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We are overwhelmed by the response to our #GivingTuesday appeal!

Dear Logan,

We are overwhelmed by the response that we received on #GivingTuesday! So many of you made donations, reached out to your networks, shared and liked our social media posts, and stepped up to support our clients and our fight for justice. We are deeply humbled by this show of support. Thank you!

Thanks to your generosity, we absolutely crushed our fundraising goal. Our target was to raise $160,000, but as of this morning, we have raised over $215,000. We are so appreciative of your support, and we want you to know how grateful we are for your gifts to this campaign.

This has been a challenging year - one punctuated by terrible suffering and piercing disappointment, but one also filled with great strength and courage. Through all the ups and downs, Public Counsel has risen to the moment - deepening its commitment to its clients and mission and demonstrating why organizations like ours are crucial to building strong communities and a better future. We are heartened to know that partners like you are there for us, and we appreciate all the ways you continue to step up for our clients, especially during this difficult year. Thank you!

We look forward to sharing with you how we put your valuable Giving Tuesday contribution to good use in the weeks and months ahead. For now, we will simply say that we are so appreciative and grateful for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Margaret M. Morrow

President & CEO

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Together we saved the DACA program at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dear Logan,

For the past three years, Public Counsel has been honored to represent six brave DACA recipients who fought the Trump Administration's cruel and unjust decision to end DACA. This past June, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court recognized the dignity and rights of DACA recipients, and delivered a victory not just for DACA recipients and their families, but for our communities and country as a whole.

This Giving Tuesday, will you support our work to stand with DACA recipients? Make a contribution HERE.

Our clients filed their suit, Garcia v. United States, in September 2017. The case resulted in a nationwide injunction that blocked the Trump Administration from ending the DACA program for over two years - buying precious time for DACA recipients and their loved ones to plan for an uncertain future. Fortunately, our clients achieved their ultimate goal: a victory in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Check out this powerful short video to learn about our clients'' journey to their victory: Watch it HERE.

The Supreme Court's ruling recognized the rights of 700,000 DACA recipients, and reaffirmed that the rule of law stands always ready to protect and uphold the values on which this nation is based. We are so honored to have been able to work with our clients to achieve this remarkable outcome, and we are privileged to have partners like you who help make this work possible.

Will you support our work to defend DACA by making a contribution on Giving Tuesday? Click here to donate.

Thank you in advance for your generosity! Together we are defending the rule of law and building a more just world for all. 

Sincerely,

Magarget M. Morrow

President & CEO

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Support a just and equitable recovery for all of us this Giving Tuesday

Dear Logan,

Without fail, every year, supporters like you propel our mission to advance justice for all. Despite this challenging year, with your help, we've continued to deepen our commitment to racial and economic justice, provided services to those suffering, and fought alongside communities advocating for a more just future.

With Giving Tuesday just two weeks away, we want to remind you of this once-a-year opportunity to give back to organizations that reflect your values. Please mark your calendar for this year's Giving Tuesday on December 1st.

We recognize this email comes at a tumultuous time for our nation, but we also know that movements for change and justice must continue regardless of who is in the White House or controls the Senate - and that the current pandemic and ensuing recession have only exacerbated existing inequalities. This year, we are determined to raise $160,000 to fund critical legal services and advocacy efforts that advance justice for those most harmed by the pandemic and by systemic racism to ensure a just and equitable recovery for everyone.

Keep an eye out for updates on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and please like and share our posts! We can't spread word of our mission without you.

Help us make a difference. Can we count on you this Giving Tuesday?

Gratefully,

Margaret M. Morrow

President & CEO

P.S. We''re excited to share that thanks to the generosity of our Board of Directors, Public Counsel has an $80,000 match for this campaign - which means your gift will go twice as far.

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Tune in to hear our panel of experts discuss what''s being done to address the homelessness crisis.

Last Chance! Register Now:

What is L.A. Doing to Address our Homelessness Crisis?

- TOMORROW, November 10th, 6:00-7:00 P.M. (PST) -

The event is free and open to all, and will livestream on YouTube.

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Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year!

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Our Homelessness Prevention team is busy. Busier than they would like to be.

Dear Logan,

The Los Angeles Superior Court is open, and jury trials have restarted. Every week our team is getting new notices of eviction trials - despite our pleas to postpone these risky in-person events as the pandemic surges. If our clients and attorneys refuse to participate, our clients face homelessness, and in the middle of a pandemic, losing one's home can be a death sentence. If you don't have a home, how can you shelter in place?

This Giving Tuesday, we could use your help to support tenants facing evictions.

The state of California has an eviction moratorium in place for the next two months. Still, we have seen a huge uptick in landlords using alternative methods and illegal activities to remove people from their homes - such as the inappropriate use of restraining orders and other harassing activities.

Our team has been working day and night to stop these unjust evictions, while trying to figure out how to protect themselves and their clients from the danger that someone might contract Covid-19 if they go to court. There is no easy answer for this impossible predicament.

Check out this video from our attorneys: watch HERE. 

