Fara S. Rodriguez (she/her)

Born and raised in Santa Ana, California, Fara Sheila Rodriguez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and is deeply committed to advancing justice through her legal work. She earned her J.D. with Distinction from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where she concentrated in Capital Lawyering and explored the intersection of artificial intelligence and legislation, including the emerging legal implications of deepfakes in elections.

During law school, Fara gained extensive hands-on experience through the Prison Civil Rights Mediation Clinic—co-mediating Section 1983 prisoner civil rights cases—and the Federal Defender Clinic, where she handled federal misdemeanor matters, negotiated plea agreements, and advocated for clients. She also served as a primary editor for The University of the Pacific Law Review, Volume 55.

Fara's professional experience includes externing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Office of Staff Attorneys, where she researched and drafted recommendations on complex immigration cases, and interning with Abbott Laboratories' in-house counsel, reviewing contracts and assessing legislative impacts.

Her academic and professional excellence has been recognized through numerous honors, including the Dean's Honor List, Jeffrey K. Poile Memorial Scholarship, Public Service Scholarship, Judge Callahan Scholarship, ChangeLawyers Scholarship, induction into the Roger J. Traynor Honor Society, and the ALI-ABA Scholarship & Leadership Award. She has also been an active member of the Kennedy Inn of Court, Lambda (Treasurer), the Latinx Law Student Association, and the Women of Color Collective.

Following law school, Fara served as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Postgraduate Fellow (2024-2025), completing placements with the Office of Representative Darren Soto (FL-09) and the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. Her fellowship work focused on the Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, and the Subcommittee on Oversight, where she contributed to legislative and policy initiatives at the intersection of technology, governance, and public accountability.