People

  • Julia Yellen

    CBL Program Coordinator

    Julia Yellen is the Program Coordinator for the UC Center for Business Law San Francisco, where she supports the Center’s mission to advance the study and practice of business law.

    Julia manages event planning and execution, project management, communications, and stakeholder engagement for CBL initiatives including the VC-Backed Board Academy, the CBL Scholarship Program,
    Read more »

  • Emily Strauss

    Associate Professor of Law

    Emily Strauss is an expert in securities regulation, banking, and business law. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in the Southern California Law Review, U.C. Irvine Law Review, Law & Contemporary Problems, and the Boston University Law Review, and has been cited in outlets such as Bloomberg and Reuters.

    Prior to teaching law,
    Read more »

  • Bubba Gleaves

    CBL Scholar Class of 2027

    Bubba Gleaves is a 1L at UC Law San Francisco, originally from North Idaho. She played Division I softball at Columbia University, earning a degree in Political Science with a concentration in Business Management. Prior to law school, Bubba co-founded a real estate company with her younger brother, which ignited her passion for business law.
    Read more »

  • Erik Israel

    CBL Scholar Class of 2027

    Erik Israel is a 1L student at UC Law San Francisco. Raised in rural North Carolina, he is a proud first-generation high school and college graduate. Erik graduated from East Tennessee State University and worked in healthcare as a radiologic technologist before pivoting to finance and working as a self-employed securities trader. As an accredited investor,
    Read more »

  • Marilyn Aguilar-Portillo

    CBL Scholar Class of 2027

    Marilyn Aguilar-Portillo is a 1L student at UC Law San Francisco. She is Salvadorian-American, from Los Angeles, and a proud Trojan from the University of Southern California. There, she earned a double major in Psychology and Philosophy, was a member of the USC Mock Trial Team, and graduated with honors. Before law school,
    Read more »

  • Dane Patterson

    Class of 2014. Partner, Goodwin Procter.

    Dane Patterson is a partner at Goodwin Procter’s Business Law department and a member of its Technology & Life Sciences group. He specializes in all areas of corporate and securities laws, with a primary focus on advising emerging-growth technology companies and venture capital firms. He advises founders, emerging growth companies and venture capital firms on various transactional matters,
    Read more »

  • Veronica Vernon

    CBL Scholar Class of 2026

    Veronica Vernon is a 2L at UC Law San Francisco and a Bay Area native. She is a proud alumna of UCLA, where she graduated with a BA in Psychology and Communication Studies. Before graduate school, Veronica built celebrity client brands at United Talent Agency and spearheaded the GoNoodle x Tonies Mindfulness collaboration.
    Read more »

  • Malik Jefferson

    CBL Scholar Class of 2026

    Malik Jefferson is a 2L student at UC Law San Francisco. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and attended the University of California Berkely where he received a bachelor’s degree in legal studies with an emphasis in economics and monetary policy. Prior to law school, Malik worked as a substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District,
    Read more »

  • Joanna Chen

    CBL Scholar Class of 2026

    Joanna Chen is a dual degree JD/MBA student at UC Law SF and UC Berkeley. Joanna was a Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholar at UC Berkeley, where she double majored in Political Science and Media Studies. Prior to law school, Joanna worked in investment banking, primarily in debt capital markets and technology M&A. She has also worked with startups and startup founders in a variety of capacities–finance,
    Read more »

  • Nathan Lessa

    Student Fellow Class of 2025

    Previous Experience:
    Adjutant, United States Marine Corps
    Manpower Officer, United States Marine Corps
    Data Analyst, LinkedIn
    Product Specialist, Apple Inc.
    Previous Education:
    B.A. International Relations, University of California, Davis
    Read more »