The Justice & Diversity Center’s Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship program demonstrates a commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. The program awards diverse first-year Bay Area law students with a $30,000 scholarship, over three years, based on financial need, academic achievement and overcoming adversity.

Since its inception in 1998, 93 scholarships and $1.7 million have been awarded.

Check out what past scholarship recipient, David Abella, is up to:

“I graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law in 2010. After law school, I joined Hanson Bridgett in their Labor and Employment Section, and there is never a dull moment as a labor lawyer.

My practice entails representing employers in litigation, including claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage-and-hour law, and employment-related torts. I have also acquired experience in traditional labor law and represented management during union disputes.

In addition, I maintain an active pro bono practice. I have been a member of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights since 2013, and I dedicate a significant part of my legal practice committing pro bono hours to the LCCR Second Chance Clinic. The Second Chance Legal Clinic helps clients who are working to overcome barriers to employment and housing due to past contact with the criminal justice system.

BASF has been instrumental in my career development. BASF has provided me with a network of mentors and resources to help me excel in the legal profession. I remain very grateful for all of the opportunities that the Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship afforded me. My goal is to continue to “pay it forward” and support the current (and future) BASF minority scholarship recipients.”