Public Counsel Achieves Fundraising Milestone, Generating More Than $2.4 Million From Event to Support Pro Bono Legal Services

11 June 2006

The cause of equal justice has been significantly bolstered with a record breaking $2.4 million raised by Public Counsel, the nation's largest pro bono law firm, at the organization's annual William O. Douglas Award Dinner, which also celebrated Public Counsel's 35th Anniversary. Funds generated from the evening's supporters -- law firms, corporations, and individuals -- made it not only Public Counsel's most successful event, but one whose results surpassed those from any pro bono legal services organization in the country.

Funds will be used to support Public Counsel's diverse programs and services on behalf of indigent and underrepresented children and adults throughout Southern California.

Those honored at the dinner, held on Thursday, June 8, 2006, exemplified the principles of equal access to justice, freedom of expression and equal rights. Honorees included Steve Lopez, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Best Buy Co., Inc., and the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP for their contributions to these principles. The dinner was attended by more than 1,200 of the leading legal, business and civic leaders in Los Angeles.

Background On This Year's Public Counsel Honorees

Corporate Achievement Award

This year's Corporate Achievement Award went to Best Buy Co., Inc. in recognition of their exemplary leadership and commitment to corporate social responsibility, including their generous philanthropy, strong support for employee volunteerism and a broad array of programs and policies designed to promote sound and sustainable environmental stewardship.

"Thanks to Public Counsel, tens of thousands of people each year have a second chance at justice, hope and opportunity," said Susan Hoff, Best Buy's Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, who accepted the award. "We are very grateful to be honored by Public Counsel with the prestigious Corporate Achievement Award in recognition of our work helping children, families, schools and communities to grow and flourish."

"The decision by our Board to honor Best Buy was easy," said Dan Grunfeld, President and CEO of Public Counsel. "When you look at the enormous contributions they're making, you can see they take their role as corporate citizens very, very seriously."

Law Firm Pro Bono Award

Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP won the 2006 Law Firm Pro Bono Award. This is a highly competitive and coveted honor. "This year, Sonnenschein's pro bono accomplishments in the past year have been extraordinary," says Grunfeld. "They have represented clients in some of the most complex asylum cases with supreme skill and tenacity, worked on a wide array of community development projects, including a complex merger of two community-based health clinics, and they worked tirelessly to help victims bravely seeking asylum in America from the persecution they escaped in their native countries."

"One of the fundamental ideals of our democracy is that we are all equal in the eyes of the law," says Robert Scoular, a senior partner at Sonnenschein. "Justice must be the same for the rich as for the poor. Upholding this ideal means that everyone must have equal access to our system of justice. Sonnenschein is committed to using its resources to provide pro bono legal representation for individuals and groups that seek justice but cannot afford to hire lawyers. Each year, our attorneys, paralegals and staff provide thousands of hours of pro bono legal services in a wide variety of matters. One of our most valued partners in these efforts is Public Counsel. We are proud to partner with them to strengthen the communities where we live and work and deeply honored that they have chosen to recognize us with this Award."

Community Leadership Award

Public Counsel presented its Community Leadership Award to Steve Lopez, a columnist with the Los Angeles Times. He is being honored for his gripping five-part series about homelessness on downtown's Skid Row, where it is estimated that more than 10,000 people a night sleep underneath cardboard boxes, in plastic tents and in sleeping bags that line the streets. Lopez's columns have attracted national attention and have served as a call-to-action for elected officials to address the problem of homelessness.

Steve was pleased to be honored, "It's natural to feel overwhelmed by the depth of social problems, and to feel helpless, as well. But we're not helpless. Every day in Southern California, countless people do the kind of work that makes a real difference in the lives of our most troubled souls. The lawyers at Public Counsel have long been at the forefront of these efforts, noble soldiers in the war on poverty and homelessness. I'm flattered to be in their presence and honored by their award, and aware, as they are, that there's much more work to be done."

About the William O. Douglas Award Dinner

The William O. Douglas Award is presented annually to a distinguished person of national or international prominence who has exemplified the principles of equal access to justice, freedom of expression and equal rights. Prior honorees have come from the fields of public service, law, journalism, broadcasting and education. Past recipients include William Richardson, Governor of New Mexico; former Vice President Al Gore, Congressman John L. Lewis, former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, founding director of the Peace Corps Sargent Shriver, former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, former Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor, the late author Alex Haley, broadcast journalism pioneer Fred Friendly, the late U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, women's rights advocate Gloria Steinem, television pioneer Norman Lear, author and journalist Tom Wicker and the late Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox.

About Public Counsel

Founded in 1970, Public Counsel is the largest public interest pro bono law office in the United States. It is a beacon of hope and justice for those who have nowhere else to turn. Last year, with the help of more than 3,500 volunteer lawyers, law students, social workers and others, Public Counsel provided more than $53 million worth of free services to nearly 25,000 people including abused and abandoned children, families living in abject poverty, homeless veterans, the neglected elderly and weary refugees.

Nationally, Public Counsel has been a leader in developing model programs and assisting other pro bono public interest law firms to bring these programs to their communities. In addition to serving the vast Los Angeles metropolitan region, Public Counsel is actively helping to strengthen pro bono public interest law internationally. In 2000, Public Counsel President and C.E.O., Dan Grunfeld, was instrumental in creating the Instituto Pro Bono in Brazil, that country's first public interest pro bono law firm. Since that time Public Counsel has played a central role in nurturing other pro bono programs in Brazil, Argentina, Europe, Africa and Australia.

Source: prnewswire

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