PRIOR KOMUNIDAD CONFERENCES

Komunidad is FBANC’s conference for Pilipinx American Law Students and aspiring law students. Since 2020, FBANC has partnered with Fil-Am law students at Northern California law schools (Berkeley Law, UC Hastings, Univ. of San Francisco, Golden Gate Univ., Santa Clara Univ., and UC Davis) to organize and host this event.

Information on previous iterations of Komunidad from 2020 - 2022 can be found below.

Information regarding the upcoming February 2023 iteration of the conference (Komunidad 4: FBANC For All) can be found here.

Thank you for your interest in FBANC Komunidad!

Spring 2022 Komunidad: Know History; Know Self

This year’s conference, like previous iterations, is a joint collaboration between FBANC and Fil-Am student organizations at law schools in Northern California (Berkeley Law, UC Hastings, Univ. of San Francisco, Golden Gate Univ., Santa Clara Univ., and UC Davis). Our keynote speaker is Commissioner Pelayo A. Llamas, Jr. (Alameda Superior Court). This is the third year FBANC has hosted Komunidad, which aims to serve current and aspiring law students.

Online portion: substantive Zoom panels and discussions on key topics of interest for law students and attorneys. The panelists include Fil-Am attorneys and other professionals. Law students will moderate the panels.

In-person portion: Happy Hour at Drakes Dealership in Oakland CA (2325 Broadway, Oakland 94612). FBANC hosted food and drinks. The venue is outdoors, and walking distance to the 19th Street Oakland BART stop.

ABS-CBN TFC News Segment on Komunidad 3

Click Here to Watch Komunidad (Password & Registration Required)

KOMUNIDAD KEYNOTE:

**12:20pm PT**
Commissioner Pelayo A. Llamas, Jr. (Alameda Superior Court).
Since 2019, Commissioner Llamas has served on the Alameda County Superior Court, where he presides over trials and hearings. Before serving on the bench, he worked as an attorney for 26 years in public agency law, and brings the vision gained by many years of litigating in state and federal court. He was Assistant General Counsel to the Oakland Police Department and as legal advisor to the board of trustees for the Oakland Police and Fire Retirement System. Many of the cases he handled for Oakland sought to improve residents' quality of life by eliminating drug and prostitution activity, zoning violations, and property blight.
Commissioner Llamas will present and engage in a fireside chat with FBANC President-Elect Raymond Rollan.

Recording of Commissioner Llamas’s keynote address at Komunidad

KOMUNIDAD PANEL 1:

Mental Health issues facing law students and lawyers

10:00am PT

Roanne de Guia-Samuels, MA, LMFT

Roanne is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in working with Filipino patients. She is a Tagalog speaking psychotherapist, a yoga teacher, and a hypnotherapist.
Linda Zaruba, PhD

Linda has served as the psychologist at Berkeley Law for many years. She obtained her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and her MA in Counseling from the University of Colorado.
Karen Yeh, JD, MA, LMFT

Karen is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in working with lawyers and other high-pressure professionals. She is a former patent litigator and obtained her JD at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Cristina Kinsella, JD

Cristina is a Supervising Clients’ Rights Advocate and Attorney with Disability Rights California. She obtained her JD at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and an LL.M at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Recording of Komunidad Mental Health Panel

KOMUNIDAD PANEL 2A:

Making the Most of Your Summer Job

11:00am PT (same time as Panel 2B)

Richelle Gernan, Esq.

Richelle is an Income Security Housing Legal Fellow at the National Women's Law Center. She obtained her JD at UC Hastings and received the FBANC Raymond L. Ocampo, Jr. Family Scholarship in 2020.
Idrian Mollaneda, Esq.

Idrian is an Associate Attorney at Farella, Braun + Martell. He obtained his JD at Berkeley Law, and received the FBANC Raymond L. Ocampo, Jr. Family Scholarship in 2021.
Jessica Atwood, Esq.

Jessica is a Deputy Public Defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender. She obtained her JD at Santa Clara University, and received the FBANC Charles and Melita Jung Charitable Fund Scholarship in 2018.

