[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 79 (Monday, May 24, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN RECOGNITION OF JOSEPH COTCHETT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 24, 2010

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor of a remarkable American, 
Joseph Cotchett, of San Mateo, CA who is on everyone's list of the top 
100 most influential lawyers in the nation, a distinction that I 
believe understates his achievements in the area of law and social 
justice.
  Twenty years ago Joe was the lead trial lawyer for 23,000 plaintiffs 
defrauded in the Charles Keating/Lincoln Savings and Loan scandal, 
initially winning at that time one of the nation's largest jury 
verdicts, $3.3 billion. Fast forward to 2009 and he is again 
representing consumers, this time investors victimized by Bernie 
Madoff's financial wrongdoings. During his 40-year legal career, he has 
tried more than 100 cases and settled hundreds more, but this is not 
the thrust of what I would like to say about him today. Throughout his 
career he has done extensive pro bono work for the disadvantaged, 
establishing himself as a true champion of social justice. He lends his 
skills and talent when it is needed, not when it is convenient.
  His giving is not restricted to legal work. At the local level, he 
has been on the board of directors for the San Mateo County Heart 
Association; the San Mateo Boys & Girls Clubs; the Peninsula 
Association of Retarded Children and Adults; the Bay Meadows Foundation 
and the Disability Rights Advocates. Joe and his family have been 
active in supporting organizations helping children, women, ethnic 
minorities and animals. The Cotchett Family Foundation was specifically 
created to aid individuals and groups in need of assistance. In 2004, 
Joe endowed a $7 million fund to support science and mathematics 
teacher education at California State Polytechnic University, a program 
aimed at serving inner city and rural minority children.
  He is an accomplished author, lecturer and keynote speaker. His 
titles include The Ethics Gap and California Courtroom Evidence 
Foundations. Although he has focused on legal matters, in 2002 he co-
authored and published, The Coast Time Forgot, a historic guide to the 
San Mateo County coast.
  Joe Cotchett truly loves the community in which he lives and works 
and it is only fitting, Madam Speaker, that on May 21, 2010, Notre Dame 
De Namur University presented him with the Community Spirit Award in 
honor of his work in promoting social justice through community 
engagement.

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