Reflecting On Our Impact

All of us at Public Law Center wish you a joyful and safe holiday season. You have been an integral part in providing life-changing legal aid to our vulnerable neighbors in Orange County. Thank you!

Please indulge us as we celebrate a recent recognition one of our leaders received. Director of Litigation and Pro Bono Leigh Ferrin wears many hats at PLC and within the Orange County legal community, so it’s extra special this holiday season to be able to take a moment to appreciate everything she does for our clients, partners and staff alike.

Leigh received the Advocate of the Year Award from the California Consumer Advocates. Her award profile perfectly summarizes how awesome Leigh is and how impactful her and PLC’s work is. It reads (with slight edits):

“We are pleased and honored to present the 2021 Advocate of the Year award to our colleague and friend: Leigh Ferrin. [She] is one of the most highly regarded advocates for low-income consumers and economic justice in the state – indeed, in the nation.[Leigh] seems to be on every email list, on every project, on every brief, on every sign-on letter, in every coalition, and on every advocacy committee. What we don’t know is how she does it. (We suspect it involves a time-turner.) Because all of that writing and contributing and leading happens on top of the work she does running a significant part of [Public Law Center].

And then there’s the policy advocacy – the work we are recognizing with this award. In just this past year – a tough year for getting bills through – our Advocate of the Year not only led the effort to pass [a bill to] protect survivors of intimate partner violence and elder abuse, but she also took the lead in sponsoring or co-sponsoring four other pieces of legislation. Among these bills, [was one that] will safeguard and protect consumers who may lack legal representation or knowledge of how the debt collection process works.

There is a reason why one committee consultant calls her “the Michael Jordan” of legal services advocacy.”

We can neither confirm or deny Leigh is a Hogwarts Alum or a G.O.A.T., but we absolutely can affirm how vital she is to everything PLC does. Please join us in celebrating Leigh and her impact on our community. And if you are able, please ensure our work can continue in PLC’s next 40 years by participating in our year-end new donor challenge. If 40 new donors give to PLC in December, we will unlock a $40,000 gift from our Board of Directors. A donation of any amount by a new donor counts toward our goal. Please donate for the first time or invite someone you know to join our mission to provide access to justice in Orange County.