The Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center hosted its Annual Celebration on Friday, September 29th in the beautiful Charney Hall, to celebrate the privilege of working with the community to advance justice. With an abundance of excitement filling the room, this was KGACLC’s first in-person gathering in over three years!
Dean Kaufman and Deborah Moss-West honored the previous Deans Donald J. Polden and Lisa A. Kloppenberg, for their patience, support, trust, and investment in ensuring the program continues to thrive year after year. They were also thankful to the School of Law for sharing their resources and previous partnerships to amplify the work of KGACLC and increase the scope of their network.
The highlight of the auction was Dinner with the Dean which raised $1,000 for the program. 
A young alumna speaker shed light on the importance of being exposed to the KGACLC. She commented on how it focused her experience on giving back to the community, but more importantly, on working with real people one-on-one. She conceded that it was difficult and anxiety-inducing to be dealing with real-world issues, and real people’s problems at such an early part of her career. However, these person-to-person interactions spurred her understanding of the law in practical applications. She explained that the KGACLC gave her a space to take what she was learning in class and apply it to real situations.
The Celebration also honored exceptional individuals and organization(s) with community, commitment, and courage awards, provided an update on the Law Center’s work, shared inspiration, and more! Alongside hors d’oeuvres and beverage service, the evening was further complemented with classical quartet music provided by Santa Clara University students.
The 2023 Celebration honorees were:
Community Award – Consumer Law Center, Inc.
Commitment Award – The Honorable Molly Brennan ’09
Courage Award – Our Students
At a pre-Celebration MCLE event, entitled “From 1L’s to Leaders – Tools and Strategies for Addressing Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession,” Judge Shelyna V. Brown ’96 (ret), Kristin Nevarez ’96, and Tricia Montalvo Timm ’96, former Santa Clara Law 1L study partners and now distinguished alumni, led a powerful conversation about what it takes to address and overcome bias while soaring in their respective legal fields.
The panelists shared their stories – triumphs and challenges – and offered specific tools and strategies lawyers can use to navigate identity issues in the workplace, address bias and implicit bias, and cultivate inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive.
This offered CLE Credit – 1.0 hour Implicit Bias.
