasting legacy through the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation, please see the downloadable document below: Download … Read More about Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation Legacy Society

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