Manatt Named Children's Defender of the Year by National Center For Refugee and Immigrant Children
LOS ANGELES, December 5, 2006 - Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, the national law and consulting firm, announced today that the National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children designated Manatt as its "Children's Defender of the Year." The Center will publish an electronic newsletter that is distributed to over 1,200 attorneys, and government staff and will feature Manatt's special achievements. The honor will include a web site banner listing Manatt as "Children's Defender of the Year" for 2007.
On Monday Dec. 4, 2006 The Daily Journal published a special report honoring twelve pro bono projects in California in 2006. The projects were selected on the basis of making a strong impact, offering innovative solutions to problems, requiring dedication by private law firms, helping the neediest, supporting the work of non-profit organizations and helping to bring us closer to the goal of equal justice for all.
One Manatt project honored by The Daily Journal involved Manatt's providing volunteer lawyers, paralegals and notaries to a special Bet Tzedek-The House of Justice clinic that helped 318 Holocaust survivors file more than 1220 claims for reparations for family members who were killed or became forced laborers as the result of Hungary's actions during the Holocaust. Among the many people from Manatt who volunteered for this project, the Daily Journal noted Manatt attorneys Doreen Shenfeld, Ron Turovsky, and Cristin Zeisler, Manatt's National Director of Pro Bono, for special recognition.
The other Manatt project honored by the Daily Journal involved Manatt's preparing a legal manual for The California Women's Law Center to be distributed to 110 battered women's shelters in California. The manual covers tax, zoning and employment matters and involved the work of many Manatt lawyers. Noted for special recognition by the Daily Journal was Manatt lawyer Ellen Berkowitz, a member of The California Women's Law Center Board of Directors who coordinated Manatt's efforts.
About the National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children
The National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children provides pro bono legal and social services to unaccompanied children released from detention in the United States. The Center serves immigrant children who have difficulty finding and paying for attorneys to represent them in their immigration proceedings. Many have experienced such horrors as trafficking, persecution, or domestic violence. Without an attorney’s assistance, these children may fail to obtain the right to stay in the country. All too often, they simply fall through the cracks or end up on the streets. For more information, visit www.refugees.org.
About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, provides legal and consulting services to a global client base from offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto and Sacramento, California; New York City and Albany, New York; and Washington, D.C. Manatt includes Manatt Health Solutions, a healthcare policy and strategic business advisory group, and ManattJones Global Strategies, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that develops and implements strategies to expand client businesses and facilitate their effective competition in global markets. For more information, visit www.manatt.com, www.manatthealthsolutions.com and www.manattjones.com.