Judge Harry Pregerson And The Legacy Of The Century Freeway On Its 50th Anniversary

Image - Judge Harry Pregerson and the Legacy of the Century Freeway on Its 50th Anniversary

Friday, February 4th, 2022
9:00 A.M. - 4:15 P.M.
Register here 

Join us as we honor Judge Pregerson’s dedication to a life and career in public service and the awe-inspiring example he set in increasing access to justice for all, human-centered perspectives on systems change, and forging relationships in building stronger and collective advocacy to address systemic inequities.
 
This symposium will explore the legacy of the landmark Century Freeway litigation, its impact on the affordable housing program, civil and environmental rights effects, affirmative action implications, as well as the big picture meaning and future legacy for both the region and for California as a whole. 

 

Panel Topics

  1. Panel One: The Century Freeway Litigation at Age 50

    Image - Panel One: The Century Freeway Litigation at Age 50

    This panel features an overview of the litigation presented by Professor Chris Cameron. 

    Presenter  Chris Cameron, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

    Speakers:

    • John R. Phillips, Phillips & Cohen
    • Henry Weinstein, Professor of Law, UC Irvine School of Law

     

  2. Panel Two: The Affordable Housing Legacy of the Century Freeway

    Panel Two: The Affordable Housing Legacy of the Century Freeway

    This panel features an overview covering three things: (1) the housing program and its origins; (2) the creation and accomplishments of the Century Housing Corporation; and (3) CHC's plans for the future. 

    Moderator  John Heilman, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

    Speakers:

    • Yvonne B. Burke, Chair and Director, Century Housing Corp.
    • Tracey Burns, Vice President, Construction Lending, Century Housing Corp. 
    • Brian D’Andrea, Senior Vice President, Housing, Century Housing Corp.
    • Ron Griffith, President, Century Housing Corp.
    • Carrie Hawkins, Director, Century Housing Corp.
    • Daniel B. Lopez, Director, Century Housing Corp.

     

  3. Luncheon: Pregerson Awards Ceremony

    This year’s Symposium will feature the Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Award Ceremony honoring outstanding recent graduates of Southwestern Law School whose professional lives and careers reflect the values of the late Harry Pregerson.

    Award recipients are alumni who have demonstrated leadership in helping the underserved and whose professional or pro bono work has substantially improved the lives of those in need.

    For our inaugural celebration, Southwestern is thrilled to be honoring two exceptional individuals, Karina Godoy, ’15, Associate Attorney, JML Law, and Andres Holguin-Flores, ’15, Staff Attorney, Mexican American Legal Defense, and Educational Fund.

    Presenters  

    Dean Darby Dickerson, President & Dean, Southwestern Law School
    Elana Rodan Schuldt, President & CEO, Rodan Family Foundation
    Michelle Takagishi-Almeida, Public Service Program, Southwestern Law School

    When directed, please click on the award ceremony link to join the virtual luncheon and awards presentation.

  4. Panel Three: The Social Justice Legacy of the Century Freeway

    Panel Three: The Social Justice Legacy of the Century Freeway

    This panel features the affirmative action, civil rights, environmental, and other implications of the freeway litigation. 

    Presenter  Dean Kevin R. Johnson, UC Davis School of Law

    Moderator  Isabelle Gunning, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

    Speakers:

    • Felicia Marcus, William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow, Stanford University
    • Dr. Drusilla van Hengel, Senior Principal, Nelson Nygaard

     

  5. Panel Four: The Future Legacy of the Century Freeway

    Panel Four: The Future Legacy of the Century Freeway

    This panel features the Big Picture meaning of the freeway litigation, both for the region and California.

    Presenter  Raphael Sonenshein, Executive Director, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs,  Cal State LA

    Speakers:

    • Beth Caldwell, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

     

9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.                

Welcome

9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.                                                                                

Introduction: Who Was Judge Harry Pregerson? A Brief Biography

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.                                                                            

Panel One: The Century Freeway Litigation at Age 50

10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.                                                           Break
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.                                                                                  Panel Two: The Affordable Housing Legacy of the Century Freeway

12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.                

Luncheon — Pregerson Awards Ceremony
www.swlaw.edu/PregersonAwards

1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.                

Panel Three: The Social Justice Legacy of the Century Freeway

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.                  

Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.                     Panel Four: The Future Legacy of the Century Freeway
4:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.                      Farewell

For our inaugural celebration, Southwestern is thrilled to be honoring two exceptional individuals with the Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Award. 

Karina Godoy ’15

Image - Karina Godoy '15Professor Godoy is an associate attorney at JML Law where her practice focuses on representing employees in all areas of employment law including discrimination, wage and hour, whistleblowing, wrongful termination, labor disputes, and personal injury cases. Professor Godoy handles all phases of litigation including vetting clients, discovery, depositions, mediation, trials, and pre and post-trial motions. Professor Godoy has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer - Rising Star” by the publishers of Los Angeles Magazine for 2019 and 2020.

Professor Godoy graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in History, and a B.A. in Political Science, and a minor in Sociology from the University of Southern California, completing her honors thesis for both of her B.A. degrees. She earned her J.D. from Southwestern Law School. While in law school, she was active on campus and served as an editor for the Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law, received recognition for her commitment to academic excellence graduating in the top 10% of her class, recognized on the Dean’s List, and received Witkin Award for Labor Law. She volunteered over 500 hours of pro bono work at various legal non-profits and received the Dean’s Merit Scholarship, the ABTL Public Service award, the Wildman/Schumacher Scholarship, and many other accolades for her achievements. Her externship experience is includes taking part in Southwestern Law School’s Immigration Law Clinic, serving as a judicial extern for the Honorable Terry J. Hatter, Jr., as well as externships with EEOC and Bet Tzedek’s Wage and Hour Clinic.

After completing her law degree, Professor Godoy served as an ABOTA Fellow, working at a defense firm prior to focusing her practice on representing employees through all stages of litigation. Professor Godoy continues to be an active volunteer with Bet Tzedek’s Workers’ Rights Clinic, as well as taking on other pro bono cases. Professor Godoy is also involved in several legal organizations and serves as the Vice-Chair for the Workers Outreach Committee and the Treasurer for the Whittier Bar Association.

Andres Holguin-Flores '15

AImage - Andrés Holguin-Flores ndrés Holguin-Flores is a staff attorney at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) where he leads national class action suits challenging employment discrimination and civil rights violations of immigrants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, and Latinos.

Mr. Holguin-Flores graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with dual undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Chicana and Chicano Studies. He earned his J.D. at Southwestern Law School.  As a law student, he was active in leadership positions on campus, including Southwestern’s Public Interest Law Committee, and his law clerk experiences included clerking for the Immigration Law Clinic at Southwestern, serving as a judicial extern to the Honorable Terry J. Hatter, Jr. of the U.S. Central District Court for the District of California, and externships with Inner City Law Center, MALDEF, and the ACLU of Southern California. 

Upon law school graduation, Mr. Holguin-Flores clerked for the Honorable Terry J. Hatter, Jr. and the Honorable Harry Pregerson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  After completing his postgraduate clerkships, Mr. Holguin-Flores went on to begin his work in impact litigation and immigrant rights’ policy advocacy with MALDEF handling all phases of civil rights litigation including investigation, discovery, depositions, settlement, and appeals in the representation of individuals throughout the United States.

Thank you to our sponsors!

 

Image - Century Housing Corp Logo

 

Image - Rodan Family Foundation Logo

 

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