ABOUT Dara Schur

Dara Schur is a Senior Counsel at Disability Rights California, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to advancing the rights of people with disabilities and one of the largest disability rights firms in the country.  Disability Rights California is California’s federally and state designated Protection & Advocacy Agency, tasked with furthering the civil rights of people with disabilities.  Dara specializes in civil rights, housing, land use, and disability law. 

During her more than 40 years of advocacy for fair housing and civil rights, Dara has been lead or co-counsel on class action and impact lawsuits which have resulted in the addition of thousands of accessible, affordable housing units throughout California.  She has also been lead or co-counsel on a range of fair housing, redevelopment, land use, and community integration lawsuits for people with disabilities.  Dara received the “2012 Advocate of the Year” Award from Western Center on Law & Poverty.  Dara is a contributing author to California Fair Housing and Public Accommodations (The Rutter Group Civil Litigation Series).

Dara was appointed as a member of the California Fair Employment and Housing Council by California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., in 2015, confirmed by the California Senate in 2016,  and continues to serve.  The Council promulgates state regulations related to civil rights laws, including fair employment, fair housing, and public accommodation discrimination, and hate violence.  The Council also holds hearings on civil rights issues confronting the state.  

Dara received her B.A. from Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1974, and her J.D. in 1979 from Berkeley Law, University of California at Berkeley.