The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is proud to announce it has ratified its second collective bargaining agreement. We mark this victory with recognition of the history that made our success possible. EBCLC is grateful to be in solidarity with movements worldwide in valuing the dignity and solidarity of workers. “Our mission is to […]
Welcome, we are excited for you to join us this semester! Like all of us here at the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC), we imagine you read the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decisions with concern. In particular, the Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College has far-reaching […]
As EDJY advocates, we have the privilege of being invited in by our youth and their families to hear their stories, their strengths, and their struggles. Throughout my time with EDJY, I worked with many incredible and kind youth. These youth were tenacious, often standing up to systems that were working against them. Being EDJY advocates, we walk alongside our youth during some of the darkest times of their lives…
The skills and network I gained through the Clinic allowed me to further assist vulnerable, underprivileged communities. After my summer with EBCLC, I founded a consumer pro bono project at Duke Law School, where I recruited more than 50 students and forged partnerships with local and national consumer organizations…
EBCLC was a surprising and wonderful summer experience. A first work experience in the legal world is never an easy transition—even in the best of circumstances, to have responsibility as an advocate thrust upon you can be daunting. But my summer was also the first summer of a pandemic that has stretched into its third year. Logistically, this marked the summer with new learning experiences for supervisors and students alike…
My last case in Records Remedies court was just as meaningful. I had the privilege of working with a new parent who had fought California wildfires while incarcerated, a true hero. Despite risking his life for such little pay, my client was unable to work as a firefighter once he was released because of his prior convictions…
I participated in two EBCLC clinics during my time at Berkeley Law. My supervising attorneys always assigned me meaningful work, with real opportunities to actually practice being a lawyer, and they provided by far the most comprehensive supervision and feedback that I received during my legal education. If I learned anything about how to actually be a lawyer during my time in law school, it mostly happened in Clinic…
EBCLC also showed me that our legal system, although it is adversarial, benefits from sympathy and solidarity. Civility and respect gave rise to greater negotiation and compromise from opposing counsel at IEP meetings. Connecting with my client and not focusing solely on his legal issues deepened the quality of our advocacy…
The first year of the pandemic was hard in so many ways, but being part of CEJ brought me a lot of hope and joy. Being surrounded by the creative energy of clinic staff and our clients transformed my view of community lawyering. For the first time in law school, I felt like the work I was learning to do was changing the direction our world is headed in. Our clinic assignments connected us with community coalitions and nonprofits engaged in policy and organizing fights around stable jobs, housing affordability, and anti-displacement…
As a women of color-centered organization, The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) advocates for total debt cancellation. Per our Women of Color-Centered platform, EBCLC believes that total student debt cancellation will transform the lives of women of color and their networks.
