The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund provides funding and a support system for women seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination in higher education. Since 1981 the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund has helped students, faculty, and administrators in higher education challenge discriminatory practices, such as sexual harassment, denial of tenure or promotion, and inequality in women's athletics programs.

The fund promotes equity for women in higher education by lawsuits; recognizing innovative efforts to improve the climate for women on campus through the LAF Progress in Equity Awards; and organizing a network of volunteer attorneys and social scientists who consult with women on legal strategy, informational resources, and the strength of current or potential lawsuits. The nation's largest legal fund focused solely on sex discrimination in higher education, the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund provides funding and a support system to women fighting sex discrimination at colleges and universities.

Contributions to the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund will help create an equitable environment for women in higher education. The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.

The San Mateo Branch actively supports LAF and traditionally hosts a fundraiser for LAF in November.

To contribute to LAF, make your check payable to AAUW-CA SPF and mail it to:

AAUW-San Mateo
PO BOX 1239
San Mateo, CA 94401

AAUW San Mateo Branch November Program

LAF Fundraiser will be held Saturday, November 12th at the Doubletree Hotel at the San Francisco Airport in the Library, Formal English Tea from 2-4

Guest speaker is Professor Margaret Russell from Santa Clara Law School

Topic: Women's Rights and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Margaret M. Russell is a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law in Santa Clara, California. Her teaching focuses on constitutional law, civil procedure, civil rights and civil liberties. Dr. Russell is the author of numerous articles in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, and the interaction of law and media culture. As a constitutional law professor, she is frequently consulted as a media spokesperson and legal expert. She has lectured widely here and abroad to both academic and non-academic audiences.

At Santa Clara University, she is affiliated with the Center for Social Justice & Public Service, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, and the Center for Multicultural Learning. Dr. Russell has been honored by the Asian Pacific Law Students Association and the Black Law Students Association for her contributions to student life at Santa Clara. She is a past co-director of the Santa Clara University summer law program in Tokyo, Japan. In 1991, she traveled to South Africa with a delegation of legal scholars to provide consultation on constitution-drafting for the post-apartheid transition. Professor Russell's professional contributions also include service on several boards, including the Oakland Museum of California, the Equal Justice Society, the Legal Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC), and the affiliate diversity working group of the National ACLU. For sixteen years, she served on the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, chairing numerous committees. For ten years, she served on the board of directors of the National ACLU.

Before entering law teaching, Professor Russell's experience in public service included: a fellowship at the public interest firm Public Advocates, Inc.; Director of Public Interest Programs and Acting Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Stanford Law School; and a judicial clerkship with the Honorable James E. Doyle of the US District Court in Madison, WI. As a law student, she was one of the founders of the East Palo Alto Community Law Project (EPACLP), a low-income community law clinic that operated for twenty years; she also served as chair of the EPACLP board. Professor Russell received an A.B. degree cum laude from Princeton University, a J.D. degree from Stanford Law School, and a J.S.M. degree from Stanford Law School.

To learn more about LAF: http://www.aauw.org/laf

Current and Past Recipients of the AAUW LAF Progress in Equity Award
http://www.aauw.org/laf/pie/recipients.cfm

Case Lists
http://www.aauw.org/laf/cases/index.cfm