Celebrating 20 Years of Education, Service and Success
Ruben Pizarro ’95, far left, and Jim Hammer, center, present the Founders’ Lifetime Achievement Award to Professors Nancy and Eric Wright. Photo by Charles Barry.
On October 25th, The Alexander Community Law Center held its 20th Anniversary Celebration event to honor this milestone and some of the many individuals who played a key role in its founding. Professors Eric and Nancy Wright received the Founders’ Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their pivotal role in launching what was known then as the East San José Community Law Center.
Jim Hammer, former Santa Clara Law professor and Law Center co-founder shared lively anecdotes of the early days in 1994. At the time, a number of SCU La Raza law students led by Ruben Pizarro decided to do something about the abuses suffered by day workers in East San José. Keynote speaker Luis Rodriguez, President Emeritus of the State Bar of California, spoke about the crucial role played by public interest organizations such as the Alexander Community Law Center in insuring access to justice, especially by those who cannot afford legal services. Representatives of the SCU College of Arts and Sciences, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, and the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education were in attendance and lent their financial support, as did Michael E. Engh, S.J., President of Santa Clara University.
Visit law.scu.edu/kgaclc/celebration to see photos and other event-related media.
A Message From Michael E. Engh, S.J.
President, Santa Clara University
A Message From Michael E. Engh, S.J.This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center. I congratulate the Law Center on this milestone and express my gratitude to its director, attorneys and staff who continue to serve our community with selflessness and commitment.
The Law Center truly embodies the values of SCU. It serves the community of which we are a part and gives students the opportunity to understand and improve the lives of those with the least education, power, and wealth.
The Law Center’s distinction rests in the fact that it provides direct legal services to the poorest in our community while training law students to be lawyers of conscience, competence and compassion.
Thanks to the hands-on, experiential learning offered to our law students by the Law Center’s attorneys and staff, their collective impact on our community is truly transformative. In line with the University’s values of engagement and solidarity, the Law Center is an integral part of our efforts to build a more humane, just, faith-filled, and sustainable world. May the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center continue to serve our community for many more years to come.
Michael E. Engh, S.J.
President
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