Farella Braun + Martel’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2024 Diversity Scholarship grants totaling $45,000 to Bay Area first-year law students Marcus Albino, Saamia Haqiq, and Na Hye (Laurel) Kim.

For over 20 years, Farella has awarded scholarships to Bay Area first-year law students who have demonstrated strong potential to be future leaders in taking actions toward making the legal profession more diverse, equitable, and inclusive to defray some part of their legal education expenses. Scholarship recipients are chosen based on financial need, academic achievement, employment, and community service, and preference is given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to working and living in the Bay Area. Farella has awarded $680,000 in scholarships to 95 Bay Area first-year law students.

“We are excited to extend this year’s scholarships to Marcus, Saamia, and Laurel,” said Don Sobelman, partner and co-chair of Farella’s Diversity Scholarship Committee. “Learning about their accomplishments and commitment to the community was inspiring. We are honored to be able to support them in pursuing legal careers and look forward to celebrating their future successes. Congratulations!”

Farella was pleased to collaborate with Gilead Sciences, Inc.’s Legal Department this year on the selection process.

“This is a rewarding experience for all of the attorneys involved because the scholarships make a big impact on the students’ lives. We are grateful to the lawyers on Gilead’s in-house counsel team who partnered with us in evaluating applications and selecting recipients,” said Jennifer Bentley, associate co-chair of the Diversity Scholarship Committee. “With so many outstanding applicants, it is always a tough decision to choose the recipients. We appreciated the Gilead team’s enthusiasm and thoughtfulness in the process.”

Meet the 2024 Diversity Scholarship recipients:

Marcus Albino attends the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, where he is the 1L representative for the student government and Students for Immigrants’ Rights and is a member of the Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Team. Before law school, he was a legal investigator on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Equity Oversight Panel and a legal assistant for Sostrin Immigration Lawyers. He also interned for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration in Washington, D.C. Marcus received his B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2021, where he was a co-founder of Berkeley Students for Immigration Reform.

Saamia Haqiq attends the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, where she is a Legal Education Opportunity Program Scholar and a 1L Representative for the Students for Immigrant Rights. Before law school, she was a co-founder and coordinator for Project ANAR (Afghan Network for Advocacy and Resources), a community immigration justice organization that works with Afghan asylum seekers and has assisted 8,500 Afghans with humanitarian parole applications. After earning her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017, Saamia worked as a paralegal for Berry Appleman & Leiden, where she created the San Francisco office’s first Pro Bono Committee and represented the office on the firm’s National Pro Bono Committee. Saamia plans to pursue a career in high-impact litigation.

Na Hye (Laurel) Kim attends Stanford Law, where she volunteers with the Immigration Pro Bono Project, is the 1L representative for the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association, and acts as the Stanford Law Association’s DEI Representative. Before law school, Laurel worked as a clerk on the judiciary team at the Senate Office of Mazie Hirono, where she assisted in drafting a variety of memoranda, letters, and other policy documents for DACA, the Speak Out Act, and the DREAM and Promise Act. She earned her B.A. in East Asian studies and business from Columbia in 2022.

Farella Braun + Martel is a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business and real estate transactions and complex commercial, civil, and criminal litigation. Clients seek our imaginative legal solutions and the dynamism and intellectual creativity of our lawyers. We are headquartered in San Francisco and maintain an office in the Napa Valley that is focused on the wine industry.

Learn more about diversity, equity, inclusion + belonging at Farella at www.fbm.com/diversity-equality-inclusion-committee.

Contact:
Cheryl Loof
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
415.954.4433 / [email protected]