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One piece of good news during this difficult time is that people have begun to understand the importance of eviction defense services. The County of Los Angeles has teamed up with Public Counsel and other non-profits to launch a program called Stay Housed LA. It's an online portal where tenants can enter just a few key pieces of information and get connected with a legal advocate that serves their area. The kinks are still being worked out, but it will be an incredible improvement over the previous patchwork approach that left clients bumping up against barrier after barrier. There are other new programs in the works as we continue to advocate for a broader Right to Counsel.

Another bright spot during this time comes from the contributions we've received from our supporters. Right now and always, we are so grateful for partners like you, who sustain our work to prevent homelessness and make it possible for more Angelenos to spend the holidays in the safety of their homes. We hope you''ll consider giving the gift of justice on Giving Tuesday, tomorrow, December 1st, by making a contribution to Public Counsel. You can donate HERE. We appreciate your support during this difficult and troubling time.

In hope,

Margaret M. Morrow

President & CEO

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After five years of leading the nation's largest pro bono law firm, I will step down in 2021.

Dear Logan,

Earlier this fall, I informed our Board of Directors and our staff that after leading Public Counsel for five years, I plan to step down as President and CEO in early 2021. I intend to remain in my position until my replacement is appointed. The Board has hired the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, and a national search is underway. We would love for any interested candidate or party to reach out to Heidrick & Struggles by clicking here.

When I came to Public Counsel in January 2016, after 18 years of service as a federal judge, I was drawn by the opportunity to bring justice and equality to all people in our community. The past five years have been some of the most rewarding of my long legal career, and it has been one of the privileges of my life to work alongside the dedicated staff of Public Counsel. They are courageous and tenacious advocates for our clients, and I am so happy I could contribute in some small way to their efforts to help our clients achieve the stable, hopeful futures they deserve.

In recent years, the world has become a scarier and less secure place for many of our clients. I am immensely proud of how our staff responded to the unforeseen challenges of these times - rapidly mobilizing to safeguard justice on many fronts. From setting up mobile legal clinics at LAX in response to successive "travel bans," to standing with DACA recipients as their legal protections were unjustly stripped away, to advocating for our clients to stay housed in the middle of a pandemic, our staff, clients, and pro bono volunteers have shown unbelievable strength and bravery. I am so honored to have been able to support their efforts.

When someone begins working at Public Counsel, they quickly learn that it's more than just a place to work - it is a way of life. Many of our team members have been involved with Pubic Counsel for ten, twenty, thirty years, or more. For our staff, supporters, and board members, their longstanding commitment to Public Counsel is born of a deep-seated belief that our work makes our communities stronger and our nation more just. When I pass the torch to the next leader of this great organization, I will continue to be a proud former board member and a life-long supporter.

Thank you for the honor of allowing me to serve as Public Counsel's President and CEO, and thank you for the incredible support you have given our clients and mission during my time at the helm. I look forward to seeing the next chapter unfold for this remarkable organization.

Sincerely,

Margaret M. Morrow

President & CEO

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As we pause to reflect this holiday season, we appreciate our community.

Dear Logan,

As we enter this holiday season, we pause to reflect on a tumultuous year - a year that has been like no other. Many of us feel like our lives have been upended. We are isolated at home, work at our kitchen tables, and don't see family or friends. Yet, we know that this pandemic has disproportionately affected some communities more than others - amplifying existing inequalities. Low-income communities and communities of color have borne the brunt of the economic and social crisis caused by Covid-19.

Despite this challenging year, with your help, Public Counsel has continued to deepen our commitment to racial and economic justice, provided services to those suffering, and fought alongside communities advocating for a more just future. In its 50-year existence, Public Counsel has never shrunk from a challenge, and this year has been no different.

The trials and tribulations of this year have helped to highlight what we are most grateful for: the dedicated community of supporters that has sustained this organization since it opened its doors a half-century ago. Your commitment to creating a more just and fair world has powered our mission, making a difference in the lives of countless individuals, families, small businesses, and non-profits. So, in this time of giving thanks, we want you to know that we are tremendously grateful that you are our partner in this fight for justice.

Especially this year, your support has sustained our staff and pro bono volunteers. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for them, and how proud I am of what they have accomplished this year. The work Public Counsel does is always challenging, but the pandemic has added unbelievable difficulties to an already demanding job. Right now, some of our attorneys are being forced to decide whether to risk their health and safety, and that of their clients, to appear in crowded courtrooms. Many of these clients are facing homelessness or deportation if they don't win their case. There is no easy answer for this impossible predicament, and my admiration for our team of advocates has grown exponentially during this unprecedented time.

On behalf of the entire Public Counsel family, I want to thank you for your support and contributions. Please know that we will continue to fight and that we are truly grateful for your support!

Sincerely,

Margaret M. Morrow

President & CEO

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Join our live discussion on the changing immigration law in the United States.

Dear Logan,

Join us this Thursday, November 19, at 6:00 P.M. (PST), for a virtual conversation on the changing immigration law and dismantling of asylum and refugee protections under the Trump Administration. Hear from our panel of experts, who will share about their work to defend immigrants and protect human rights on both sides of the border. Learn more and register here.

This free event is part of Public Counsel's Hour of Justice, an online conversation series exploring some of the most pressing issues faced by our clients, our communities, and our country. Throughout this fall and winter, join us for a rotating lineup of outstanding thought leaders and legal experts.

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