Judge Briseno addressed Project SELF interns at 8/1 recognition dinner

Judge Francisco Briseno Addressed Project SELF Interns During Recognition Dinner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IRVINE, CA—Two-hundred and sixty-nine members of the Orange County legal community celebrated the record-breaking 59 students placed as interns throughout 51 Orange County law firms and law-related businesses through the Project SELF (Summer Employment in Law Firm) program, which provides low-income, minority high school juniors a hands-on summer internship, during the Annual Project SELF Recognition Dinner held Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at the Irvine Hilton.

During the event, interns were presented with the following:

· U.S. House of Representatives – Certificate of Congressional Recognition

· California State Senate – Certificate of Recognition

· Orange County Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators and the Orange County Bar Foundation – Certificate of Achievement

· City of Santa Ana – Certificate of Recognition

· Orange County – Certificate of Recognition

Inspiring students to continue to strive for professional success, event keynote speaker Judge Francisco Briseno said of his profession, “I was admitted to the bench in 1977. Here’s what I found out: everyone treats you nicely when you’re a judge.”

The paid, eight-week internship, which began June 19, 2012, offers the opportunity to learn office skills, participate in a day in court, work alongside professional lawyers and provides exposure to professional career fields. Since its inception in 1995, 614 students have participated.

For the first year, students participated in a Career Day at UCI on June 27, featuring a welcome from Founding Dean of UCI School of Law Erwin Chemerinsky, a campus tour, a career day panel and more.

For Project SELF questions contact Nancy Garcia, OCBF Associate Director, (714) 480-1925 ext. 108 or ngarcia@ocbarfoundation.org

Media inquiries contact Jess Block, Publicist, 909-706-8525 or JessBlockPR@gmail.com

ABOUT PROJECT SELF: Project SELF (Summer Employment in Law Firm) provides minority high school juniors the opportunity to have an eight-week, paid summer internship at a law firm while gaining valuable educational and work experience. The program is a collaboration between two non-profits: the Orange County Bar Foundation (OCBF) and the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (OC-ALA). The Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) assisted in Project SELF’s inception in 1995 and has continued to support the program. The annual Project SELF Recognition Dinner was held Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at the Hilton Irvine. http://www.ocbarfoundation.org/programs/project_self.html

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY BAR FOUNDATION (OCBF): OCBF is a non-profit organization committed to keeping at-risk youth out of jail, in school, healthy and drug free through education, counseling and mentoring. http://www.ocbarfoundation.org/

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS (OC-ALA): OC-ALA is a membership association that provides educational and networking opportunities to improve the quality and competency of legal administrators. OC-ALA has more than 145 members in the Orange County area and is a chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, which consists of over 10,000 members worldwide. http://www.orangecountyala.org/

ALL 2012 PROJECT SELF PARTICIPATING LAW FIRMS AND LAW-RELATED BUSINESSES INCLUDE:

Costa Mesa:

• Bohm, Matsen, Kegel & Aguilera, LLP

• Latham & Watkins LLP

• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP

• Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

• Michael Maguire & Associates

• Paul Hastings LLP

• Rutan & Tucker, LLP

• Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

• Snell & Wilmer LLP

• Woodruff, Spradlin & Smart, APC

Irvine:

• Aldrich Bonnefin & Moore, PLC

• Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP

• Berger Kahn, A Law Corporation

• Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP

• Crowell & Moring LLP

• Dorsey & Whitney LLP

• Fiore, Racobs & Powers

• Fisher & Phillips LLP

• Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

• Haynes and Boone, LLP

• Hodel Briggs Winter LLP

• Jones Day

• Malcolm Cisneros, A Law Corporation

• McDermott Will & Emery LLP

• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

• Palmieri, Tyler, Wiener, Wilhelm & Waldron LLP

• Payne & Fears LLP

• Rus, Miliband & Smith, APC

• Samuels, Green & Steel, LLP

• Shulman Hodges & Bastian LLP

• Troutman Sanders LLP

• Wesierski & Zurek LLP

Laguna Hills:

• Poliquin & DeGrave LLP

Newport Beach:

• CresaPartners

• Irell & Manella LLP

• Minyard Morris LLP

• Newmeyer & Dillion LLP

• O’Melveny & Myers LLP

• Orange County Bar Association

• Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro Davis, Inc.

• ROTH Capital Partners, LLC

• Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, PC

• Travers Realty Corporation

• Wright, Finlay & Zak, LLP

Santa Ana:

• AlvaradoSmith

• First Legal Support Services

• Green & Hall

• Legal Aid Society of Orange County

• Orange County Clerk-Recorder

• Orange County Superior Court

• Traut Firm

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