Jose de la Vara, head of the Yuma County Legal Defender’s Office and ’76 alumnus of the College of Law, created a program that helps law students interning in his office and at the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office over the summer with finding housing during their stay, according to YumaSun.com.

de la Vara, who started the program five years ago and has located housing for 38 students over that time, gives credit to Yuma county residents for opening their homes to the students. He says that providing housing during the students’ internships “allows them to concentrate on what they are learning and not have to worry about maintaining a residence back home.”

de la Vara started the program as a way of attracting future attorneys to stay in Arizona. It seems to have paid off. Emily Hart, an ’08 alumna of the College of Law, who interned in Yuma, now works in his office.

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