WASHINGTON, May 1, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Karen A. Lash, newly appointed Equal Justice Works Vice President for Programs and former University of Southern California Law School Associate Dean, has been named the recipient of the 2003 Harriett Buhai Community Service Award in recognition of her work toward ensuring access to justice for under-served persons and communities. Lash will receive the award at the Center's nineteenth annual theater benefit scheduled for May 15, 2003 in Los Angeles, CA.
Since becoming a lawyer sixteen years ago, Lash has worked tirelessly to create stable and long-term support and funding for legal services in California, nationwide and in the reconstructed nation of Moldavia.
During her tenure at USC, Lash co-founded the school's Public Interest Law Foundation to fund students doing summer work at public interest law firms. The Foundation also sponsors the Irmas one-year Fellowship for postgraduates working at these firms. Her efforts at USC led to her involvement with the California Commission on Access to Justice where she holds the position of commission co-chair.
Lash's recent move to Equal Justice Works brings her back to her early involvement with public interest law as a USC student and as one of the original student founders of the grassroots student advocacy organization that became Equal Justice Works. Most recently, Lash has served as an Equal Justice Works Board Director. David Stern, Chief Executive Officer, applauds Lash's recognition and noted, "Her dedication to changing the way in which justice is delivered in California has been phenomenal and we are so honored to have her on board to replicate her successes nationwide."
The Community Service Award is bestowed annually by the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. The Center provides family law and domestic violence assistance to low-income families in Los Angeles through the efforts of over 200 volunteer lawyers, paralegals and students. The mission of the Center is to assure these families access to the courts, reduce poverty among children and single parents, and stop domestic violence. The Center strives to teach self-advocacy by preparing individuals to represent their own interest in court through an emphasis on building skills and increasing self-esteem.
Equal Justice Works, formerly the National Association for Public Interest Law (NAPIL), leads the country in organizing, training and supporting public service-minded law students and in creating summer and postgraduate public interest jobs. Through more than eight million dollars in annual donations from prestigious law firms, corporations and foundations, Equal Justice Works funds law students and lawyers in programs that bring justice to millions of low-income persons and families.