The Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation congratulates Lewis & Clark Law School student Queen Rynders, the recipient of a $5,000 Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant. Queen plans to take the July 2022 Oregon Bar exam. She hopes to become a public law librarian who primarily serves those who have difficulty gaining access to justice. Queen was the OWLS Foundation-sponsored 2020 MBA Bar Fellow with Legal Aid Services of Oregon. Since then, she has worked toward a certificate in Public Interest Law with a notation in Indian Law. She has served as a certified law student at the Lewis & Clark Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. While completing her law studies, Queen has volunteered with the PCC CLEAR Clinic and is pursuing mediation certification by volunteering with Clackamas County Resolution Services. Her work was recently recognized with a Community Service Honors Award from Lewis & Clark Law School. The Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant is awarded two times each year. Parents … [Read more...] about Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Recipient is Lewis & Clark Law Student Queenisha Rynders
MBA Fellow Aleesha Kazi Selected for 2022 Internship with LASO
We are delighted that Oregon Law student Aleesha Kazi has been chosen by Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) as their summer intern supported by the generous donations of contributors to the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation. Aleesha is a 2021 cum laude graduate of Willamette University, where she majored in Politics, Policy, Law & Ethics, with a minor in Philosophy. During her undergrad years, she served as a legislative intern in the office of State Representative Rachel Prusak, and as a legislative assistant to Oregon Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner. To learn more about Aleesha, click here. Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation is a proud sponsor of the Multnomah Bar Association Fellows Program providing financial support for a summer internship after the Fellow’s first year of law school. To learn more about the Fellows Program, click here. For more information about Legal Aid Services of Oregon, click here. … [Read more...] about MBA Fellow Aleesha Kazi Selected for 2022 Internship with LASO
Spotlight on Armonica Grant Recipient Jessica Charles–From an Interview with Gizem Demirel
Jessica Charles is one of the Armonica Law Student Grant recipients for the 2021-2022 academic year. She is a student at Willamette University College of Law. And this is the inspiring story of her tenacious effort in making her childhood dream come true. Although she has no one in her family involved in the legal profession, she was surrounded by the sad stories of injustices and unfairness in her community. All she could think of was finding ways to be part of the solution, and that’s why she started to dream of becoming a criminal lawyer when she was little. Jessica slowly but adamantly started to execute her plan to become a lawyer. First, she became a political science student at Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in Idaho. Second, she decided to start her legal career at Willamette University with the encouragement of the President of NNU, Joel Pearsall, who is also a Willamette graduate with a J.D. degree. However, she had to borrow the maximum student loans to attend … [Read more...] about Spotlight on Armonica Grant Recipient Jessica Charles–From an Interview with Gizem Demirel
Armonica Law Student Grant recipients named for 2021
Congratulations to those students who are recipients of the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation’s Armonica Law Student Grant for the 2021-22 academic year! They are Neal Alnajran (Lewis & Clark), Jessica Charles (Willamette), Neeka Dabiri (Lewis & Clark), Kristen Holtvoigt (Lewis & Clark), Kaitlyn Lindaman (University of Oregon), and Halie Quiring (University of Oregon). Each grantee will be matched with a mentor (a judge or senior attorney) and will receive a monetary award of $2,000 for law school expenses. The Armonica Law Student Grant is named for the late Armonica Gilford, an active board member of Oregon Women Lawyers and the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation, and a treasured member of the wider legal community. To learn more about Armonica, click here. Applicants for the grant must be in their final year of legal studies at an Oregon law school. Applications for the 2022 grants will be accepted beginning on August 1. … [Read more...] about Armonica Law Student Grant recipients named for 2021
Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Recipient is Lewis & Clark Law Student Destini Martinez
The Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation congratulates Lewis & Clark Law School student Destini Martinez, the recipient of a $5,000 Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant. Destini plans to take the February 2022 Oregon Bar exam. She hopes to pursue public interest work serving women and minorities as she moves forward with her legal career. The Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant is awarded two times each year. Parents in their last year of law study who intend to practice law in Oregon are invited to apply in advance of the February and July bar examinations. For more information on the application process, click here. … [Read more...] about Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Recipient is Lewis & Clark Law Student Destini Martinez
Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Awarded to Ana Escobedo-Barraza
The Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation is pleased to announce that Willamette University College of Law student Ana Escobedo-Barrarza has received a 2021 Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant. Even as a young child she was drawn to defending human rights--immigrant rights in particular. She has focused her academic career on developing skills that will help to support underrepresented communities. She plans to practice in Oregon and hopes to use her legal skills, first-hand experiences, and linguistic abilities to help people in the areas of immigration, and family law. A second Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant will be awarded in the fall. For a complete description of the grant’s details and deadlines, please click here. … [Read more...] about Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Awarded to Ana Escobedo-Barraza
Meet Pamela Domingo, 2021 MBA Bar Fellow
The Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation is delighted to sponsor University of Oregon law student Pamela Domingo as a Multnomah Bar Association Fellow assisting Legal Aid Services of Oregon this summer after completion of her first year of law school. Her current areas of particular interest include criminal law, immigration law, family, law, environmental law, and public interest. Pamela was born in the Philippines and lived there until the fifth grade. She immigrated to the United States at the beginning of sixth grade and has lived in Portland ever since. She attended Warner Pacific University and majored in Criminal Justice with a minor in Human Development. As an undergrad she spent most of her summers as a College to County intern with Multnomah County. Her service to Multnomah County includes assistance as a bilingual on-call elections worker. When Pamela isn't studying, she volunteers as part of the Interfaith Movement for Immigration Justice. She also enjoys dancing, trying new … [Read more...] about Meet Pamela Domingo, 2021 MBA Bar Fellow
Congratulations to 2020 Armonica Law Student Grant Recipients!
From a field of many deserving applicants, six Oregon law students at three Oregon law schools have been chosen to receive 2020 Armonica Law Student Grants. From Lewis & Clark Law School: Amanda Haines and Roxana Manesh; from University of Oregon School of Law: Cecilia Le and Sarah Osborn; and from Willamette University College of Law: Kirsten Parsons and Cindy Strahl. To learn more about the grant, click here. … [Read more...] about Congratulations to 2020 Armonica Law Student Grant Recipients!
Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Awarded to Hope Skelton
Congratulations to 2020 Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant recipient Hope Skelton of Willamette University College of Law. The Foundation is impressed by Hope’s commitment to public service and her tenacity as a single parent and first-generation college student. She plans to begin her legal career as a public defender and aspires to eventually open her own practice that will focus on defending women in cases of revenge porn, harassment, domestic violence, and more. “I want to make the law more accessible to women and empower them through the law to assert their rights over situations where they may feel powerless and hopeless,” shares Hope. The Foundation is honored to support Hope in her pursuit of these impressive and selfless professional goals. The Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant is named in honor of Vernellia R. Randall, who has made a lasting contribution to the Foundation and is playing a significant role in the efforts to give women and minorities greater access to the … [Read more...] about Vernellia R. Randall Bar Exam Grant Awarded to Hope Skelton
Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation Statement in Support of the Black Lives Matter Movement
The Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation believes that Black lives matter. We share in the collective grief and anger following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Oregon’s own Patrick Kimmons, Terrell Johnson, Keaton Otis, Andre Gladen, Quanice Hayes, Kendra James, Jason Washington, James Perez, Byron Hammick, Aaron Campbell, Koben Henrickson, John Elifritz, Christopher Kalonji, William Patrick Floyd, and too many others nationwide and here in Oregon at the hands of police and white supremacist vigilantes. When the system fails one of us, it fails us all. As legal professionals, we have a duty to stand up and demand a more just society. As members of our community, we have a duty to listen. To educate ourselves. To understand. To act. Our mission at the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation is to provide access to justice opportunities and grants to women and underrepresented members of our community. Today, in the spirit of our mission and common humanity, we … [Read more...] about Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation Statement in Support of the Black Lives Matter Movement
