Attorney Tammy Sumontha nominated and selected to receive the 2015 Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award for Outstanding Community Service 

For her tireless hours as a volunteer and dedication to the San Diego community since 2006, Tammy was nominated for the Outstanding Community Service Award by her fellow attorneys. Among several well deserving nominees, she was selected to receive this prestigious award. This award is presented by CWSL’s Office of Alumni Affairs, in partnership with the Alumni Association Board of Directors, to alumni who demonstrate notable community, public, or humanitarian service.

Tammy’s dedication to the community is well known to those whom are close to her. She started her volunteer journey in the legal field in 2006 as an advocate assisting appointed attorney to defend Veteran’s rights before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims. From 2006 -2008, Tammy also volunteered her time at several local community based programs which include, ACCESS Inc., a community-based organization that provides job training, education, and empowerment services as well as immigration assistance to low-income residents. She also spent time volunteering at the Employee Rights Center, which offers legal services regarding employment and labor law to San Diego area workers, especially disadvantaged workers without union.

She volunteered extensive hours from 2007 until 2013 at the California Western Community Law Project (CLP), a non profit organization which provides free legal information in a variety of practice areas to low income and indigent communities in each of its five clinics spread throughout San Diego County. At the CLP, she also had the opportunity to train and teach in workshops and seminars on specific areas of law. She compiled data for use in grant-writing to help keep the Project operational. This unique opportunity not only allowed her to give back to the community but it also allowed her to give back to volunteer law students.

Currently, Tammy is actively involved in many community projects as a volunteer attorney. These projects include San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program (SDVLP), alliance San Diego,  and American Bar Association (the Immigration Justice Project), which promotes due process and access to justice at all levels of the immigration and appellate court system, through the provision of high-quality pro bono legal services for those in immigration proceedings in San Diego.  She is also involved with Alliance San Diego, an organization focused on building coalitions to promote social justice and social change.

In addition to providing internships at the Law Office of Tammy Sumontha, she also finds time to mentor Thai LL.M. students by guiding them on how to be successful in their pursuit for a career in law. Several of her past mentees has become judges in Thailand.

Join us on September 26, 2015 in congratulating Attorney Tammy Sumontha on being the first Thai lawyer to receive such a prestigious award. For more info about her current involvements and achievements, refer to her attorney profile.

Read this article in Thai here.