Alexander Hernandez
Staff Writer
Carolyn Bekhor, department chair and professor of legal studies, spent her spring 2025 sabbatical bringing free legal assistance to Pomona’s needy and revamping a journal for legal professionals and educators.
Bekhor discussed her projects Tuesday in the Quay Davis Executive Board Room, before an audience of about 15, with additional participants via Zoom.
Her talk, part of the faculty lecture series, was titled “Lessons from Sabbatical in Legal Aid and Paralegal Education Scholarship,” focused on Bekhor’s two projects during her spring 2025 sabbatical.
“It is part of our mission to see how legal studies and paralegal programs help our community,” Bekhor said.
Bekhor’s first project was the operation of a legal aid clinic inside Pomona’s God’s Pantry food bank.
In addition to food assistance, God’s Pantry supports those who need help to navigate social and legal concerns, barriers to employment and more.
Bekhor worked with a team of students who met with trainees at the facility.
Bekhor gave free legal assistance to those who came in, and she also hosted monthly workshops for all trainees, which included seminars on navigating child custody, tenants’ rights, bankruptcy and more.
“When you are struggling to get to the courthouse, it can be a step too far,” Bekhor said.
Embedding this in God’s Pantry simplifies the process.
Bekhor secured a small Care First Community Investment grant via Los Angeles County to support this work.
“We operated this clinic on a shoestring,” Bekhor said. “We used free legal sources to help ourselves (and) help trainees.”
“It’s invaluable that instead of a centralized bank of legal aid … to decenter it and have smaller places, especially for people who are suffering,” said Judy Holiday, professor of rhetoric and communication studies, who attended the lecture.
Bekhor’s second sabbatical project involved becoming editor-in-chief of the new Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice, formerly known as the Legal Educator, which publishes scholarly articles in the legal field.
Bekhor hopes to take this journal in a new direction as she invites educators and legal practitioners from various academic backgrounds to share their entries.
“Initiatives like the ones that were presented encapsulate one of our core values, community engagement,” said Giacomo Laffranchini, professor of management. “From that standpoint, this is an inspiration for other faculty, for students.”
“She brings that experience into her teaching,” said Soomi Lee, professor of public administration “What makes her really stand out … is her dedication to students and to connecting and learning with service.”
Alexander Hernandez can be reached at alexander.hernandez3@laverne.edu.
Alexander Hernandez is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations, and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
Jesse Juarez is a senior photography major and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. A camera has been a very powerful tool and a vessel of expression for him. While originally focused on portraits and fashion photography, his work is continuously evolving. His other work can be found at jessejxo199x.edublogs.org.
