Originally published by Pasadena Now.
Pasadena High School has become the first campus in the San Gabriel Valley to partner with the California Legal Pathways Collaborative, according to the organization. The collaboration establishes CLPC’s first-ever law academy partnership in the region and expands the educational work of the California Lawyers Foundation, the charitable arm of the California Lawyers Association, which is the largest volunteer bar association in the state with 50,000 members.
CLPC is the educational component of the California Lawyers Foundation. Its multi-year academic programs bring civics engagement, government, and the law to classrooms across California. Students learn directly from legal professionals and are given opportunities to meet with judges and legislators, hear court cases, attend events, and experience a broad range of career pathways, including a full array of legal and law enforcement positions. The goal, according to the release, is to provide a path from high school through undergraduate education and law school into legal careers.
The Honorable David Cunningham, who has supported CLPC law academies since their inception more than a decade ago, will serve as advisory board chair for the Pasadena High School program. The release notes that the academies began in 2011 through California Education Code legislation serving underprivileged students and have since grown from six to 25 programs in both large metropolitan regions and small communities. Cunningham said he “jumped at the chance” to participate in the Pasadena partnership, adding that seeing students advance into the legal profession has been “a reward that you cannot quantify.”
Pasadena High School already operated a Law and Public Service Academy, one of eight long-term career and technical academies in the Pasadena Unified School District. Pasadena High School sought the partnership with CLPC to broaden its reach within the legal community, according to PUSD Work Based Learning Coordinator Brian Biery. He said CLPC has already connected the school with Cunningham, practicing attorneys, the Los Angeles County Superior Court, local law firms, and the police and fire departments. Advisory board members include the Pasadena deputy chief of police and deputy fire chief.
“CLPC is helping us make better connections for our enrichment activities,” Biery is quoted as saying in the release.
CLPC founder and attorney Ruthe Ashley said Pasadena High School was “the perfect partner,” citing the enthusiasm of students who described what the program means to them. Patricia Lee, CLPC chair, said the organization’s work with the California Lawyers Foundation provides opportunities to expand and support additional academies statewide.
More than 3,100 students participate in CLPC law academies across California, with most going on to pursue higher education, according to the release. The California Lawyers Foundation recently awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships to students attending high school, undergraduate, and law school programs, funded by individuals committed to supporting educational pathways for students from diverse backgrounds who hope to enter the legal field.
To learn how to bring the CLPC law academy program to your school, go to: https://calawyersfoundation.
To learn more about supporting CLF, please visit: https://calawyersfoundation.
For information about Pasadena High School and LPS, click here: https://phs.pusd.us/academics/special-programs/academiespathway-programs/law-and-public-service-lps