Are you looking for a great pro bono opportunity ? Look no further. Join forces with some great, smart public interest lawyers to help cancer patients, survivors and family members enforce their legal rights. There are simple, near term pro bono opportunities to get involved, and the assistance can be anything from helping with a will to suing an insurance company that has denied needed treatment.
The lawyers leading the effort are Joanna Morales and Monica Fawzy Bryant. Joanna is the long time leader of a non-profit group known as the Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC), a joint program of the Disability Rights Legal Center and Loyola Law School Los Angeles. After significant due diligence looking for groups working in this area, and after a series of calls and meetings, it became evident that the CLRC and Joanna are both one of kind and national leaders in aiding individuals to assert their legal rights related to cancer.
Happily, Chicago also is a home base for the CLRC. The Chicago office is lead by Monica Bryant, a smart lawyer who let go of life on the DC Hill to serve the greater good. Among other things, Monica is leading the effort for a June 24 CLRC conference here in Chicago on rights of cancer patients. Similar programs will be held in the fall in DC (Sept. 23) and Ann Arbor (October 21).
Short term opportunities are at hand for getting involved. One way to start is to attend an online webinar next Tuesday, April 26, and then join the CLRC’s panel of pro bono lawyers. Joining the panel is simple and does not obligate a lawyer to do anything. Instead, panel member volunteers remain free to pick and choose when or if they become involved.
Another opportunity is to attend the Chicago CLRC conference on June 24. Or, better yet, attend and become a sponsor for the June 24 conference, as is my firm. The seminar includes CLE credit.
Set out below are the instructions for joining the webinar set for next Tuesday, April 26. Or, use the link above to register for one of the conferences.
April 19, 2011
Cancer Legal Resource Center Professional Panel Webinar/Teleconference Reminder
We are writing to remind you about the CLRC’s Professional Panel teleconference/webinar on Tuesday April 26, 2011, from 4:00–5:00pm (PST). Space is limited. If you have not already registered, click here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/638257019
Learn about our brand new password-protected website developed to support CLRC Professional Panel members who are involved with our health and disability insurance initiative! Additionally, this interactive teleconference/webinar will offer an overview of the essential services the CLRC provides, update Panel Members on new programs and events, and highlight common cancer-related legal issues. This webinar will count towards 1-hour of general CLE credit for California attorneys. Space is limited, so register today for the teleconference/webinar at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/638257019. For attorneys outside of California, please contact the CLRC to inquire about CLE credit in your home state.
Next steps:
1. If you are not a member of the CLRC Professional Panel and you are interested in participating in the initiative, please complete the CLRC’s Professional Panel Application, which can by downloaded by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/gmJt5o. Please return the application by email (CLRC@LLS.edu), by fax (213.736.1428), or by mail (919 Albany Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015). If you think that your colleagues may be interested in joining the work of this initiative, please feel free to forward on this email to them.
2. Register for the webinar on Tuesday, April 26. 2011, from 4:00– 5:00pm (PST), to learn more about the CLRC, the Professional Panel, and the Insurance Initiative, and receive 1-hour of general CLE credit for California attorneys at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/638257019 . For attorneys outside of California, please contact the CLRC to inquire about CLE in your home state.
3. Save the Date for Casino Angeleno on Saturday, July 23, 2011. Join us for an exciting evening on the rooftop deck of the Petersen Automotive Museum overlooking the iconic Hollywood Hills as we host this casino event to support the work of the CLRC and to allow us to provide free services for the cancer community. For more information on tickets, please visit www.cancerlegalresourcecenter.org/casinoangeleno or contact Angelica Corral at 213.252.8449 or Angelica.Corral@LLS.edu.
4. You and your company can help make a difference in the lives of people coping with legal issues after a cancer diagnosis by making a tax-deductible donation to the CLRC’s Casino Angeleno auction. Your support will help us continue to provide essential services to the cancer community and will be an excellent opportunity to highlight your business, your philanthropy, and your community support. To be recognized in the Casino Angeleno marketing materials and event program, donations must be received by Friday, July 1, 2011. For more information, please download the Casino Angeleno Donation Packet or contact Angelica Corral at 213.252.8449 or Angelica.Corral@LLS.edu.
5. You can now earn FREE continuing legal education credit at our 2011 Cancer Rights Conferences! For more information about the conferences, visit: www.CancerRightsConference.org. Disability Rights Legal Center is an approved provider of continuing legal education (Provider #9969). California attorneys will receive 7 hours of CLE general credit.
This conference has been approved by the Illinois Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board for 7 hours of CLE credit, the Supreme Court of Ohio for 6.75 hours of CLE credit and the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners for 9.5 hours of CLE credit.
Approval is pending for 7 CLE hours with the Arkansas Continuing Legal Education Board, the Indiana Commission for Continuing Legal Education, the Iowa Commission on Continuing Legal Education, the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education, the Missouri Bar MCLE Department, the State Bar of Nevada Continuing Legal Education Department, the North Carolina State Bar Board of Continuing Legal Education, the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board, the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, the Vermont Judiciary Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, and the Virginia State Bar Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board.
6. Save the Date for the 14th Annual Bob Cooney Golf Tournament benefitting the Cancer Legal Resource Center on Sunday, September 18, 2011. Over the years the Bob Cooney Golf Tournament has raised over $150,000 for the CLRC. Additional details will be available at http://alumni.lls.edu/events.
We look forward to our continued partnership in serving the cancer community with their cancer-related legal issues. Thank you for your ongoing support!
Sincerely,
Joanna L. Morales, Esq. Director, Cancer Legal Resource Center
Contact the CLRC: Intake: (213) 736-1455 Toll Free: (866) 843-2572 Fax: (213) 736-1428 Email: CLRC@LLS.edu Website: www.CancerLegalResourceCenter.org