Recording of Komunidad Panel on Summer Jobs

KOMUNIDAD PANEL 2B:

Issues Facing POC Attorneys

11:00am PT (same time as Panel 2A)

Christine Start, Esq.

Christine is a Deputy Public Defender at the Solano County Alternative Public Defender. She is also a Certified Professional Coach (Firestarter Coaching). She has also served as an Adjunct Lecturer at UC Davis School of Law.
Joanne Villanueva, Esq.

Joanne is a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at ServiceTitan, a SaaS technology platform for the trades. Joanne previously led Diversity and Inclusion at Munger, Tolles & Olson. She has also served as a law clerk and an associate at Latham & Watkins.
Angelica Zabanal, Esq.

Angelica is an Associate Attorney at Duane Morris, where she practices in the firm’s litigation and privacy groups. She is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States. She has been recognized as a 2019, 2020 and 2021 "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers.

Spring 2021 Komunidad: Pagdiriwang

FBANC, in collaboration with the Pilipino American Law Societies of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, the University of California Hastings, College of the Law, the University of San Francisco School of Law, the Golden Gate University School of Law, and the Santa Clara University School of Law (collectively “Bay Area PALS Coalition”) as well as the University of California, Davis School of Law, proudly sponsored Virtual Komunidad 2021, a conference for Pilipinx American Law Students (and aspiring law students).

Click here to view the Schedule and Speaker Information

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Welcome by FBANC Vice President Raymond Rollan
Learn about the FBANC Foundation Scholarships by FBANC Officer-At-Large and FBANC Foundation Treasurer Antonio Raimundo
Opening Remarks by FBANC Advisory Board Member, Ted Borromeo (Former Assistant General Counsel at McKesson Corporation)

Spring 2021 Komunidad also featured law school specific breakout sessions (not recorded) which were led by Bay Area PALS Coalition leaders and provided an opportunity for participants to reflect and evaluate on the past year, specifically the obstacles presented by the pandemic, and lessons learned during this challenging time.

Panel 1

Interviewing for Success

The interview process is often opaque, terrifying, and intimidating. This panel, comprising seasoned attorneys Richard Pio Roda (Principal - Meyers Nave), Vanessa Candelaria (Owner - Candelaria P.C.), Suzette Torres (Opendoor Technologies, Inc.), and Aimee Hamoy (Partner - Burnham Brown), all of whom have served in hiring capacities at their own organizations, aims to demystify the summer law clerk/attorney interview experience. The esteemed panelists provided valuable insight into what makes a successful and memorable candidate.

Panel 2

Standing Out: How to Make Your Mark In Law School and Beyond

Law students are presented with a myriad of activities and organizations to join during their time in school: law review, mock trial, internships/externships, student organizations, clinics, and many more. With a plethora of options and limited time, students are forced to pick and choose. But, are more activities more valuable than others?

This panel, featuring rock star lawyers Nelson Lam (Uber), Chriselle Raguro (Tahirih Justice Law Center), Dalisai Nisperos (Jackson Lewis), and Alexander Padua (California Attorney General’s Office), all of whom were highly involved in various activities during their law school experience, explored how to successfully apply skills developed during law school into the practice of law.

Panel 3

Mentorship: More than Just Coffee

“Mentorship” is a term often tossed around in professional settings - but what does it really mean, and how can it be used to progress one’s career? This panel featuring Jennifer Sta. Ana (U.S. Department of Labor), Rachel Kinney (Indeed), Mark Punzalan (Chan & Punzalan), and Mika Domingo (M.S. Doming Law Group P.C.), discussed what meaningful mentorship looks like. The panel explored how successful mentorship relationships are initiated, cultivated, and sustained.

Closing and Keynote

Fireside Chat: The Hon. Audra Ibarra and FBANC President Mari Bandoma Callado

The final portion of the conference features a fireside chat between FBANC President Mari Bandoma Callado and the Honorable Audra Ibarra, the first Filipina American Judge in the Bay Area. This discussion touched on several topics including the importance of community, mentorship, and diversity in the legal profession.

