(March 28, 1961 – September 19, 2021)
The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) celebrates the life and legacy of Berkeley Law Professor Lucinda Sikes. For nearly two decades, Lucinda taught, trained, and mentored hundreds of law students to become strong legal writers and thinkers. Many EBCLC students (and EBCLC staff who are Berkeley Law alumni) count ourselves among those lucky enough to have had Lucinda as a professor, including EBCLC Clinical Director Seema N. Patel:
“I vividly recall my first day of class with Professor Sikes, some 18 years ago. I was enamored by her brilliant credentials as a Harvard Law Graduate, a longtime attorney, and somebody who had, at an early stage in her career, argued a case before the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS). As a professor for first-year law students, most of whom were brand-new to law and legal writing, Lucinda created a warm and welcoming atmosphere–oftentimes an antidote to what traditional law classrooms afford. She offered care, support, guidance, and encouragement to each of her students no matter our levels, and even when the task at hand was challenging. Lucinda was an avid supporter of EBCLC from the start, whether it was meeting with clinic students to guide and advise them in their careers or conducting intensive writing-supervision trainings to our own clinical supervision staff so that we might be better equipped to train our students the way Lucinda trained the hundreds that came through her classroom.”
The Law Center will miss Lucinda dearly. We are deeply grateful to the Sikes/Shireman family for selecting EBCLC as a repository for memorial contributions in Lucinda’s honor. If you are interested in making a donation in Lucinda’s memory, please go to our donation portal and include a brief dedication in the ‘Write a Note’ section. If you have any questions, please email Seema N. Patel (spatel@ebclc.org).