Meet Regge Galac and Kyle Selor of the Pilipinx American Law Society

Reggie Galac ’24 (left) and Kyle Selor ’24 (right) serve as co-president and treasurer, respectively, of the Pilipinx American Law Society at UC Law San Francisco.

At UC Law San Francisco, numerous affinity organizations bring together students of different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. One of these many groups is the Pilipinx American Law Society (PALS).

PALS Co-President Regge Galac ’24 and Treasurer Kyle Selor ’24 said they both joined the organization to connect with fellow Filipinx law students and find a sense of community on campus.

“I joined PALS because I love fostering a connection with other FIlipinx people in the legal community,” Selor said. “I really like that the whole organization is so close-knit, and it always felt very welcoming and comfortable.”

The group uses the term Pilipinx, a gender-neutral form of “Pilipino,” which the law students say is how locals from the Philippines refer to themselves or their native language, as opposed to the Westernized version, “Filipino.”

Galac said many law students think they must identify as Filipinx to join the group, but that’s not the case, “We welcome everyone who wants to learn more about our community and become an ally.”

Members of the Pilipinx American Law Society  posed together during a Fall 2023 student mentor-pairing event.

PALS organizes community-building events during the school year that revolve around the Filipinx culture, including lumpia fundraisers and karaoke nights. The group pairs first-year JD and LLM students with upper-division JD students, who serve as mentors. It also provides a springboard for law students to get involved with the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC), which enables students to expand their professional networks and connect with successful Filipinx American lawyers.

Galac, a first-generation law student, said his experiences with PALS and FBANC have made him more committed to expanding diversity in the legal field and encouraging other Filipinx Americans to pursue careers as legal professionals.

Galac was born in the Philippines and moved to San Diego at age 8. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, Spanish, and linguistics at UCLA. Galac hopes to become an in-house attorney at a technology company in the future. He said he’s looking forward to working with DoorDash this fall as part of the Corporate Counsel Externship Program at UC Law SF, “I am excited for the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of being an in-house counsel, especially at a highly innovative and renowned company.”

Born and raised in San Francisco, Selor majored in sociology of law and society at UC San Diego, where he also played baseball. An undergraduate internship at the Juvenile Justice Center sparked his interest in law. Last summer, Selor interned at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, where he drafted motions for felony cases and observed live court hearings, “I want to be a prosecutor because I believe the DA’s office should be representative of the community it prosecutes.”

Both Selor and Galac said their involvement with PALS has helped advance their career goals. “This organization has provided me with a support system that encouraged and allowed me to challenge myself in and out of law school,” Galac said.

“All of the older members have been very helpful when it comes to studying, networking, and providing support,” Selor added. “I am a first-generation law student so having a reliable support system has allowed me to adjust and succeed in a new space.”

For more information or to get involved with PALS, email pals@uclawsf.edu.