For Ervin Cohen & Jessup, Charity Begins at Work

LOS ANGELES, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Ervin Cohen & Jessup, a well-respected business law firm in Beverly Hills, marks this week as the completion of its nine month commitment to Everybody Wins!-Los Angeles, a community-based program where volunteers read books one-on-one with students at various elementary schools.

According to Randall Leff, senior partner at ECJ, the Everybody Wins! program has proven to be a rewarding experience, not only for the children but also for the firm's volunteers. "The school children win, but then so do we," says Leff.

This past school year, twelve ECJ attorneys and staff members volunteered to aid in the project, making it yet one more successful charitable undertaking for ECJ.

The firm will lose no steam in moving forward to assist in other causes. In September, as part of the "Kickin' Cancer!" drive, the firm will turn its focus to the Lynn Cohen Foundation — one of the many causes ECJ has supported year after year. The firm plans to increase its sponsorship of the event this year, however, by working to set up events such as health fairs and "Lunch 'n Learns," along with other activities geared to promote both awareness for the charity and the purpose of the cause: ovarian cancer research. "We've always felt that this was a charity in which the firm should become more active, and this year we will do just that," Leff explains.

As ECJ focuses its energy on more than just winning cases and serving clients, both attorneys and staff challenge one another to become involved in a number of local charities. Some of those include:  

• American Jewish Committee
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Boys and Girls Club of the Colorado River
• California Dance Institute
• Camp Max Straus Foundation
• Conejo Youth Basketball Association
• Everybody Wins!-Los Angeles
• Fender Center – Kids Rock Free
• Food on Foot
• Friends of Jazz at UCLA
• Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing Corporation
• Imagine LA
• Jackie Paisley Sunshine
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
• Los Angeles School Police Foundation
• The Lynne Cohen Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research
• The Maple Counseling Center
• Mending Kids International
• The Painted Turtle
• Parkman Triangle Park
• PATH
• Take Me Home Animal Rescue
• Tri-Valley Special Olympics
• WeSpark  
• Westside Family YMCA

In addition to assisting with these charities' causes, six years ago, the firm instituted "Charity Jean Friday." This added event is held the last Friday of each month and every Friday during the month of December. The firm takes charity nominations from everyone in the office. On "Charity Jean Friday," all attorneys and staff are encouraged to wear jeans to work and contribute at least five dollars toward the charity chosen for that particular month. "ECJ nurtures an environment that supports attorneys and staff giving back to the community," Leff says.

Although "Charity Jean Friday" may not always raise large amounts of money, the philosophy at ECJ is upheld. "The firm believes that every bit of effort, financial or otherwise, makes a meaningful difference, whether it's raising a small amount of money on a Friday or volunteering for an afternoon to read a book to a child at a local school," Leff said.

Along with "Charity Jean Friday" and Everybody Wins!, almost everyone at ECJ is currently involved in a charity of his or her own. "Virtually every employee at ECJ is active with one or more charities, particularly the partners," Leff says. "For them, it's become a priority to challenge one another to play an important role in not one, but multiple charities. For the firm, it has become an important tradition."

Ervin Cohen & Jessup is a full-service law firm that provides a broad range of business-related legal services including corporate law; litigation; real estate transactions and finance; tax planning and controversies; employment law; health care law; products liability; bankruptcy, receivership and reorganization; and estate planning.  ECJ is also a charter member of the international Law Firm Alliance.  

For more information about Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP, please visit www.ecjlaw.com.

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SOURCE Ervin Cohen & Jessup