Choosing Legal Aid

Wesley Su was born in Escondido, California to Pearl and Steve Su.  Most of Wesley’s childhood was spent in nearby San Diego, where his father worked as a nuclear safety engineer.  His father’s work moved the Su family to Las Vegas, Nevada when Wesley was fourteen years old.  After finishing high school in Las Vegas, Wesley attended the University of California, Berkeley.

Wesley graduated from UC Berkeley in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in history.  Following graduation, Wesley returned to Las Vegas where he worked for several years as a paralegal.  Wesley’s work as a paralegal motivated him to pursue a law degree.  With the encouragement of family and friends, Wesley applied and was accepted to the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

As a law student, Wesley participated in a range of activities.  Wesley’s first year activities included an externship with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, where Wesley worked directly with clients in the consumer law division.  The Legal Aid externship was then extended into a summer clerkship.  In his second year at law school, Wesley completed an externship with the Eighth Judicial District Court where he gained great insight into postconviction petitions for writ of habeas corpus.

During the summer of his second year at law school, Wesley worked as a research assistant and helped to research and edit articles on topics that included jury bias, gun laws, and health protections for prizefighters.  Wesley also worked as a teaching assistant for a summer course on the rules of evidence.  In his last year, Wesley volunteered for the Family Court Truancy Diversion Program.  The program provides assistance for students with school attendance issues.  As a volunteer, Wesley met with students weekly to discuss the causes behind the students’ attendance issues, work together on solutions, and help the students set personal goals.

In May of 2019, Wesley graduated from Boyd Law with Highest Pro Bono Honors.  After a brief, anxiety-filled break to study and take the bar exam, Wesley started a one-year position at the Eighth Judicial District Court as law clerk to Chief Judge Linda Marie Bell.  While clerking, Wesley learned about the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Community Justice Fellowship, sponsored by Paul Padda Law.  Wesley applied for the fellowship and sat for an interview with the selection committee.  Wesley was both stunned and overjoyed to learn that he was selected as the inaugural fellow.