Loeb & Loeb Extends a Helping Hand with Six Pro Bono Clinics in Spring 2024

From March through May 2024, Loeb & Loeb opened its doors to host six pro bono legal clinics, extending support to low-income artists, refugee children seeking asylum, LGBTQ+ individuals and residents of Los Angeles.

Read more about the unique goals of each clinic and the impact of these initiatives in the summaries below.

Loeb and Spotify Provide Pro Bono Support to Artists

On May 30, a team of Loeb lawyers partnered with in-house counsel from Spotify, a firm client, to provide support to pro bono clients from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA), a New York-based legal aid nonprofit committed to assisting low-income artists and art and cultural organizations.

Loeb and Spotify worked together on eight separate VLA cases, where lawyers from both sides collaborated to provide legal assistance to low-income artists. This included an actor, a model, an animator, a sculptural headdress artist, a visual artist, a songwriter, the mother of a deceased drag performer and a wedding singer. Fifteen Loeb lawyers and eight in-house counsel from Spotify advised on various pro bono matters, including providing guidance on matters related to copyright infringement, collecting royalties, drafting and reviewing agreements, and addressing payment issues.

Loeb’s pro bono team included partners Tal Dickstein, Seth Rose and Jonathan Thielbar; of counsel Allison Cohen; senior counsel Shu-Ping Shen; associates Norly Jean-Charles, Ryan Kashfian, Simona Papazian, Sarah Rubenstein Polak, Medha Sridhar, Olivia Wang, Lisa Wiznitzer, Erica Yang and Brandon Zamudio; and intern Matt Burkhardt.

Loeb and Amazon Partner to Provide Intake Interviews for Children Seeking Immigration Relief

Loeb hosted a pro bono clinic in our Los Angeles office on May 22 alongside firm client Amazon to provide refugee intake interviews for children seeking asylum. The clinic was hosted in partnership with Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), a nonprofit legal aid organization addressing the gap in legal services for unaccompanied minors seeking immigration assistance.

Seventeen Loeb participants and seven Amazon lawyers and staff members conducted confidential screenings of six unrepresented migrant children, aged 9 through 16. The teams facilitated the emotional interviews, with Loeb and Amazon teams continuing to support the children through their immigration relief process. Four teams are continuing their representation of the children, helping the children seek immigration relief.

The Loeb pro bono team included partners Jorge Arciniega, Ann Chen, Safia Gray Hussain, Connie Pak and Alyse Pelavin; associates Marina Ahmad, Ava Badiee, Allison Cohen, Chelsea Maehara and Camila Piedrahita Abello; paralegal Rebecca Red; assistants Davonna Dat, Tannette Gates and Glenda Miranda; client relations coordinator Yessenia Fernandez; human resources assistant Marcellina Hawthorne; and project management and training director Heather Morrow.

Loeb Helps LGBTQ+ Individuals with Legal Name and Gender Marker Petitions

Loeb hosted its first-ever legal name and gender marker change clinic on May 9 with Bet Tzedek, a nonprofit providing free legal advice and representation to Los Angeles County residents. The clinic, brought in partnership with Loeb's Loeb Pride affinity group, was open to lawyers, paralegals and staff, who all assisted LGBTQ+ individuals seeking to file petitions to legally change their names and/or gender markers on their government-issued identification documents. These documents are essential for applying for public benefits, receiving health care, starting new jobs and enrolling in school. Thirteen Loeb volunteers assisted 18 Bet Tzedek clients with their petitions, one of the highest-volume clinics Bet Tzedek has held for this community.

The firm’s pro bono team included partners Ann Chen and Alison Pollock Schwartz; senior counsels Sasha Bass and Shu-Ping Shen; associates Lamel Adkins, Manish Antani, Madi Sand, Dani Spencer, Medha Sridhar and Erica Yang; paralegal Mariana Nielson; business development coordinator Deneisa Wharton; and desktop analyst Nicole Pierre.

Loeb and Paramount Reach Out to Support the LGBTQIA+ Community

On March 20, Loeb lawyers joined forces with in-house counsel from firm client Paramount Global to host an Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD) pro bono legal clinic for five LGBTQIA+ individuals who are clients of Inland Counties Legal Services, a legal aid nonprofit. An AHCD outlines medical preferences and designates someone to make medical decisions when a person loses the ability to communicate. For the LGBTQIA+ community, it can document an individual’s gender identity and expression—from the pronouns they use to any dead names to avoid—and make sure they have the right people making decisions for them.

During the consultations with the five clients, the pro bono lawyers offered guidance on AHCDs, emphasizing their importance in relation to gender identity. Additionally, the teams counseled the clients on selecting an agent for their AHCD and aided in preparing the necessary documents.

The firm’s pro bono team included partners Leah Bishop, Ann Chen and Linda Deitch; senior counsel Sasha Bass; and associates Marina Ahmad, Kelly Cooksey, Vanessa Davidson, Lilian Walden Givens and Brian Wong.

Loeb Teams Up with We Are LA to Tackle Homelessness in Los Angeles

The firm collaborated with We Are LA for an informational session on March 12 to discuss the eviction protection initiative led by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' office, aimed at addressing homelessness in the city. We Are LA is a critical component of Mayor Bass’ emergency homelessness response—an innovative community effort to reach hundreds of thousands of Angelenos at risk of eviction and deliver them the pro bono legal services that can prevent them from falling into homelessness. The project, spearheaded by leading legal service providers in Los Angeles such as Bet Tzedek, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services, and Inner City Law Center, aims to connect pro bono volunteers with tenants facing eviction to help them keep their homes.

During the session, representatives from Bet Tzedek, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and Neighborhood Legal Services discussed the program, ways for lawyers and paralegals to participate, and pro bono opportunities open to volunteers.

The firm’s pro bono participants included partners Lauren Fried and Channing Johnson; senior counsel Daniel Friedman; associates Marina Ahmad, Manish Antani, Ava Badiee, Hana Hong, Teddy Shelby and Medha Sridhar; and paralegals Mariana Nielson, Devin Penzella and Claudia Schiantarelli.

Loeb and Paramount Unite to Combat Poverty in New York City

On March 6, Loeb partnered with Paramount Global to host a virtual pro bono clinic aimed at aiding five low-income individuals who are clients of Legal Services NYC, focusing on food and income security. Founded in 1968, Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. The nonprofit helps clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care.

Teams of tour pro bono volunteers from both Loeb and Paramount were paired with one of the five individual clients. Over the course of several weeks, the pro bono teams engaged in virtual meetings with the clients to evaluate their qualifications for food stamps, cash assistance and Medicaid. After assisting eligible clients in submitting online applications for benefits to the NYC Human Resources Administration, volunteers helped with locating and uploading essential documents, while also monitoring the applications for approval.

The Loeb pro bono team included associates Manish Antani, Norly Jean-Charles, Bianca Lewis, Ali Schaller, Medha Sridhar, Daryl Steiger, Olivia Wang and Erica Yang; and paralegals Mariana Nielson, Amber Ordonez and Barbara Summers.