Growing up in a family of Central Valley farmworkers, Laura Pulido watched as her mother became disabled due to a repetitive strain injury, stood by as her cousins seethed over short paychecks, and listened as relatives talked about episodes of heatstroke, falls from ladders and other injuries in the fields.

The experiences inspired Pulido to become an attorney with the power to fight for the rights of immigrants and laborers -- and made her a perfect candidate for the King Hall Outreach Program/Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars Program at the UC Davis School of Law.

Now in its eighth year, KHOP/PLUS aims to increase the number of socioeconomically disadvantaged undergraduate students in the law school pipeline. Nationally, the need for greater diversity in legal education is acute. According to the Law School Admission Council, only one in 25 lawyers is Native American, Hispanic, Asian American or African American.

Through KHOP/PLUS, eligible college juniors and seniors receive two years of mentoring and pre-law advising during the school year, as well as four weeks of intensive preparation each summer. The 2008 summer session began July 12 and will end Aug. 8.

The program is supported by funding from the Law School Admission Council, the University of California Office of the President and private donations.

Pulido and the 33 other current KHOP/PLUS participants have been putting in 70-hour, seven-day work weeks since the summer began. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, they take classes in writing and logical reasoning, mock trial practice and Law School Admission Test preparation. From 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, they go back to the classroom for tutoring. At 8:30 a.m. every Saturday, they take a four-hour practice Law School Admission Test. From 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. every Sunday, they review the previous day's LSAT results.

Sharon Pinkney, assistant dean for admission and enrollment at the UC Davis School of Law, originated the program in 2000. It remains the only one of its kind at a University of California law school.

Unlike many other law-school outreach programs around the country, KHOP/PLUS does not offer law courses. Instead, its primary goal is to raise students' grades and prepare them to score well on the LSAT.

"We didn't want to just show them what a torts class is, because they'll learn that in law school," Pinkney said. "We want to help them get into law school."

Success stories include Kyanna Williams, a 2006 graduate of the UC Davis School of Law who now works as an attorney for Legal Services of Northern California. Another is Alice Cheng, a 2005-06 KHOP/PLUS participant. Cheng, now a second-year law student at UC Davis, is serving this summer as a resident adviser and tutor for the program.

Of the 74 students who have completed KHOP/PLUS since its inception, 11 have graduated from law school, three are currently enrolled, and three are entering law school in the fall.

To qualify for the program, KHOP/PLUS applicants must come from a low-income family or be first-generation college goers. They must have finished their sophomore year of college with at least a 3.0 grade point average and be able to commit to participating in both summer and academic-year programs for their junior and senior years.

LSAT preparation is a major focus.

"A lot of the students have never taken a high-stakes standardized test before they take their first practice LSAT with us," Pinkney said. "That's a big hurdle for them. Some of the students speak two or three languages, but if English isn't their first language, they're at a disadvantage on the LSAT."

Matthew Peng, a senior at San Jose State University, recognizes the challenges. Peng immigrated with his parents from Guangdong, China, at age 9 and is the first in his family to attend college.

"Studying for the LSAT is like getting ready for a boxing match," Peng said. "You have to keep practicing until you can score a knockout."

KHOP/PLUS also seeks to increase students' comfort and confidence in a law school environment. Participants this summer went river rafting with Kevin Johnson, dean of the UC Davis School of Law, had lunch with Cruz Reynoso, a professor at the law school who rose from farmworker's son to justice of the California Supreme Court, and visited courtrooms in Sacramento and Oakland.

The program has only deepened Pulido's commitment to becoming a lawyer and strengthened her belief that her background will make her a good one.

"All the injustices I've seen, they make me want to help," said Pulido, a junior at UC Davis with a major in political science/public service and minor in education. "God willing, if I am ever an attorney, I know I will see my family, their struggles and their experiences in every person I represent."

A diverse legal profession is essential, said Johnson, the law school's dean.

"We need lawyers from all walks of life," Johnson said. "Law is driven by the experiences of life and we need lawyers from many different perspectives and backgrounds to adequately represent the clients -- corporate and individual -- of today and tomorrow. Public law schools, in my estimation, have the duty and obligation to strive to diversify the legal profession."

The UC Davis School of Law's 2007-08 entering class was 29 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 10 percent Hispanic and 2 percent African American. The class has one Native American student.

"The law schools still have much work to do in attempts to ensure access to all," Johnson said. "KHOP/PLUS is an innovative move in the right direction. It has successfully helped to ensure the enrollment of many law students who might not have known they could be lawyers. Their achievements and contributions should make us all proud."