Let the Record Show: UC Law SF Students Serve Local Spanish-Speaking Communities

More than 40 alumni, students, and supporters gathered to celebrate the launch of the new Latinx Alumni Council at a kickoff event on Sept. 7, 2023.

While nearly 20 percent of today’s J.D. students at UC Law San Francisco identify as Latinx, representation among local attorneys – and their ability to serve Spanish-speaking clients – was much more diminished in years past. 

In September 1973, Hastings Law News reported that a telephone book survey uncovered only 14 San Francisco attorneys with bilingual expertise, and “only two … were in the San Francisco Mission District, which contains approximately 65,000 Spanish-speaking people. The resulting disparity between Raza lawyers and the Spanish-speaking community is obvious.” 

The students contributing to the paper at the time also had a clear sense of their responsibilities during the historic period they were studying in, and wrote, “One of the traditional roles of lawyers throughout history has been to provide a vehicle and stimulation for orderly change. Unfortunately, the social problems of Spanish speaking people, La Raza, have not had the benefits of this tradition.” 

As greater numbers of Latinx students attended college, the way schools interacted with Spanish-speaking communities began to change. At law schools, the establishment of Centro Legales allowed Spanish-speaking students to provide culturally sensitive and bilingual legal services. HLN reported that UC Law SF and Berkeley Law students worked in the Mission District with La Raza en Accion Local during the summer to provide individual case service.  

UC Law SF’s La Raza Law Students Association, now known as the Latinx Law Students Association, was founded in 1969 and has since connected law students who share an affinity for the diverse cultures of Latin America. UC Law SF’s Latinx Alumni Council launched one year ago as a way for alumni to support current LLSA members and connect with each other. 

The Centro Legales’ impact lives on in service, as well. For instance, services from UC Law SF’s Medical Legal Partnership for Seniors Clinic are available in languages other than English through interpreters or students who speak a client’s language. 

Let the Record Show is an occasional series that showcases people, moments, and milestones from UC Law San Francisco’s past.