Laura Alvarenga Scalia
Staff Attorney
Laura Alvarenga Scalia (she/her/ella) defends and promotes the rights of people with disabilities who face discrimination in employment and unequal access to government programs and services. Her works also includes legal intakes, community trainings, and legislative advocacy to advance the rights of people with disabilities.
Laura first joined Legal Aid at Work as the Foundation for Advocacy, Inclusion and Resources (FAIR) Fellow and litigated national origin and disability cases. Laura continued her fellowship at Hennig Kramer Ruiz & Sigh, LLP. While there, she represented employees in disputes involving discrimination, failure to accommodate, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour violations. Laura also represented workers in class actions.
Laura received her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her J.D., pro bono honors, from the University of California Irvine, School of Law. While in law school, Laura served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Jay A. Garcia-Gregory, for the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. She gained invaluable experience through her participation in the UCI Immigrant Rights Clinic and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing Clinic, where she represented immigrants facing deportation and workers facing sex discrimination. She also served as the Senior Research Editor for the UCI Journal of International, Transnational, and Comparative Law and on the board of the Latinx Law Student Association.