The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), the largest voluntary metropolitan bar association in the country, has selected Richard A. Rothschild, director of litigation for the Western Center on Law & Poverty, to receive its highest honor, the Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer Award for “extraordinary contributions to improving the administration of justice and outstanding dedication to the high principles of the legal profession.”
“The 2012 Shattuck Price Outstanding Lawyer Award will be presented to Richard A. Rothschild to honor his lifelong commitment to the legal needs of California’s chronically underserved,” said Eric A. Webber, president of LACBA. “Dick’s extraordinary leadership in addressing public interest law matters reminds all lawyers of our obligation to help those in need of representation but without the means to obtain it. His decades-long dedication to those needs has helped countless Californians to receive the full protection of the law and, when the law doesn’t address their needs adequately, to fight for the rights they should have.”
“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of my colleagues at Western Center and throughout the Legal Services community, many of whom do equally valuable work with much less recognition,” said Mr. Rothschild.
The Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer Award will be presented to Mr. Rothschild during LACBA’s 2012 Installation Dinner on Thursday, June 14, at the Music Center in Los Angeles.
Throughout his career, Mr. Rothschild has made an enduring impact on public interest law with a focus on welfare and other benefits issues, access to courts issues and attorneys’ fees case law and litigation. He served as principal counsel in Serrano v. Priest, the landmark school financing case; Hunt v. Superior Court, where the California Supreme Court held that counties must provide healthcare to all indigent residents; Nelson v. Board of Supervisors, which held that a county may not prevent homeless people from receiving subsistence General Assistance payments on the ground they lack a valid residential address; and Gardner v. Los Angeles, which invalidated Los Angeles County's attempt to reduce General Assistance cash payments to offset the alleged value of health care provided by the county and led to a $60 million settlement for GA recipients.
As an LACBA member, Mr. Rothschild has held many prominent positions, including serving as the chair of LACBA’s Amicus Briefs Committee continuously since July 2000. He has also served on LACBA’s Access to Justice, Appellate Courts, and Fair Judicial Election Practices Committees, among others.
The Shattuck-Price Award was established in 1968 to honor two former LACBA presidents who died in office, Edward S. Shattuck in 1965 and Ira M. Price II in 1967.