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Message from our Executive Director:
Bet Tzedek and Volunteers Protect California's Seniors and Low-Wage Workers

Bet Tzedek’s clients depend upon our network of volunteer attorneys, paralegals and community members dedicated to our mission of equal justice for all.  This e-newsletter highlights the great work of some recent volunteers, and I also am proud to report that our collaborative efforts led to two significant victories for our clients in the most recent California legislative session. 

For many years, our expert staff has supplemented Bet Tzedek’s core work of direct client representation with educational and policy initiatives that improve the lives of our clients.  Past efforts have led to federal legislation ensuring the financial well-being of Holocaust survivors, state laws protecting sweat shop workers and local ordinances guaranteeing the safety and health of working families living in rental housing.

This year, on behalf of California’s seniors, Bet Tzedek sponsored AB 1363, the conservatorship reform bill authored by Assemblymember Dave Jones.  The Governor signed this bill as part of a 4-bill package meant to stop with abuses of vulnerable seniors through the conservatorship system.  Our bill created a system of state licensing and oversight for professional fiduciaries, some of whom perpetuated the atrocities detailed in last year’s L.A. Times exposé (Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4).  Michelle Williams Court, Bet Tzedek’s Director of Litigation, spearheaded our efforts on the bill.  In recognition of Michelle’s leadership on this issue, Chief Justice Ronald George appointed her to the California Probate Conservatorship Task Force to oversee the judicial reform mandated by the legislation.

Bet Tzedek also co-sponsored AB 1468 (D-Alarcon), to extend a law protecting workers in the car wash industry.  Becky Monroe, Director of Bet Tzedek’s Employment Rights Project, led these efforts to secure basic protections for car wash workers and the creation of a fund for workers who have not been paid for their labor.  Thanks to Becky and the coalition of advocates and workers who participated in the effort, car wash workers will no longer be treated less fairly than those in other industries.

We could not have succeeded in these policy initiatives without the significant support of volunteers.  Manatt, Phelps & Phillips lent its substantial government relations expertise to the conservatorship efforts, and the firm continues to work with us as we develop our programming for at-risk seniors.  Others, including a number of our clients, worked with our staff on the car wash worker bill.  We are grateful for all our volunteers who help us accomplish so much.  Thank you!

Mitch Kamin, Executive Director

 Spotlight on a Volunteer Attorney: Albert Liou

For his first volunteer effort with Bet Tzedek, Albert Liou jumped straight into a three-day trial that required more than 100 hours of preparation and forced him to learn an entirely new area of law.  Would he do it again?  “Absolutely,” said Al, a Senior Associate at Richardson & Patel.

In fact, Al now encourages other attorneys to volunteer their time.  “It’s meaningful work.  This is a family’s life at stake.”

Al worked to save the home of Louise, an 81-year-old widow.  Her husband of 60 years, Timothy, died in March of 2006.  Before his death, Louise and her husband were tricked into signing away their house to a “good friend.”  When they signed the deed, Timothy had dementia syndrome and Louise was very ill.

Louise and Timothy did not understand what it meant to give away a house.  After signing the deed, they continued to act like its owners.  They continued to pay for homeowner’s insurance and major repairs, made insurance claims, and maintained the home.  Their “friend” argued that they were renting from her.

As a result of Al’s dedication and commitment to this case, the judge ruled in favor of Louise and ordered the deed to be rescinded.  Timothy had lacked the capacity to sign and it was clear to the judge that neither Timothy nor Louise had any intention of giving away their property.  Unfortunately, Louise’s case is not unique; trusting seniors continue to fall prey to the fraudulent tactics of home equity scammers.  It is volunteers like Al Liou who play a critical role in helping BT to ensure that victims like Louise recover their stolen property and that the scam artists are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

For Al, the opportunity to work with Debra Zimmerman, one of Bet Tzedek’s Consumer Protection attorneys, helped him tremendously.  “Debra definitely is an expert in her field.”  While Al examined witnesses, Debra would pass notes to him, allowing him to weave those points into his questioning.  “In the long run, [volunteering] is going to help your career.  It improves trial skills and expands your knowledge of the law.”

Al's firm, Richardson & Patel, strongly recommends that attorneys do volunteer work.  Luan Phan, the Managing Partner of Litigation, is a longtime Bet Tzedek volunteer and has tried many cases for our low-income clients.  Luan’s example inspired Al and pushed him to keep fighting for Louise.

We applaud Al’s dedication and look forward to working with him in the future when he takes his next tour of volunteer service at Bet Tzedek.

Letter to the Editor: "The Satisfaction of a Good Deed Done Well " by Albert Liou

Please consider making a donation to help Bet Tzedek continue its fight for justice.

More about Bet Tzedek's Volunteer Attorney Programs

 Spotlight on a Volunteer: Artemio Agbay

Artemio Agbay was a lawyer in the Philipines. He had his own small practice doing some civil and some criminal cases, before moving to the United States in 1983. Deciding not to practice law in the U.S., Artemio held a variety of jobs, most notably in the aerospace industry.

Artemio began volunteering his time at Bet Tzedek in 1994. He started as a pre-screener, conducted intake interviews, and now is in charge of the case files. Artemio has volunteered more than 10,000 hours at Bet Tzedek, and continues to spend 20 hours per week with us. He likes working at Bet Tzedek because he likes helping people who can’t afford legal assistance, especially since it’s so expensive in America.

We are proud to have such dedicated volunteers as Artemio, who just received the Andre Gendell Memorial Award for Support Volunteer of the Year.

Volunteers like Artemio are vital to Bet Tzedek and our cause. Find out how you can volunteer or donate - it's online and easy.

