Center for Social Justice

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What We Do

The Center for Social Justice provides strategic leadership of social justice activities at the law school and promotes a strong public interest campus culture. The Center’s goal is to help all students find meaningful ways to incorporate justice work into their professional identity and future practice.

UC Law SF has a myriad of opportunities for students to be engaged in work with and for the community—there are so many offerings it can be overwhelming! The Center consolidates, coordinates and communicates about these opportunities, so students can more easily learn about and engage in social justice work and be connected to faculty, staff and other students who engage in social justice programming and education. Key features of the Center are: a Social Justice Speaker Series, a peer mentor program, a wide range of pro bono and community service opportunities, a catalogue of related course offerings, and direction on where to seek academic & career counseling for public interest summer and post-graduate employment and funding.

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Annual Reports

What is Social Justice

Social Justice is a value; those acting to further social justice promote access to resources, equity, participation, and human rights. Social Justice lawyers advocate for these concepts in partnership with people and communities that have less structural and political power. There are many means that lawyers use to work towards social justice, including litigation, community organizing, public education and outreach and policy advocacy.

Our College’s motto is Fiat Justicia, translated as Let Justice Be Done. At the Center for Social Justice, we believe that all lawyers can and should participate in the cause of social justice and that law schools play an important role in helping students discover how to integrate this value into their professional identities. We hope to empower and support all students to seek out opportunities to aid the cause of justice. While some lawyers will choose to dedicate the whole or a substantial part of their professional lives to social justice, others will contribute to social justice in other ways, such as contributing resources and/or taking on pro bono clients.

Social Justice on Campus

Events

No upcoming events.

Affiliated Faculty and Staff

Headshot of Fairuz Abdullah

Fairuz Abdullah

Deputy Director of the Career Development Office
View Fairuz Abdullah’s Profile

Headshot of Blaine Bookey

Blaine Bookey

Visiting Assistant Professor and Legal Director, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies
View Blaine Bookey’s Profile

Headshot of Kyla Burke-Lazarus

Kyla Burke-Lazarus

Associate Director of Public Interest Public Service Programs
View Kyla Burke-Lazarus’s Profile

Headshot of Ming H. Chen

Ming H. Chen

Professor and Harry & Lillian Hastings Research Chair, Director of the Center on Race, Immigration, Citizenship and Equality
View Ming H. Chen’s Profile

Headshot of Brittany Glidden

Brittany Glidden

Clinical Professor & Faculty Co-Director of Public Interest and the Social Justice Center
View Brittany Glidden’s Profile

Headshot of Thalia González

Thalia González

Professor of Law and Harry & Lillian Hastings Research Chair, Co-Director of the Center for Racial and Economic Justice
View Thalia González’s Profile

Headshot of Dorit Reiss

Dorit Reiss

Professor of Law and the James Edgar Hervey ’50 Chair of Litigation
View Dorit Reiss’s Profile

Headshot of Amy Kimmel

Amy Kimmel

Assistant Dean for the Career Development Office
View Amy Kimmel’s Profile

Headshot of Jennifer D. Oliva

Jennifer D. Oliva

Affiliated Scholar and Visiting Professor of Law
View Jennifer D. Oliva’s Profile

Headshot of Gail Silverstein

Gail Silverstein

Associate Dean for Experiential Learning, Co-Director of Public Interest and the Social Justice Center, and Clinical Professor
View Gail Silverstein’s Profile

Headshot of Miguel Zavala

Miguel Zavala

Assistant Dean of Student Services
View Miguel Zavala’s Profile