| "Equal Access to Justice" | June 2010 |
Greetings!
I hope you are looking forward to a wonderful summer! The summer promises to be busy for CLS with much work to be done for clients using recently received stimulus funds. This past quarter, CLS was also awarded several large grants from the Philadelphia Foundation ($75,000), the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation ($150,000), and the Pew Charitable Trusts ($250,000). The Leadership Council also raised $370,000 for our Bar Campaign, and CLS received an unexpected cy pres award of $243,065 recommended by Fine, Kaplan & Black, RPC on behalf of Plaintiffs' Co-Lead Counsel in the class action case, NASDAQ Market-Makers Antitrust Litigation. We are very thankful for these generous and important gifts.
This newsletter highlights our advocacy from the past few months. We hope you will find the updates useful and inspiring! Thank you for your continued interest and support.
Catherine C. Carr, Esq.
Executive Director |
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 CLS on Topic:
With strong advocacy from CLS, Philadelphia has launched Way to Work Philadelphia!, a subsidized jobs program expected to create jobs paying $13/hr. for 5,000 low-income Philadelphians. Funded in part by federal stimulus money, the program is set to expire in September 2010 unless Congress decides to extend funding. CLS continues to advocate for this extension.
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In Celebration of
Equal Access to Justice
On May 27th, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association hosted nearly 200 guests for CLS' annual Breakfast of Champions to honor advocates of equal access to justice and to kick off CLS' 2010 Bar Campaign, which had already raised $363,000 from 81 firms by that morning.
At the event, CLS presented a Champion of Justice Award to State Representative Kathy M. Manderino, and Equal Justice Awards to Philadelphia Legal Assistance Executive Director Anita Santos-Singh, CLS Leadership Council member Michael Boni, and CLS paralegal Johnie Mae Coles.
This year's Keynote Speaker was Laurence Tribe, Senior Counselor of Access to Justice, a new initiative of the United States Department of Justice.
Visit our website to read more about the event, watch Professor Tribe's speech, and view a photo slideshow of all the action. |
CLS in the Press  Rent-to-own and other scams continue to target the poor
Many low-income neighborhoods are still recovering from the mess left by Landvest, a notorious 'slumlord' that offered hundreds of poor Philadelphians fraudulent rent-to-own agreements only to let the homes go into foreclosure.
CLS' Kasetta Coleman contributed to a City Paper article, warning such scams are still going strong in Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods.
Class Action against Census Bureau draws attention
CLS is co-counsel in a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Census Bureau for racial discrimination. CLS' Sharon Dietrich and her client, Evelyn Houser, are featured in much of news coverage:
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| An Award-Winning Staff
Congratulations to our newest award-winners!
 Team CLS
Runners, All Units
3rd Place, Phila. Bar Association 5K
Team Competition
2nd Place, Gener8tion Run 8K
Team Competition
Katherine Gomez
Managing Attorney, Family Advocacy Unit
Pennsylvania Rising Star 2010
Presented by Super Lawyers
Louise Hayes
Senior Attorney, Public Benefits Unit
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Award
Brenda Marrero
Attorney, Aging and Disabilities Unit
Legal Intelligencer 'Unsung Hero' 2010
Kerry Smith
Attorney, Consumer Unit
Pennsylvania Rising Star 2010
Presented by Super Lawyers |
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Register today!  Run or walk with us on 10.10.10 in support of equal access to justice. |
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"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice."
-Nelson Mandela |
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CLS is always interested in your thoughts!
Please contact our Development Office if you would like to make a suggestion for a future newsletter, learn more about our work, or discuss giving opportunities. |
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