 Summer Law Clerks: Improving Clients' Lives

Each summer about 20 students from law schools around the country devote their time to public interest law at Bet Tzedek. Each clerk receives valuable hands-on training by working directly with our seasoned lawyers, and we benefit from their efforts and time. The following are some examples of clients we’ve helped this summer, thanks to our clerks:

Gloria, a cook in a Mexican restaurant, came to Bet Tzedek seeking help for back wages not paid by her employer. One of our summer law clerks, Jessica Sharon, spent weeks preparing Gloria for the difficult hearing before a tough Labor Commissioner. Even with a slew of questions from the judge and cross-examination from the hostile employer, Gloria was ready.  Thanks to Jessica, the judge rewarded Gloria with 100% of the penalties and wages sought.

A low-income family with two children were being evicted from their rent-controlled unit, on the basis of “unauthorized occupants.” The landlord told the family they could stay if they got rid of their three dogs (who had been living with them since 1999). The family sought help from Bet Tzedek and would have settled for two months to move and a waiver of back rent. The landlord stubbornly refused to negotiate. Summer clerk Armin Azod defended our clients at the trial. Even with tenacious arguments from the difficult landlord, the judge ruled in favor of our clients. Now, the family is free to stay in their home, thanks to Armin.

Our client was a 53-year-old Armenian woman, who had begun receiving SSI disability payments in 2000, due to heavy depression. In 2003, the SSA reviewed her case, and without obtaining records from her doctors, they decided she had improved and was no longer eligible for disability payments. Summer clerk Carolyn Yeh met with the client, obtained records from the client's doctors, and attended the hearing. The judge found that our client was still disabled under the SSI criteria. Our client was extremely grateful to Carolyn, since she did not know how she was going to survive without her benefits.

Clerks help clients with the many kinds of cases handled by Bet Tzedek—employment rights, consumer fraud, unfair evictions and more. Our clerks were also instrumental to the success of our Holocaust Reparations program this summer.

Law clerks help us find justice for thousands of clients. For current clerk openings, read more about our Law Clerk Program.

Please consider sponsoring a law clerk. Call (323) 549-5813 to learn more.

 Bet Tzedek Honors 500 at Evening of Volunteer Recognition

Bet Tzedek Legal Services honored more than 500 volunteers at its Annual Evening of Volunteer Recognition on Tuesday, July 25.  Mercedes Márquez, Los Angeles Housing Department General Manager, addressed the audience of more than 250 volunteers, Board members and staff. 

“Bet Tzedek values all of the more than 500 volunteers who served with us in the past year.  Their time and expertise enabled us to double the number of clients we helped,” said Bet Tzedek Executive Director Mitchell Kamin. 

Jones Day received the Elyse S. Kline Memorial Pro Bono Firm of the Year award for donating more than 900 hours to Bet Tzedek clients and piloting a new model of volunteer service.  Erik K. Swanholt, Jones Day Pro Bono Coordinator, and Phillip Cook, Jones Day Partner, accepted the award on behalf of the firm. 

Jane Yoon, attorney for Countrywide Financial Corporation, was named the Elyse S. Kline Memorial Attorney of the Year.  Yoon spent dozens of hours working with clients on Powers of Attorney for Health Care and other end-of-life issues.

Artemio Agbay was honored with the Andre Gendell Memorial Award for Support Volunteer of the Year.  Artemio, or “Art,” handles all of Bet Tzedek’s case files, and has averaged 20 hours a week of service for the past nine years. (Read more about Artemio >>)

The 33,000 volunteers hours donated in 2005-2006 more than doubled Bet Tzedek’s annual cash budget. 

"I am constantly amazed at the dedication of our volunteers,” Human Resources Director and Volunteer Coordinator Robin Sommerstein said.  “I look forward to continuing to work with law firms and individuals to better serve our clients.” 

Please consider becoming a volunteer at Bet Tzedek

Can't Volunteer? Not enough time in your day? We understand - please consider making a donation.

 Welcome New Board Member

Howard Grobstein, CPA, Grobstein, Horwath & Company LLP

Howard Grobstein, CPA, CFE is a partner in the Litigation and Insolvency Consulting department at the accounting firm of Grobstein, Horwath & Company LLP.  He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from California State University, Northridge, and is a Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Fraud Examiner.  He has over fifteen years of experience focused on litigation and insolvency related matters and specializes in fraud and forensic investigations.

Mr. Grobstein frequently provides consulting and expert witness services in litigation matters.  He has provided representation and analysis in shareholder and partner disputes, contractual disputes, money tracing matters, ponzi, embezzlement, and defalcation schemes, and other types of cases requiring financial record reconstruction and analysis.  He has testified at depositions and in federal and state courts as well as at arbitration hearings.

In the insolvency arena, Mr. Grobstein has acted as a court appointed Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee, a court appointed Chapter 11 examiner, and a liquidating and disbursing agent.  He has represented fiduciaries including bankruptcy and liquidating trustees, federal and state court appointed receivers, special masters and responsible parties.  He has also represented other parties in bankruptcy matters including creditors, creditor and bondholder committees, debtors and debtors-in-possession. Mr. Grobstein has participated in speaking engagements and panels on litigation and insolvency related subjects. 

He is active in both his social and professional communities.  Presently, he is on the administration committee and board of his synagogue, the Co-Chair and past Membership Director of the California Receivers Forum, and a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum. 

Howard has been married to his wife Sheba for nine years and has a son, Aaron and a daughter, Reisa.  When he is not in the office, he enjoys time with his family and working under the hoods of his classic cars.

Bet Tzedek Board of Directors