June
2016

Orange County Legal Community Celebrates PLC's 35th Anniversary
Public Law Center raises over $716,000 for civil legal aid and honors The Kennedy Commission, Lindsey E. Martinez of Snell & Wilmer, Equal Justice Works, and Sheppard Mullin
 
Joined by over 800 leaders of the Orange County legal community, the Public Law Center (PLC) celebrated 35 years of transformative impact on the county's poorest and most vulnerable residents at the Hotel Irvine Monday night. With your help, the 2016 Volunteers for Justice Dinner raised $716,000 and every dollar raised by PLC provides eight dollars worth of free legal services to Orange County's low-income veterans, seniors, domestic violence survivors, children and their families.

2016 Volunteers for Justice Dinner Co-Chairs Deborah Mallgrave of
Snell & Wilmer LLP and Mark Erickson of Haynes and Boone, LLP

 
Thank you for your tremendous support of our Silent Auction. With over 300 incredible items, we realize you may have missed some. There are still a few items available for bidding in our FIRE SALE - Opening Bids are discounted 50%! Check out the items here: www.bidpal.net/plc. Bidding closes at 5pm on Tuesday, June 28.
 
Supporters like you and so many others within the Orange County community have made the past 35 years a resounding success, but we still need your help to close the gap on our Justice for All Fund Drive goal of $40,000 so we can start the next 35 years the right way. You can donate through our Bid Pal website www.bidpal.net/plc and watch the thermometer!! You can also donate through our website by clicking here


PLC's 35th Anniversary Celebration highlighted the many accomplishments of the Orange County legal community in the pursuit of access to justice for all. Beginning with the creation of Amicus Publico in 1981 and the Orange County Public Interest Law Advocates in 1985, the eventual Public Law Center has directly helped over 43,000 low-income Orange County residents in the last 15 years alone and countless more through its policy advocacy and impact litigation work. During the last 15 years, PLC staff and volunteers have provided 710,000 hours (or $207 million-worth) of free civil legal aid to Orange County.


PLC presented four awards during the 2016 Volunteers for Justice Dinner. OC Human Relations CEO Rusty Kennedy presented the first award of the evening to The Kennedy Commission, which is named after Rusty's father, Ralph Kennedy. The Kennedy Commission's Executive Director, Cesar Covarrubias accepted the Community Partner of the Year Award on behalf of PLC's key partner in developing and protecting affordable housing opportunities in Orange County.

PLC's Directing Attorney of Pro Bono Programs, Leigh Ferrin, presented Equal Justice Works (EJW) with the 35th Anniversary Founders Award. EJW-represented by their Board Member and the Firmwide Chair of O'Melveny's Litigation Department, Randy Oppenheimer-is the national leader in creating public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers, and operates the nation's largest postgraduate legal fellowship program. The program provided many current and former PLC staff attorneys, including Leigh, their early opportunities to practice public interest law.

PLC's first immigration staff attorney, Lieutenant Commander Liam Connel, JAGC, USN presented the Attorney of the Year Award to Lindsey Martinez of Snell & Wilmer. Already active as a pro bono attorney with PLC, Lindsey recently helped secure a groundbreaking appellate victory for transgender women seeking asylum and legal protection in the United States. In addition, Lindsey serves as a co-chair for PLC Advocates, a committee of young professionals assisting the PLC Board of Directors.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Jeff Reeves returned to the podium in 2016 to present the Law Firm of the Year Award to Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton. Accepting on behalf of Sheppard Mullin was Guy Halgran, Chairman of the firm's Executive Committee. Sheppard Mullin had 100 percent participation in the PLC pro bono program by lawyers in the Orange County office last year and increased their pro bono hours with PLC by over 120 percent.

   
THANK YOU!

 

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Public Law Center
     601 Civic Center Drive West, 
Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714) 541-1010