Alumni Donors Create New Scholarship, Expanding Access to UC Law SF Education

UC Law SF alumni Jo Ann ’87 and Michael Montoya ’87 have created a new scholarship for LEOP students, inspired by their own experiences at the College. Their gift helps talented students overcome obstacles and prepares them for meaningful careers in law.

• Jo Ann ’87 and Michael Montoya ’87 have endowed a $100,000 scholarship for students in UC Law SF’s Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP).
• Their gift expands access and creates new opportunities for future legal professionals.
• Alumni credit LEOP with helping them build the skills, confidence, and networks to succeed in law and public service.

UC Law San Francisco alumni Jo Ann ’87 and Michael Montoya ’87 are donating $100,000 to establish a new scholarship endowment for students in the College’s Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP).

The gift reflects both their shared history at UC Law SF and their belief in expanding access to legal education. Michael is an alumnus of LEOP, a program that broadens access to law school by admitting students who have overcome significant life obstacles and supporting them with academic and professional resources throughout law school.

Now retired and living in Colorado after prosperous legal careers in Southern California, the Montoyas said they were motivated by a desire to help future students unlock the same opportunities that shaped their own lives.

“As our time together started as law students in 1984, and after long successful legal careers, it is no understatement to say that UC Law SF changed our lives,” the Montoyas said. “We are proud to be in a position to give back through the creation of a new endowed scholarship for incoming students participating in the school’s Legal Education Opportunity Program.”

Michael spent much of his career in senior legal roles at Southern California Edison and Edison International. Jo Ann built a successful career as an insurance attorney, spending much of her professional life at the firm Woolls Peer Dollinger & Scher.

The Montoyas’ contribution brings the total raised for the College’s Into the Future Campaign to $75.3 million, advancing the campaign’s $100 million goal to support student success, faculty excellence, and innovative initiatives.

“Jo Ann and Michael’s generosity will have a lasting impact on students whose talent and determination deserve to be met with opportunity,” said UC Law SF Chief Advancement Officer Julia Jordan. “This endowed scholarship helps ensure that students can thrive regardless of the obstacles they have faced.”

Elizabeth McGriff ’96, a LEOP alum who now serves as assistant dean for LEOP and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UC Law SF, said the Montoyas’ donation will make a meaningful difference for future students.

“This will mean a lower cost of attendance for LEOP scholars, thereby reducing debt and increasing access to a phenomenal legal education at UC Law SF,” McGriff said.

LEOP admits students who have faced major life challenges, including educational disadvantage, economic hardship, or disability. In addition to traditional admissions criteria such as grades and LSAT scores, the program considers applicants’ overall potential and the obstacles they have overcome. Once enrolled, students receive academic counseling, practice exams, and support preparing for the bar exam and job interviews, among other resources.

LEOP alumni go on to serve in a wide range of influential roles — from big law firms and in-house legal departments at major corporations to public-service positions such as judges, prosecutors, and public defenders.

Alumni say the program’s impact extends well beyond law school. Jenna Smith ’25, now a first-year associate at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, said LEOP workshops on interviewing, resume writing, and professionalism were especially valuable. She also benefited from career guidance and mentorship through the program’s extensive alumni network.

“LEOP gave us all a space to navigate a new and unfamiliar profession while also providing direct support in academics, career growth, and network building,” said Smith, who works in the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.

Marcus Grimes ’22, a fourth-year employment litigation associate at Morrison Foerster, said LEOP helped him build legal skills, confidence, and a community.

“While becoming a lawyer is demanding for anyone, the path through law school is significantly more manageable with LEOP’s academic, professional, and personal support,” he said.

For Adriana Mendez ’18, a privacy and AI governance lawyer who has worked at companies including Visa and Robinhood, the financial support she received from a LEOP scholarship (separate from the Montoyas’ new endowed scholarship) was critical.

“It allowed me to focus on learning, networking, and professional growth rather than constant financial stress,” she said. “As a first-generation student, that stability made it possible for me to fully take advantage of opportunities that might otherwise have felt out of reach.”

Mendez, who continues to practice at the intersection of law, technology, and consumer protection while pursuing her MBA at UC Berkeley Haas, added that LEOP’s impact extends broadly.

“Programs like LEOP don’t just support individual students, they strengthen the legal profession by ensuring it reflects the communities it serves,” she said. “Donor support directly helps create more equitable pathways into law and long-term impact well beyond graduation.”