Farella Braun + Martel's Diversity Scholarship Program Continues to Aid Minority Law Students

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 28, 2013 (Press-News.org) Farella Braun + Martel LLP announces the recipients of its annual Diversity Scholarships. The firm has awarded $5,000 scholarships to five diverse first-year students at Bay Area law schools.

Now in its 13th year, the scholarships were created to assist diverse Bay Area law students in pursuing their legal careers. Diversity Scholarship recipients are selected based on academic accomplishments, commitment to serving the community and financial need.

"Congratulations to this year's outstanding recipients," said Steven Vettel, partner and co-chair of Farella's Diversity Committee. "The Diversity Scholarship Program along with our Diversity Pipeline Internship Program and the Farella Braun + Martel Law & Justice Credit Recovery Program are examples of our commitment to actions that build a more diverse legal profession."

The 2013 recipients of the Farella Braun + Martel Diversity Scholarships are:

Anthony Caruthers II attends the University of San Francisco (USF) School of Law, where he is the 1L representative for the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, the Sports and Entertainment Law Association and the Black Law Students Association. He earned his B.S., magna cum laude, in political science from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. He served as president of the Student Government Association's Department of Safety and supervised the S.A.F.E. (Students Available For Escort) Team. Caruthers mentored, tutored and coached elementary to high school children, through Tallahassee Parks & Recreation, Ruediger Elementary School and Titus Sports Academy, providing a positive role model, particularly for the at-risk youth he mentored through the Florida A&M Juvenile Justice Club. He currently volunteers as a tour guide with the Museum of African Diaspora. Caruthers was recently elected the 2L representative of USF's Student Bar Association and he will also be the professional development chair of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA).

Gagandeep Kaur attends the University of California, Davis School of Law, where she is the staff editor for both the Business Law Journal and Environs, Environmental Law and Policy Journal. She is a volunteer intern with the Willow Medical-Legal Clinic and a member of the Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Students Association. Kaur earned her B.A., cum laude, in political science with a minor in public affairs and women's studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she served as secretary of the Sikh Student Association and was a member of the Muslim Student Association and the California Student Public Interest Research Group. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and co-organized the Equality & Policy Conference. She has interned with several community organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, Workers' Rights Center and Alliance for Children's Rights. This summer, Kaur will clerk with Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel.

Nabanita (Neeta) Pal attends the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is a co-chair of the Women of Color Collective for 2013-14 and is a member of the South Asian Law Students Association and the Berkeley Law Foundation. Prior to law school, she was a research associate at the Brennan Center for Justice, where she worked with legal advocates on civil legal aid, public defense and foreclosure issues. Pal earned her B.A., magna cum laude and with honors, in development studies from Brown University, where she received the Joslin Student Leadership Award, which is bestowed upon 10 graduating seniors each year. As a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, Pal trained as a Creative & Performing Arts Fellow with the Orissa Dance Academy in Bhubaneswar, India, and she interned with the Campaign for Youth Justice as an Arthur Liman Undergraduate Public Interest Fellow. She also worked with incarcerated young women at a state juvenile correctional facility as a debate and public speaking instructor at the Rhode Island Training School. This summer, Pal will intern with the Urban Justice Center's Community Development Project in New York City.

Perla Edith Parra attends the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She is a 1L representative for the Associated Students of U.C. Hastings, treasurer for U.C. Hastings Students for Immigrants' Rights, and a member of the La Raza Law Students Association. Parra earned her B.A. in anthropology with a minor in Italian studies and a Certificate in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. She served as the vice president of the Anthropology Undergraduate Association, as vice-chair of the Berkeley Model United Nations, as a member of Students Organizing for Justice in the Americas and as a dancer and dance instructor for Reflejos, the Berkeley Folkloric Ballet. Through the University Community Links Program, she managed the Expedition After-School Program, providing mentorship and support for middle school students. Parra received a Master of Public Administration degree from Cornell University, where she graduated with honors and was a Henry Luce Scholar with The Human Rights and Development Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She also served as the president of the Latino Graduate Student Coalition and Cornell Women in Public Policy and as senior managing editor and research editor for The Cornell Policy Review.

Magdalena Ridley attends the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she was recently elected national relations chair of the La Raza Law Students Association. She earned her B.A. in humanities from the New College of California. Prior to attending law school, Ridley worked as the Outreach and Diversity Director at LandPaths, where she designed and implemented outreach programs for the environmental non-profit organization to serve underrepresented populations. She is also an active member of the community, serving in numerous leadership positions, including board member of the Low Income Sector of the Community Action Partnership and task force member of the Sonoma County Redevelopment Commission. She is a founding board member of the Roseland Youth Center and received the California Parks and Recreation Society's Champion of the Community Award in 2012. This summer, Ridley will intern with California Rural Legal Assistance.

Farella Braun + Martel's Diversity Program: One of Farella Braun + Martel's core values is "Success Through Teamwork, Diversity and Respect." The firm believes it better serves clients, the profession and the community by building a workforce comprised of attorneys and staff with varied backgrounds in a workplace that appreciates individual differences. In 2012, Farella received the first annual Dell Legal Diversity Award recognizing a law firm that embraces diversity initiatives and creates an inclusive environment. The firm was named among the 2012 "50 Best Law Firms for Women" by Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers and earned Gold Standard Certification by the Women Leaders in Law Forum (WILEF). In 2010, Farella received the State Bar of California's law firm Diversity Award as well as the California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP)'s Drucilla Stender Ramey Majority-Owned Law Firm Award.

Farella Braun + Martel represents clients throughout the United States and abroad in sophisticated business transactions and high-stakes commercial, civil and criminal litigation. Farella lawyers are known for their imaginative legal solutions, dynamism and intellectual creativity. With an unwavering service ethic and interdisciplinary team approach, the firm is committed to advancing clients' objectives in the most effective, coordinated and efficient manner. Founded in 1962, the firm is headquartered in San Francisco and maintains an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry. http://www.fbm.com