Greetings to All Members of the Bet Tzedek Family! 

As the holidays approach, I am reminded how fortunate we are to live at this time in this city.  Most of the readers of this note have steady work, live in a comfortable home and are able to handle the difficulties of daily life.  Others in our community will spend the holidays in less desirable surroundings and are less able to benefit from the incredible bounty that is ours. 

It is times like these that remind me of the importance of Bet Tzedek's work.  Our staff and volunteers perform work every day that changes lives--allowing for families to live in decent housing, enabling families to care for their elderly members and children, empowering people to benefit from government programs intended to make their lives easier and protecting the elderly from scam artists preying upon their good will.  Please reaffirm your commitment to Bet Tzedek with a contribution in celebration of our good fortune and out of concern for those whom we can help seek a better life. 

I wish everyone in our "extended family" of staff, volunteers, clients, supporters--people like you--the happiest, healthiest and safest of new years.

Warmly,

Glenn A. Sonnenberg

Walk through BT's offices and you'll encounter more thank-you notes than you'll find in a Hallmark store.  Covering many office doors, letters and notes of gratitude from clients tell the story of how timely legal help transforms lives.  Below are some excerpts:

"On the eve of Thanksgiving Day I am counting my blessings. ...I had lost everything of meaning and was now alone when I needed so much to be supported. ...Bet Tzedek changed everything... and saved my life. ...This Thanksgiving I'm alive and glad to be alive. I am very thankful for Bet Tzedek."

"I've searched for words to thank you for your help but fall short of finding the right ones to explain how grateful I am for helping us out. You have taken a large burden from us which allows us to more fully enjoy what time we have left together.

I will be forever grateful, to you, for that. Your actions have renewed my faith in God and mankind for what you do is the closest thing to being an angel on earth I have seen. Thank you!"

"Through this letter, I would like to appreciate infinitely to your institution for taking my case, having trust in me, believing in justice and helping people of low income.

Thank you for existing, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, and for helping me. I will always be grateful for everything you've done for me."

Did you know that grandparents raise more than 60,000 children in Los Angeles County?

Six-year-old Adrianna Cutrone is one of those children. Because of the work of Bet Tzedek’s Kinship Care Project , Adrianna was able to remain in the loving home of her maternal grandmother.

Ms. Felee Cutrone is a 67-year-old woman who has raised Adrianna from birth. Adrianna’s mother has a drug dependency problem and has given birth to two younger children. Adrianna’s father lives in Fresno and rarely sees her.

In 2003, Riverside Child Protective Services filed a report against Adrianna’s mother, alleging neglect of the two younger children. As required, a social worker contacted Felee to learn the whereabouts of Adrianna. The social worker assured Felee that Adrianna would not be taken into protective custody; however, she needed to obtain legal guardianship.

Felee came to Bet Tzedek for help. Kinship Care Director Kirsten Albrecht filed Felee’s request for a guardianship hearing. When given notice of the hearing, Adrianna’s mother consented to the arrangement, but her father and paternal grandmother said they planned to attend and file an objection.

The father informed Kirsten that, after the hearing, he would take Adrianna back with him to Fresno for a "visit." Felee was very fearful that if he took Adrianna to Fresno, it would be permanent.

On the day of the hearing, Adrianna’s father failed to attend the hearing and the judge granted the temporary legal guardianship.

Adrianna is now safe with the only adult who has cared for her since birth.

Volunteer Shiva Delrahim: Getting More Than She Gives

Shiva Delrahim began volunteering with the developmentally disabled in high school and continued all through college and law school. Today, the recently admitted attorney (UCLA School of Law, ’03) works at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and for her family’s real estate development business. However, her voluntarism took a new path as the day after she was sworn in as an attorney, she began to volunteer 30% of each workweek at Valley Bet Tzedek.

Shiva goes the extra mile for her clients—meeting with them in the evenings, on weekends and at their homes. “Because so many of them are disabled, I try to accommodate their needs,” she explains.

She represented one 78-year-old blind man whose life was thrown into turmoil when Social Security unexpectedly demanded he repay $17,000 in alleged overpayments from the 1980s. Deductions from his disability income threatened him with homelessness. Shiva took the case to a hearing and stopped the overpayment collection, winning tears of gratitude from her frightened and desperate client.

Shiva also represented an elderly couple in dire financial straits. At one time, the husband had been a successful businessman and they owned a large home in Beverly Hills. Tragically, the husband's judgment was impaired by undiagnosed Alzheimer's Disease which caused him to make a series of bad decisions and lose their businesses. When they came to Bet Tzedek, they were destitute and without the means to prepare the traditional meal for the Jewish New Year. Shiva's family opened their hearts to the couple and provided them with the essentials for a Rosh Hashanah dinner.

And several weeks later, Shiva's skilled advocacy helped them to secure desperately needed benefits that enabled the couple to put food on their table. A tiny increase in their Social Security income had put them over the “share of cost” limit for Medi-Cal to buy monthly medications. Shiva convinced the Medi-Cal office to readjust their computation so the share of cost was reduced to zero and the couple no longer was forced to choose between medication or food each month. With a zero share-of-cost, the couple was also eligible for free services at the Jewish Valley Storefront.

“The gratitude I get from my clients allows me to feel proud and want to continue providing pro bono services. It is by far the most meaningful and fulfilling work I have ever done. Bet Tzedek is a fantastic organization and it has enlightened me to many injustices that occur almost routinely.”

Shiva has given over 400 volunteer hours in her first year as an attorney. “I am fortunate that my other work gives me the flexibility of not working for one firm and permits me to do what I really enjoy—working with people who really need my help!”

