It is with pride and a heavy heart that I present you with these guides. Pride because over the past few years the law school application guide has become an invaluable resource for applicants of color. And a heavy heart because it is the product of desperation.

Since the passage and implementation of Proposition 209 in California, the number of students of color being admitted to institutions of higher learning has plummeted. Nowhere is this more keenly evidenced than in California's public law schools.

With this in mind, in 2000, I embarked on a journey to create a comprehensive guide, from a non-majority perspective, that would empower students by informing them about the law school admissions process. Later, several law students asked me to write a guide to the bar examination. I invite you to use these guides and urge you to inform others about their availability on this website.

Finally, I would like to thank you for taking this bold step in your life. Although some may deny the beauty and significance of your accomplishments, those of us dedicated to creating a rich, meaningful, and just society refuse to do the same.

Anthony Solana, Jr., Esq.
President & Chairperson

For People of Color, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization founded by Anthony Solana, Jr. The organization is keenly focused on providing admissions consulting services, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to law school applicants, law students, and attorneys.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to employ our cultural perspectives and collective experiences to pave a path for people of color to higher education through personal empowerment and progressive education policies. This commitment stems from our personal stake in ensuring the academic, professional, and social success of our communities.

For People of Color, Inc.’s
Officers & Board of Directors

 Anthony Solana, Jr., President & Chairperson

Anthony Solana, Jr. is the President & Chairperson of For People of Color, Inc. He is the author of "A Guide to the Law School Application Process For People of Color" and "A Guide to the Bar Examination For People of Color." Anthony is a much sought after motivational speaker and is frequently enlisted to be the keynote speaker at numerous events, including law school admissions workshops, bar examination workshops, academic support programs, and commencement ceremonies.

Anthony is currently a Manager in the Campus Relations & Dispute resolution department of the California State University's Office of the Chancellor.  He was formerly an attorney in the litigation department of Winston & Strawn LLP and practiced in the areas of complex commercial litigation, internal investigations, and general business disputes. He was also formerly an attorney with Morrison & Foerster LLP. Anthony focuses his pro bono practice on immigration and international human rights matters. He was the recipient of the Father Cuchulain Moriarity Award, by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, which recognizes an attorney who has made an extraordinary contribution to their asylum program.

Anthony also serves as the Chairperson of the Equal Justice Society, Board Member of the Beverly Community Hospital, and member of the State Bar of California's Council on Access and Fairness. Both the La Raza Law Students Association of UCLA School of Law and the Greenlining Institute Academy Alumni Association have recognized him as their "Alumnus of the Year."

Anthony received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law where he served as the Co-Chair of the Seventh Annual National Latina/o Law Student Conference and was a founding member of the National Latina/o Law Student Association. He received numerous accolades, including the University of California Regents' Scholarship, American Bar Association Legal Opportunity Scholarship, Los Angeles County Bar Association Diversity Scholarship, and Mexican American Bar Foundation Scholarship.

Anthony received his B.A. in Political Science and History, with honors, from the University of California, Berkeley. He was the first person in his family to attain a college degree and Juris Doctor. Anthony, however, is proudest of the fact that he was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California.

*All titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only.

 Norma Nava, Vice President & Board Member

Norma Nava is the Vice President of For People of Color, Inc.  She recently completed a prestigious fellowship with the ACLU's Drug Law Reform Project. Norma previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Oliver W. Wanger, U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of California. Norma graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law where she was the Co-Chair of La Raza Law Students Association, Managing Editor of the Chicano/Latino Law Review, and served as the Chair of the inaugural board of the National Latina/o Law Students Association.

Norma has dedicated her academic and professional career to assisting underprivileged communities and communities of color. During law school, Norma was a Hewlett Foundation / American Bar Association Environmental Justice Fellow. Through this fellowship, Norma worked with the California Environmental Rights Alliance ("CERA") on litigation projects brought on behalf of communities of color against major stationary source polluters in the Los Angeles basin. She also was a participant in UCLA's Native Nation's Law and Policy Program where she served as a clerk for the Hopi Indian Tribal Appellate Court Project. She assisted the Tule River Indian tribe in drafting a vital land assignment ordinance. She also assisted the Council on Native Hawaiian Advancement by conducting legal research regarding tribal and environmental sovereignty. Norma recently accepted a fellowship with the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project.

Norma is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California. She was the first person in her family to attain a college degree and Juris Doctor. Norma received her B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

*All titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only.

 misty m. sanford, Treasurer & Board Member

misty m. sanford is an attorney in the real estate practice group at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, where she was the Chair of the Public Interest Law Foundation and a Hagman Land Use and Planning Scholar. misty served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

misty is actively involved in community affairs. She serves as a City of Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Commissioner and was Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s first appointee to that Commission. She is also a founding member of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a nonprofit organization that assists in converting blighted parcels of land in Los Angeles into neighborhood parks, gardens, or community centers.

Furthermore, misty is an accomplished athlete and former artistic roller skating national and world champion. She was the first person in her family to attain a college degree and Juris Doctor. misty received her B.A., summa cum laude, in Environmental & Social Policy with a minor in Multicultural Studies from Whittier College.

*All titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only.

 Alfred Fraijo, Jr., Secretary & Board Member

Alfred Fraijo, Jr. is an attorney at Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP, where he provides critical support to the land use, environmental, and natural resources and real estate teams. His practice focuses on land use entitlement matters, environmental review and permitting, and real estate transactions.

Alfred serves as treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Greenlining Institute and is on the Board of Directors for the East Los Angeles Community Corporation. He has lectured and written various articles on Brownfields redevelopment, developments in state and federal land use and environmental laws, and on environmental justice issues. Alfred is currently the co-instructor for the Urban Redevelopment and Environmental Law course offered by the University of California, Berkeley’s Extension Program.

Alfred was the first person in his family to attain a college degree and Juris Doctor. He received his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, where he was a full tuition scholarship recipient and member of the nationally ranked National Hispanic Moot Court Team from 2001 to 2002. Alfred received his B.A. in Government from Harvard University. Alfred currently lives in East Los Angeles, California, where he was born and raised.

*All titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only.

Willie D. Brown, Jr., Board Member

Willie D. Brown, Jr. is an attorney with the legal department of the San Jose Water Company.  His practice focuses on general corporate matters, corporate finance, regulatory compliance, and mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to attending law school, Willie served with the United States Air Force, was employed as a financial analyst with Applied Materials, Inc., and worked as a cost accountant with IBM.  During law school, he served as an extern for the Honorable Anthony W. Ishi, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California and authored the note, "The Forgotten Type of Capital:  Addressing the Social Capital Deficiency in the Inner City," Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, Vol. 11, Nov. 3, 2004.

Willie is the first lawyer in his family and obtained his juris doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center where he served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy.  He earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as a Senator in student government.  He also attended Mission Community College located in Santa Clara, California, where he served as a Student Trustee.

Willie was raised in Hanford, California, and is the proud son of a Filipina mother and African-American father.

*All titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only.