Past Virtual Conference

Virtual Komunidad - Fall 2020

The Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC), in collaboration with the Pilipino American Law Societies of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, the University of California Hastings, College of the Law, the University of San Francisco School of Law, the Golden Gate University School of Law, the Santa Clara University School of Law and the University of California, Davis School of Law (collectively “Bay Area PALS Coalition”) proudly sponsor Virtual Komunidad 2020, a conference for Pilipinx American Law Students (and aspiring law students).

Centered around the consensus that the Filipinx and Filipinx American communities face distinct, important, and challenging issues relating to representation in law schools, this conference seeks to promote the education, training, social awareness, community building, and empowerment of Filipinx American law students.

This conference aims to connect Filipinx American aspiring law students, law students, attorneys, judges, and community leaders. It will also serve as an opportunity for the participants to reflect upon the role they play within the broader APA community and identify ways to strengthen relations with other ethnic subgroups while maintaining a strong sense of self-identity.

View the Digital Program here.

Missed the Fall 2020 Komunidad? Watch it below:

Session 1: Building Community

About FBANC

Meet the FBANC Board and learn about FBANC’s programs, events, volunteer and scholarship opportunities.

Keynote by Ruthe Catolico Ashley

Ruthe is the executive director emeritus at California LAW, a nonprofit that has established a pipeline of diverse students from high schools, community colleges, four-year institutions and law schools into law or law-related careers. Ruthe is the first Filipina and second Asian Pacific American woman on the American Bar Association board in its 138-year history. Ruthe is also a past NAPABA President, and serves on the FBANC Advisory Board. In 2019, FBANC Awarded Ruthe with its Trailblazer Award.

Session 2: Breakout Session with Judge Reyes and the Bay Area PALS Coalition

Special Remarks by the Hon. Judge Benjamin T. Reyes

Judge Reyes is the first Filipino American judge on the Contra Costa County bench, and only the second trial court judge appointed in the nine Bay Area Counties. Judge Reyes serves as an Advisory Board Member to FBANC and gave the 2019 Keynote Address at the FBANC Annual Dinner.

Q&A with Bay Area Law School Students and/or Recent Graduates (not recorded)

Berkeley - Blaine Valencia
Hastings - Tiffany Gutierrez, Andrew Rubang and Richelle Gernan
USF - Riane Briones, Ashly Mirador and Nicolette Ra Bencito
GGU - Jamie Juni
SCU - Nicole Yuvienco, Diann Jayakoddy and Chloe Czabaranek
Davis - Marjan Kris Abubo and Khrystan Nicole Policarpio

Session 3: Afternoon with Fil-Am Attorneys

Explore Practice Areas and Get Tips on Navigating the Job Market during a Recession followed by a Q&A session.

Panelists:

Vanessa Candelaria, Principal, Law Offices of Vanessa Candelaria, Past FBANC President and current Advisory Board member
(GGU Law graduate).
Joan Rabutaso Camagong, Associate, Shook Hardy & Bacon, FBANC Women’s Committee Member (Hastings graduate)
Laurie Rose Lubiano, IP Product Counsel, The Climate Corporation , Past FBANC President and current Advisory Board member (McGeorge graduate)
Maria Segarra, Staff Attorney, Jubilee Immigration Advocates, Past FBANC Board Member (Berkeley Law graduate)
Marc Pilotin, General Counsel, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Past FBANC President and current Advisory Board member (Berkeley Law graduate)

Moderator: Idrian Mollaneda (Berkeley Law student), recipient of the Inaugural FBANC Foundation I BALIF Pamilya Scholarship

Virtual Komunidad was followed by a virtual happy hour hosted by the Bay Area PALS Coalition.

Inaugural Komunidad

The inaugural conference in February 2020 (right before the pandemic) was spearheaded by FBANC Vice President Raymond Rollan brought together 45 law students from across bay area law schools and over 45 lawyer volunteers and panelists - the biggest gathering of Filipina/x/o American law students in history (yes it was IN PERSON!).

The day consisted of one on one resume review workshops and mock interviews, panels on how to stand out as a summer associate/law clerk and how to succeed post-bar, an opening remark from Oracle’s first general counsel and FBANC’s principal founder Raymond L. Ocampo, Jr. and a keynote from the first Filipino assemblymember in California, Rob Bonta.