Attention Journalists: Elected officials, legal leaders, and students, welcome the opportunity to be interviewed.
SACRAMENTO, CA (February 10, 2026) – Nearly 300 students will unite at the California State Capitol to meet with State Senator Christopher Cabaldon (SD-3) and Assemblymembers Lori Wilson (D-12) and Jessica Caloza (D-52) to examine critical concerns for increasing diversity in the legal profession and ethical standards in the legislature. The discussions will take place on Thursday, February 26. These future legal leaders will also hear from Justice Shama Hakim Mesiwala, Third District Court of Appeals, Sacramento Superior Court Presiding Judge Bunmi Awoniyi, Assembly Speaker’s Office General Counsel, Emelyn Rodriguez, and State Supreme Court Chief Justice, the Honorable Tani Cantil-Sakauye (ret.).
The students represent the following high schools: C.K. McClatchy, Florin, and Luther Burbank in Sacramento; Jess Bethel in Vallejo; DeAnza in Richmond; and, Oakland Technical.
The day-long series of discussions is sponsored by the California Legal Pathways Collaborative (CLPC), created to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession through 25 high school law academy programs across the state, serving more than 3,100 students annually. The objective is to provide a path for at-promise students from high school, into an undergraduate education and law school, through to a legal career. The Academies are all housed in high schools where 50 to 90 percent of students are considered disadvantaged. Founded by attorney Ruthe Catolico Ashley, CLPC has its origins with the State Bar of California, when Ashley established the first six Academies in 2010 through California Department of Education grant legislation.
Participants in CLPC’s upcoming capitol experience, “Civility and Ethics in the Legislative Process,” are current students in the multi-year academic programs which bring civics engagement, government, and the law to classrooms across California. Students learn directly from legal professionals and are given special opportunities to meet with judges and legislators, hear court cases, attend events, and experience firsthand a broad range of career opportunities including a full array of legal and law enforcement positions.
CLPC has a joint partnership with California Lawyers Association (CLA), the largest volunteer bar association in California, with over 50,000 members, as well as the California Lawyers Foundation (CLF), the student scholarship and educational arm of CLA. The Academies are the premier program of CLA. Together, judges, attorneys, and legal professionals representing both organizations share a common goal to ensure that the rule of law is applied equally and fairly to all people.
Ashley explains, “People of color represent 62 percent of California’s population, but only 35 percent of its legal profession. Of even greater concern is the fact that 36 percent of our population is Hispanic and Latino, yet they represent only seven percent of licensed attorneys. We provide opportunities for underrepresented students to engage with legal professionals who look like them and share similar stories of challenge. For example, nearly all of our students will be the first in their families to go to college.” Ashley herself was the first Filipina woman elected to the American Bar Association’s Board of Governors in 2014.
The elected and legal leaders meeting with students generously volunteer their time. Many provide mentorship and guidance to young people and serve as inspiration. Senator Cabaldon is the first Filipino-American Senator in California history, representing Sacramento, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, and Contra Costa counties. Assemblywoman Wilson was the first Black female mayor to serve in the history of Solano County, before being elected to represent California’s 11th Assembly District in 2022, which includes Solano County and portions of Contra Costa and Sacramento counties. Assemblywoman Caloza was the first Filipina elected to the State Legislature in 2024 and is a proud immigrant, representing California’s 52nd Assembly District, which includes East Los Angeles and Northeast Los Angeles.
CLPC Chair, Patricia Lee, is grateful for the supportive environment, particularly in the current political climate. “These conversations between current and future leaders are vital,” Lee says. “We not only bring the legal profession to the classroom, but we make certain our students interact with California’s decision-makers. Our work with California Lawyers Association and its Foundation gives us even greater opportunities to expand our efforts among our high school partners.”
CLPC provides several meaningful scholarships each year to students aspiring to enter the legal profession. Additionally, CLF recently awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships to students attending high school, undergraduate, and law school programs, 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 CLPC and its 25 law academy programs, please visit: https://calawyersfoundation.org/our-work/youth-initiatives/