Denisse Rodriguez

Denisse Rodriguez is a Fellow at Arias Sanguinetti Trial Lawyers in the firm’s Southern California office. A recent college graduate preparing for a future career in law, Denisse joined the firm’s fellowship program to gain hands-on exposure to plaintiff-side litigation and learn from attorneys and legal professionals working directly with clients and complex cases.

Denisse brings a strong foundation in public service, policy, legal research, and community engagement to the fellowship. Before joining Arias Sanguinetti, she gained experience as a legal intern at another law firm and as a policy fellow with the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. She has also conducted research on housing issues with the National Low Income Housing Coalition and gained experience in constituent services through the Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles. Together, these opportunities allowed her to explore how law, public policy, government, and community needs intersect.

Her interest in the legal profession has also been shaped by direct service. As a Legal Assistant and Spanish Interpreter with UCLA Law’s Immigration Family Legal Clinic, Denisse helped support individuals navigating immigration-related legal matters. The experience gave her early exposure to the importance of language access and the role clear communication can play when people are interacting with unfamiliar legal systems.

Leadership has been another significant part of Denisse’s development. She spent nearly four years with UCLA’s Latinx Pre-Law Association, progressing through several leadership positions before serving as President and later mentoring members of its presidential board. She also served as a staff writer for the organization’s law journal. Her involvement allowed her to help build a community for students interested in law while developing her own interests through writing, mentorship, programming, and peer leadership.

Denisse’s experiences have taken her beyond traditional legal settings as well. From community programming and housing research to international study in Singapore, she has sought opportunities to understand how different communities, institutions, and cultures approach complex social issues. At this stage in her career, she is especially interested in bringing those perspectives together as she learns how legal advocacy operates in practice.

Through the Arias Sanguinetti fellowship, Denisse is focused on learning. She views the experience as an opportunity to observe how cases develop, strengthen her research and writing abilities, ask thoughtful questions, and better understand the responsibilities that come with representing individuals through the civil justice system.

Denisse earned her bachelor’s degree in Global Studies and Public Affairs from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). While at UCLA, she was selected for the UCLA Law Fellows Program, participated in an international study program in Singapore focused on business leadership, communication, and culture, and received a Study Abroad Student Ambassador Scholarship. Her academic and leadership recognitions also include the Ednovate Scholar Award, QuestBridge National College Match Finalist distinction, QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program, AP Scholar recognition, the Upstander Award, and California’s Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish.