[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 54 (Thursday, March 23, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E676-E677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   TRIBUTE TO THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY LEGAL AID SOCIETY ADVOCATES FOR 
                            JUSTICE HONOREES

                                 ______


                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 23, 1995

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the five 
honorees who will be receiving awards tonight, March 23, on the 
occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Legal Aid Society of Santa 
Clara County.
  The honorees will include the Rotary Club of San Jose, the law firm 
of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, Santa Clara law professor Eric 
Wright, and deputy district attorney Rolanda Pierre-Dixon. Plaintiffs 
cocounsel Morrison & Forester will be receiving the prestigious W. 
Robert Morgan Legal Services Award for donating its services to school 
desegregation suit against San Jose Unified School District.
  President of the board of the Legal Aid Society, Susan L. Sutton 
said, ``Our mission is to be the catalyst for community--we want to 
ensure that the right thing happens on behalf of our client community 
without regard to the client's ability to pay. We understand that in 
some segments of the country that's an idea that has gone out of 
fashion. But it's still a notion of some currency here in San Jose, 
good people of this community need to be recognized for their 
contributions. That is why we created our Advocates for Justice 
Program.''
  The Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County provides legal advice and 
representation for the indigent community in civil matters including 
family law, custody, visitation, support, and domestic violence, 
government benefits, health access advocacy, consumer rights, landlord-
tenant law, fair housing, home financing and foreclosure issues, 
individuals rights and immigration, offers family law and housing self-
help clinics, and mediation assistance in landlord-tenant matters.
  The following honorees were selected for their community 
contributions:
  Rotary Club of San Jose. This 435 member volunteer organization 
participates in a broad spectrum of community activities. The club is 
honored by LASSCC for its works in conjunction with the San Jose 
Housing Authority, building the 102 unit Marrone Garden complex off 
Branham Lane in San Jose.
  Jim San Sebastian chaired the Rotary committee that had the mission 
to promote a moderate income senior citizen housing complex in San 
Jose, for which the club donated personal, professional, and financial 
assistance beginning in 1988. The project opened in September 1994, and 
since that time the club members continue to provide assistance to the 
residents. The Rotary Club's financial contributions totaling $100,000 
stacked a library, bought a piano, and provided art work for the 
project of one bedroom apartments that are available for seniors. The 
Rotary members' contribution of time was priceless.
  Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati. For its pro bono and 
philanthropic aid to the community, particularly for the efforts of 
Larry Sonsini in setting the tone of the largest private law firms in 
the county. The work of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati in the 
Silicon Valley has resulted in jobs for local residents of all ages, 
backgrounds, and abilities as various high technology clients have 
prospered. LASSCC believes a growing economy offers more access to the 
community's mainstream of its client base. That alone would be basis 
for an Advocates for Justice Award. But Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, & 
Rosati has contributed generously to charitable causes with attorneys 
time and their money.
  Prof. Eric Wright. Professor Wright has brought a number of agencies 
together in creating the East San Jose Community Law Center. Professor 
Wright sought and obtained two separate grants in 1993 to establish a 
low-income law office in East San Jose. Starting on a shoe-string 
budget the law center represented day laborers on their wage and hour 
claims at the outset.
  After receiving a grant from the Legal Services Corporation and from 
the U.S. Department of Education, the center branched further into 
employment law and immigration law services. Professor Wright is the 
unpaid center director and has added a community law practice class to 
the Santa Clara University Law School curriculums well as a street law 
class involving students in teaching law to middle school and high 
school students in low income areas of San Jose.
  Deputy District Attorney Rolanda Pierre Dixon. Ms. Pierre-Dixon's job 
requires her to prosecute domestic violence crimes. It doesn't require 
her to give more than eight speeches a month on that issue to schools 
and community groups. She is recognized as the Advocate for Justice for 
her tireless voluntarism on domestic violence issues and her work with 
community legal groups, including serving on the board of LASSCC. She 
is past president of the South Bay Black Lawyers, the chair of the 
Santa Clara County Bar Association and committee on minority access to 
the Santa Clara County Bar Association.
  Morrison & Foerster. The winner of the W. Robert Morgan Legal 
Services Award is Morrison & Foerster. Their activities cover a full 
range of public interest work from staffing of legal services clinics 
and counseling over 140 nonprofit organizations, to handling high 
impact litigation. The areas of greatest effort during the past year 
were assisting children in poverty, civil rights and civil liberties 
cases, representing immigrants, handling issues of 
 [[Page E677]] housing and homelessness, and AIDS related matters.
  W. Robert Morrison is a founder and benefactor of LASSCC where 
personal and professional activities exemplify the highest possible 
commitment to community service.
  Morgan & Foerster attorneys spent over 65,000 hours on pro bono work 
in 1993, and average of 123 hours per lawyer. Among other 
accomplishments, the firm won a $1 million civil rights jury verdict 
for Latin women who were strip-searched after they were arrested while 
attending a school board meeting; obtained HMO coverage of life-saving 
home nursing care for critically ill infants; won an order safeguarding 
a Chinese citizen brought into a U.S. court to give testimony coerced 
with threats of execution; and sought writs of habeas corpus for 
persons under death sentence in four States.
  All of these distinguished recipients should be commended on their 
extraordinary work in the service of others.


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