Westwood : Law Students Aid Homeless
Law students at UCLA and 13 other schools nationwide raised $50,000 for the homeless by choosing cheaper meals and hotels during law firm interview trips.
About 35 Los Angeles-area law firms and about one-third of the 1,000 students at UCLA Law School participated in the “Firm Commitment” program, said Harriet Pearson, a third-year UCLA law student. Between September and March, law students stayed at less expensive hotels and ate at less expensive restaurants than the firms traditionally provide for interviewees. The difference in the cost was donated to homeless shelters and support organizations in the particular firms’ cities by participating law firms.
Proceeds from dining amounted to about $5 to $10 a person per meal, Pearson said.
In setting up their interview trips, students also used travel agents who had agreed to donate a portion of their commission.
In the Los Angeles area, the $3,500 raised will go to such agencies as the Chrysalis Center, the Downtown Women’s Center and Los Angeles Men’s Place, said UCLA Law School spokesman Ted Hulbert.
Among the other schools involved were Harvard, Yale, New York University, Stanford and UC Berkeley.
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