For volunteer opportunities, please contact: humanresources@bettzedek.org

Attorneys Find 'Next Best Use' For Settlement Funds

When attorney Eric Kingsley of Kingsley & Kingsley in Encino reached a settlement in an employment case recently, Bet Tzedek was the lucky recipient of a cy pres award of several thousand dollars. This was one of three cy pres designations from Eric this year to Bet Tzedek.

A legal doctrine that derives its name from the Old French and means "as close as possible," cy pres enables parties in a lawsuit to designate residual funds to non-profits like Bet Tzedek. California Code of Civil Procedure Sec. 384 governs cy pres awards in state courts, and provides that residue funds in class actions be paid to “non-profit organizations or foundations to support projects that will benefit the class or similarly situated persons, or that promote the law consistent with the objectives and purposes of the underlying cause of action . . . or to nonprofit organizations providing civil legal services to the indigent.”

Bet Tzedek, as a civil legal services organization generally and an agency that performs important housing, consumer and employment work, has been fortunate to receive occasional awards of cy pres funds. Because of BT’s wide-ranging practice, cy pres awards have come from litigation involving consumer, employment, housing, elder abuse and nursing home issues. Such awards help BT provide representation to hundreds of low-income clients each year.

In 2004, BT also received awards from cases litigated by the office of L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, the Consumer and Tax Law Office of Robert Stempler and the San Francisco firm of Jenkins & Mulligan.

For Eric Kingsley, the facts of the case and his practice came together to make the decision an easy one: “I have volunteered with BT’s Employment Rights Project and as my practice is 90% wage-and-hour class actions, it seemed like a natural fit.” In fact, one of the parties involved in Eric’s suit was motivated to settle because BT was named as a potential recipient of the cy pres award.

For more information about how to structure cy pres awards, please contact BT Deputy Director of Litigation Michelle Williams Court at mcourt@bettzedek.org.

We urge you to support Bet Tzedek's 17^th Annual Dinner to be held Wednesday, January 26, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. Bet Tzedek's Luis Lainer Founder's Award will be given to Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company, in recognition of its outstanding corporate philanthropy. Amgen General Counsel David J. Scott will accept the award on behalf of the company. Mary and Dr. David Collins of The Collins Family Foundation will receive the Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award for their deep and generous support of Bet Tzedek for the last several years.

Nearly 30% of Bet Tzedek's annual budget comes from this fundraising dinner. Please click HERE to open an order form with information about the dinner tickets and packages.

For 30 years, Bet Tzedek has offered a helping hand to the poor and elderly residents of Los Angeles County who need help. For the same three decades, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles has offered help and support to Bet Tzedek, with more than $3.3 million in cumulative funding.

Starting in 1974, when The Jewish Federation provided initial seed money to help establish Bet Tzedek, our collaboration has grown into an example of how community organizations can work together. Today, Bet Tzedek is one of 15 constituent agencies of The Jewish Federation. The Federation continues to provide financial resources to Bet Tzedek in the form of annual allocations and currently is one of the largest, non-governmental funders of Bet Tzedek. Moreover, The Jewish Federation connects Bet Tzedek with a larger community of resources, with Federation staff often steering interested parties to serve as volunteers at Bet Tzedek. In return, Bet Tzedek contributes to the network of service providers at The Jewish Federation, and frequently handles referrals from other organizations whose clients need free and expert legal assistance.

For example, Jewish Family Service refers many elderly clients to Bet Tzedek’s Holocaust Reparations Project. As survivors of concentration and labor camps during World War II, they are eligible for a variety of reparations programs that provide monthly pensions and one-time payments.

In a time when nonprofit organizations are asked to do more with less, Bet Tzedek and The Jewish Federation work together to make the most of every dollar.

Director of Litigation
The Director of Litigation is responsible for the overall quality and direction of the legal work performed by program staff. The Director, assisted by the Deputy Directors of Litigation, will supervise and coordinate the legal work of staff attorneys and paralegals. The Director will also directly assist staff in litigation, and be available for consultation and guidance. The Director of Litigation will supervise, coordinate and, where appropriate, co-counsel impact litigation.
(Read Full Job Description)

Public Interest Law Fellowship
The fellowship position is based at our North Hollywood office (Valley Bet Tzedek) located in the San Fernando Valley. Supervised by the Director of Valley Bet Tzedek, the fellow will handle a diverse caseload, including landlord/tenant, employment rights, debtor-creditor, public benefits, wills and conservatorships. The fellow will conduct intake interviews, participate in case review meetings, litigate in civil and administrative courts and mentor legal volunteers. The fellow may be assigned to work with one of Bet Tzedek’s special projects to develop impact or substantial litigation. The position is for one year, and may be renewable for a second year.
(Read Full Job Description)

Employment Rights Project Attorney
Bet Tzedek’s Employment Rights Project represents low income workers seeking to recover their unpaid wages. With assistance from Bet Tzedek staff, volunteer attorneys and numerous law clerks, the project counsels and represents individuals in administrative hearings and litigation, including enforcement and impact litigation. The project also conducts community outreach and education aimed toward educating workers about their rights and toward local and state policy reform. Under the supervision of the Director of Valley Bet Tzedek, the Employment Rights Project Attorney will represent individuals and coordinate project work to meet client and project goals.
(Read Full Job Description)

Polish Volunteer Translator
(Read Full Job Description)

German Volunteer Translator
(Read Full Job Description)

The Justice Ball 2005

A phenomenal evening of music, dance and hot summer fun that has grown to become THE premier event of the summer.

Saturday, July 9, 2005
The Hollywood Palladium