[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 188 (Friday, November 22, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO NEAL S. DUDOVITZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 22, 2019

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Neal Dudovitz, who 
recently retired from his position as Executive Director of 
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA). A visionary 
leader and advocate in providing access to legal representation and 
justice to the underprivileged for over four decades, Mr. Dudovitz has 
served the Los Angeles area for the last twenty-five years at NLSLA.
  During his time at NLSLA, Neal was instrumental in helping the 
organization reach its full potential to become one of the most 
prominent public interest legal services firms in the State of 
California. When he joined NLSLA in 1993, there was a staff of thirty 
members, one office and the budget was three million dollars; today, 
NLSLA has one hundred-fifty staff members, four offices, and a budget 
nearing twenty million dollars.
  Under Mr. Dudovitz' leadership, NLSLA developed an efficient model of 
service delivery that combined impact litigation, policy advocacy and 
direct representation to support opportunities for families to move 
themselves out of poverty, reduce the effects of poverty, and to 
enforce and protect the legal rights of the underprivileged by ensuring 
access to the justice system. The organization now has one of the 
largest networks of self-help legal access centers in the country. In 
addition, NLSLA directed an innovative project of Medical Legal 
Community Partnerships which places NLSLA attorneys in community 
hospital and clinics, led a collaborative of programs in Los Angeles 
that provides legal representation to those facing eviction in 
impoverished neighborhoods, and initiated the Health Consumer Center, 
which has helped thousands of people access critical care, and which 
led to successful lawsuits that altered how Los Angeles County 
administered its Medi-Cal program. Additionally, Mr. Dudovitz has been 
a tireless and effective advocate for legal services for the 
underserved and underprivileged, and has been a partner to me in my 
efforts to support the Legal Services Corporation.
  The awards that Mr. Dudovitz has received and the organizations he 
has been active in throughout his career is indicative of his 
prominence as a leader, mentor and agent of change. He received the 
Section Achievement Award from the State Bar of California Legal 
Services and was named one of the San Fernando Valley Business 
Journals' Top 25 lawyers. In addition, Neal served as a delegate to The 
White House Conference on Aging and was an active member of the 
Lawyer's Advisory for the Legal Aid Association of California.
  I ask all members to join me in honoring Neal Dudovitz for his 
outstanding contributions to the Los Angeles community and offering our 
best wishes upon his retirement

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