Mitchell A. Kamin, president and chief executive officer of Bet Tzedek-The House of Justice, a respected Los Angeles-based provider of free legal services to the elderly, the low-income and the disabled, has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC), it was announced today.

A board member of LAAC since 2004, Kamin was named to head the statewide membership organization that represents nearly 100 nonprofit corporations providing vital legal services to low-income Californians. In his new position, Kamin will be responsible for promoting the effective delivery network of legal services by LAAC-member organizations, as well as leadership on statewide advocacy and policy-making matters.

"Mitch's energy and commitment to ensuring that low-income residents have access to the legal system will greatly aid LAAC in carrying out its mission across the state," said LAAC Director Julia Wilson. "Since joining Bet Tzedek, he has energized the organization and set an example of inspired leadership."

"I am honored and humbled to be selected by my peers in nonprofit law to lead this dynamic and important organization," said Kamin. "With a membership comprised of California's nonprofit legal agencies and the professionals employed by them, LAAC is committed to furthering the mission of providing meaningful access to justice for all."

Kamin has a varied and distinguished career in both public-interest and private law practice. Prior to joining Bet Tzedek as its executive director in 2003, he was a partner at O'Neill, Lysaght & Sun in Los Angeles, focusing his practice on complex civil litigation, business crimes and civil rights. Earlier, Kamin was an associate with O'Melveny & Myers. He began his legal career in New York as a Skadden Fellow at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where he spent four years representing low-income clients on matters of public housing, civil rights, family and criminal law. During that time, he took a brief hiatus to work in the capital punishment project of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Kamin is an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School and serves on a number of commissions and task forces including the California State Task Force on Lawyer Support for Legal Services and the Steering Committee of the Los Angeles Pro Bono Council. He holds a bachelor's degree, Phi Beta Kappa and with highest honors, from the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1993.

About Legal Aid Association of California

Based in San Francisco, the Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC) is a statewide membership organization of nonprofit corporations that offer vital legal services to low-income Californians. LAAC provides support to the statewide legal services system to ensure the most effective and efficient network possible. Its services to members include relevant and affordable training, statewide coordination efforts, innovative uses of technology, and advocacy for legal services programs, including the need for additional funding.

About Bet Tzedek-The House of Justice

Founded in 1974, Bet Tzedek's mission is to ensure "equal justice for all." Bet Tzedek, "The House of Justice" in Hebrew, helps low-income, disabled and elderly residents of Los Angeles County. Annually, Bet Tzedek staff and volunteers assist more than 10,000 clients of all racial and religious backgrounds with critical legal needs, principally in the areas of consumer law, housing issues, workplace matters, elder care and Holocaust reparations.