Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks & Lincenberg Law Firm

We are committed to serving the community through pro bono representation of clients in impact litigation.

We handle significant civil and criminal pro bono cases in almost every area. We have worked on pro bono matters for virtually every major public interest law firm in Los Angeles, including Public Counsel, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, the Inner City Law Center, The Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Central American Resource Center and others.

We serve not only by litigating cases but also by assuming positions of leadership in the community. Our members serve on the boards of Bet Tzedek Legal Services (a leading provider of legal services to the needy), Public Counsel (a leading public interest law firm), and the Inner City Law Center (an organization committed to improving the quality of housing in Los Angeles). We have repeatedly been recognized for our volunteer services. Our law firm or individual lawyers have been honored by Public Counsel (Super Volunteers, 1995), Bet Tzedek Legal Services (Volunteer Law Firm of the Year, 1998) and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Impact Lawyers of the Year, 2000; Pro Bono Service Award 2004). In October 2004, we were awarded the State Bar of California’s prestigious President’s Award in recognition of our voluntary provision of legal services to the poor and underrepresented.

Representative cases we have handled on a pro bono basis include:

We were lead trial counsel in an action brought in federal court on behalf of more than 100 Thai and Latino immigrants who had been held in bondage as sweatshop workers. We pursued claims against clothing companies whose goods they had manufactured, seeking back wages and damages. We recovered more than $4 million for the workers. This landmark case was featured in a Smithsonian Institution exhibit on sweatshops.
We have worked on three habeas corpus petitions in death penalty cases, as well as other habeas petitions in non-capital cases.
As co-counsel with several prominent immigrant rights organizations, we represented a class of individuals detained by the INS, as well as several institutional plaintiffs (community service and legal rights organizations serving the immigrant community). The case sought to: (1) enjoin the INS from interfering with detainees’ statutory and constitutional rights of access to counsel and the courts; and (2) improve the conditions of detention at the INS’ Terminal Island Detention Facility and certain contract facilities at which detainees were housed. We obtained a preliminary injunction against certain of the challenged activities; thereafter, the case settled.
We have represented several critically ill infants seeking insurance coverage for in-home nursing care. We have succeeded in assuring that each of these infants received necessary medical treatment and in-home nursing coverage.
We represented a group of low-income tenants in an action against the former owner of their building. We obtained a substantial settlement on their behalf.