June 2020
In This Edition
Support our DREAMers Fund with a donation today equal to the application fee for DACA ($495) or any amount you can
Help us welcome social worker Sharon Almonte and all our wonderful new PLC team members
Meet Santa Ana’s own Harvard Law 2L and NYU PhD Candidate Nnamdi Jogwe and the entire Summer Clerkship cohort
Please Support our DREAMers Fund
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to end the DACA program in 2017. PLC is excited and hopeful the ruling will restore the program and continue to protect 700,000 Americans. We must be ready to support our DREAMer clients when DHS begins to accept DACA applications again. The fee to request consideration is $495 and cannot be waived. Please consider a donation of $49.50 or $495.00 to ensure our low-income clients receive the protections they deserve.
PLC Welcomes Five New Staff
Sharon Almonte (top left), Social Worker/Case Worker, Consumer Law Elder Justice 
“As someone that was born and raised in Orange County, I was interested in PLC for the various services we provide low-income folx. I recently graduated with my Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan and returned to California with the hopes of working with my own community.”

Jennifer Baez-Silva (center), Housing Staff Attorney
“Since graduating from Irvine University College of Law in 2009, I have handled an array of litigation matters, primarily involving real estate. My most recent position involved unlawful detainer defense and trial work, and I look forward to contributing to the PLC Housing Unit.

Kenny Hamilton (top right), Housing Staff Attorney
“I have defended the accused in private practice in San Diego and Santa Barbara, and served as a deputy public defender in Tulare and Ventura Counties. I’m excited to bring the experience gained as lead counsel in approximately 75 jury trials and 25 appeals to defend tenants and prevent homelessness.

Yirat Nieves (bottom left), Immigration Administrative Assistant
“After graduating from Tufts University with a double major in Spanish and Community Health, I moved back home to Santa Ana and began volunteering for PLC as a Spanish interpreter. My goal is to become a certified Spanish interpreter, while also learning more about the immigration law field.”

Iraida L. Oliva (bottom right), Housing Staff Attorney
“Before joining PLC, I practiced family law locally for 15 years, including representing members of low-income and Spanish-speaking communities. I joined PLC because it is a direct way of continuing to assist members of these communities as they nagivate through our judicial system. 
Meet PLC’s Summer Clerks Working Virtually From Santa Ana to South Korea
Alyssa Gauthier-Barrett, Rising 2L @ UCLA School of Law, COLAP
Huntington Beach, CA
“I learned about PLC when I read about the Mobile Home Advocacy Project and Community Organizations Legal Assistance Project. I instantly connected with the clients that PLC serves because I grew up in Orange County in a mobile home, helping my mom run her small French café. I sought out to work at PLC not only to further my legal education, but to serve people who face similar struggles as my own family.” 

Nnamdi Jogwe, Rising 2L @ Harvard Law & PhD candidate @ NYU, Immigration
Santa Ana, CA
“My dad's family comes from Nigeria and my mom's from Mexico, so I've always been passionate about immigration and allowing people to have the same opportunities in this country that I've had. I came to PLC because I wanted to do immigration work in my hometown, with a focus on crimmigration, the intersection of criminal law and immigration law, to further my ambitions of becoming a law professor.”

Alexis Flores, Rising 2L @ Notre Dame Law, Housing 
Brea, CA
“I am passionate about serving low-income communities and am excited to be able to utilize this summer to do public interest work. I knew this would be an eye-opening experience to better understand not only the law, but also how the system truly serves low-income individuals.”

Stephanie Gorman, Rising 2L @ Chapman Law, Immigration
Fullerton, CA 
“When I started the search for summer opportunities specifically in public interest, I was not sure where I wanted to land, but interviewing with PLC made that crystal clear. The passion and zeal was genuine and unmatched, and being here has already taught me so much about what it means to be an advocate.”

Yae Rin Kim, Rising 2L @ Columbia Law, Consumer
Seoul, South Korea
“Growing up in Orange County and being a previous AmeriCorps member naturally led me to PLC. As a first generation law student, I hope to obtain as much first-hand experience and skills with direct legal aid as possible. It has been fascinating to learn how to apply my class knowledge to real cases.”

Jordan Law, Rising 2L @ Chapman Law, Health
Brea, CA
“I wanted to work at PLC because I want to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. I love PLC's commitment to solving access to justice issues and their mission to provide legal justice for the underprivileged and underserved.” 

Jocelyn Perez, Rising 2L @ Chapman Law, Family
Santa Ana, CA
“I chose to dedicate my time to PLC because it best aligns with my professional goals. I am born and raised in Santa Ana, and am passionate about giving low-income individuals in my community, who often only speak Spanish, a voice in our justice system.” 

Amanat Singh, Rising 2L @ UC Davis Law School, Housing
Fullerton, CA
“I pursued a clerkship with PLC to learn how to support and advocate for low-income communities. I also wanted a summer clerkship that would challenge me, allow me to explore different practices within the legal field, and push me to improve my lawyering skills.“

Anna Virk, Rising 2L @ UC Davis Law School, Veterans
Bakersfield, CA
“I was drawn to PLC this summer because I hope to have a future where I can help people, especially marginalized clients, who would otherwise have little hope of having a fighting chance in our legal system.”

Jacqueline Zurmuhlen, Rising 2L @ CUNY School of Law, Immigration
New York, NY
“I am an immigrant passionate about immigrant rights and representation, especially in marginalized communities. My aspirations are to become an immigration attorney and interning at PLC was the perfect first step in that direction.”

Francesca Cappellini, Graduate of Santa Clara, Immigration
Orange County, CA
“I came to PLC as volunteer because of my experience working in legal aid organizations, like East Bay Community Law Center. I spent the last two years in Santiago, Chile working at Jesuit Refugee Services helping immigrants get legal status. I would like to pursue an JD and/or MSW in the near future.”

Jordan Battaglia, Rising Senior @ Pomona College, Litigation/Pro Bono
San Diego, CA
“The deep passion I have for helping those in need is easily matched by PLC and the tireless staff. I am inspired by their passion to help strangers in need and am motivated to do my work as a clerk to the best of my ability.” 

Alexis Chun, Rising Sophomore @ Loyola Marymount, Immigration
Santa Ana, CA. 
“I pursued this opportunity with PLC, because I’m really interested in pursuing a career in law. This is a great local organization serving communities in need and I get to learn from so many talented attorneys and staff.”

Lena Proctor, Rising Senior @ Claremont McKenna, Litigation/Pro Bono
Westchester County, NY
“After being connected with Leigh, I was so excited to learn more about public interest law, as my interests lie in fighting social inequities. While I am still uncertain of what exactly my future career will look like, I  am  certain that the skills that I am building and my experiences at PLC will guide me in the right direction.”

Yuwen Wang, Rising Sophomore @ Johns Hopkins, Health
Yorba Linda, CA
“My interest in law and public health brought me to PLC's Health Unit. I hope working at PLC is the first step towards my career in combating health and environmental inequities through law and policy.”