The last year has been challenging for our clients.  Low income Orange County residents are particularly affected by the Great Recession as they struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.   

            The last year has also been challenging for PLC.  One of our largest sources of revenue is the State Bar's Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program (the Volunteers for Justice Dinner is the single biggest part of our revenue "pie").   Since December 2008, the Federal Reserve has kept the Federal Funds rate at near 0% and so IOLTA programs have less money to distribute to groups like PLC.  Within a two year span, PLC's IOLTA grant from the State Bar has decreased 30%.  

           That's why we are so grateful that our June 21 Volunteers for Justice Dinner was such a great success.  Thanks to the generosity of law firms, businesses, affiliate bar groups, individual lawyers, and many, many others we will continue to have the resources to ensure low-income residents of Orange County obtain access to our civil justice system. 
            At the Volunteers for Justice Dinner, we were especially proud to recognize the efforts of our exceptional honorees: O'Melveny & Myers (Law Firm of the Year) for, among other things, the firm's successful efforts in a federal class action lawsuit brought on behalf of Orange County food stamp recipients; Pearl Gondrella Mann (Attorney of the Year) for her many years of pro bono service to PLC clients and her mentoring of PLC staff; Share Our Selves (Community Partner of the Year) for its collaboration with PLC by which we provide weekly legal clinics at SOS' Costa Mesa facility and; the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Orange County Chapter (Corporate Partner of the Year) for its ten years of financial support of PLC through the ABTL summer wine tasting event.
            Take a look at our dinner videos and pictures from the event and we think you'll agree this was an important night for celebrating pro bono in Orange County.  Thanks for helping to make it so.
      

Ken Babcock

Executive Director