San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association’s mission is to serve the public interest by cultivating the science of jurisprudence; promoting reform in the law; facilitating the administration of justice; advancing the standing of the legal profession; preserving the high standards of professionalism among Latino attorneys; and cooperating with other professional and community organizations in the furtherance of our mission.

Bay Area Latino Lawyers Fund (BALLF) is non-profit, charitable, and educational affiliate of the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association. BALLF’s mission is to encourage Latinos in the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in the legal profession, and assist Latinos in law school.

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 Latino legal community through educational programs and provide scholarships to Latino 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