San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association’s mission is to support attorneys, law students, judges, and any attorney in need of mentorship and guidance. We are focused on creating a more fair and just legal profession and system. We want to create more opportunities and remove barriers in the legal profession.

Bay Area Latino Lawyers Fund (BALLF) is the non-profit (501(c)(3) arm of the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association. BALLF’s mission is to encourage Latinos and others from underserved communities and unique backgrounds in the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in the legal profession. We want to help them before law school. during law school, and throughout their legal careers. We achieve this mission through programming and mentorship.

Individuals from all backgrounds are welcome and encourage to join our group to create a better legal profession.

History

In 1971, Mario G. Obledo moved to San Francisco from San Antonio, Texas when the National Headquarters of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) moved here. Mr. Obledo found it was almost impossible to find five Latino attorneys in one place. More Latino attorneys were needed, and the best way to increase the number of Latino attorneys was by recruiting and educating young people.

Mario Obledo, MALDEF’s general Counsel, Cruz Reynoso, the Executive Director the California Rural Legal Assistance at that time, and Luis Garcia, a lawyer in private practice in San Francisco, together founded La Raza Lawyers in 1971. The Association found its first home at the MALDEF offices. From there, our founders began to recruit attorneys from San Francisco, the Bay Area, the State of California, and across the nation. Within a few years the La Raza Lawyers Association had become a national organization. Today, the national organization is known as the National Hispanic Bar Association, headquartered in Washington, D. C.

In the 1980s, we created the Bay Area Latino Lawyers Fund, a non-profit organization, to advance the needs of the legal community through educational programs and provide scholarships to students.

Past Presidents

2018
 Laura Hurtado

2017
 Edgar Quezada

2016
 Josue Fuentes

2015
Josue Fuentes

2014
Yesenia Santacruz

2013
Manny Alvarez

2012
Sigrid Irias

2011
Xochitl Carrion