Honoring a Trailblazer
Herma Hill Kay was a founding member of Family Violence Appellate Project’s Board of Directors, and an honorary Board member until her passing in 2017.
As a nonprofit founded by law students at U.C. Berkeley School of Law, FVAP received Herma’s enthusiastic support during its founding in 2012, as well as her astute guidance and generous backing through the final years of her life. Herma left a significant imprint on FVAP, as she did with every entity and cause she backed. A pioneer among women in law, Herma was the second woman ever to join the Berkeley Law faculty, where she taught for 57 years. She was also the school’s first woman dean.
Read more about Herma’s remarkable life.
Like Herma herself, FVAP’s mission is innovative, groundbreaking, and determined to make the world a fairer place for women. To honor her legacy, The Herma Hill Kay Memorial Fund at Family Violence Appellate Project aims to reduce gender-based violence through innovative legal solutions, and empower California’s equality-focused family law attorneys, by supporting work that:
- Mentors law students and rising leaders to cultivate the next generation of fierce legal advocates;
- Sets statewide legal precedent to increase protections and access to justice for survivors of domestic abuse;
- Reduces courtroom discrimination and re-victimization of survivors by training judges, court personnel, and attorneys on the trauma and impact of domestic violence; and
- Guarantees the effectiveness of these projects by providing necessary operating support, and funding other related legal programs for survivors of intimate-partner abuse.
This fund, and those who contribute to it, honor Herma’s legacy as a pioneer in family law, legal education, and developing innovative solutions to combat gender discrimination. Donors who make charitable gifts to the Herma Hill Kay Memorial Fund receive special recognition in FVAP’s annual report.
This fund was made possible thanks to a generous investment from Elizabeth J. Cabraser and Marguerite Longtin.
Photo courtesy of UC Berkeley School of Law
