When asked to reflect on her proudest moments, Pamela C. Enslen wrote:

"I had the honor as a practicing attorney to join the governing board of the Michigan Women's Foundation and, in that capacity, to support and mentor women interested in and studying to become lawyers. In my role with Cal LAW, I run the largest pathway program in the United States with a mission to support and educate underrepresented students, the majority of them women, from high school through community college, undergrad university, and law school. My passion for this work stems from my early days as a litigator, when I was often the only woman lawyer in a courtroom full of male attorneys and judges."



Pamela moved in 2022 from Michigan to the San Francisco Bay area when she assumed the position of Executive Director of California LAW Pathways, a state-wide program providing pathways for at-risk students through high school, community college and 4-year colleges, and into law school or other law related careers. The mission of Cal LAW is to have the legal profession reflect the diverse population of the State of California. Prior to joining Cal LAW, Pamela had been a mediator, arbitrator, counselor and litigator with extensive experience in higher education, employment, civil rights, and commercial matters.

Pamela most recently was a partner with Warner Norcross & Judd, a large Michigan law firm, where she chaired the firm’s Higher Education Practice Group. Having been a former federal public defender, Pamela conducted numerous internal investigations.

Pamela has been active in the American Bar Association throughout her career. She currently served on the ABA’s Board of Governors and has been a member of the ABA House of Delegates since 2000. Just prior to serving an earlier three-year term as a member of the ABA Board of Governors, Pamela in 2013 traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as the ABA’s official observer of trial proceedings for the alleged organizers of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC.

Pamela has also served on the Commission on Women in the Profession, Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense, Standing Committee on Judicial Independence, and others.

Pamela has received numerous awards, including the Nanci S. Klein Award from the Michigan State Bar, the YWCA’s Lifetime Woman of Achievement Award, and the Woman of Courage and Achievement Award from the Michigan Women’s Foundation.

Pamela taught mediation and negotiation in law school, and is the author of a book and numerous articles on dispute resolution. Prior to attending law school, she earned two degrees in Oboe Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music. While she no longer performs, she continues to be involved with musical organizations on a volunteer basis. I had the honor as a practicing attorney to join the governing board of the Michigan Women's Foundation and, in that capacity, to support and mentor women interested in and studying to become lawyers. In my role with Cal LAW, I run the largest pathway program in the United States with a mission to support and educate underrepresented students, the majority of them women, from high school through community college, undergrad university, and law school. My passion for this work stems from my early days as a litigator, when I was often the only woman lawyer in a courtroom full of male attorneys and judges.