Education, Not Profit, Goal of One Lawyer

As a former journalist who covered the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, I read with great interest Howard Rosenberg’s report about lawyers commenting for cash about the civil lawsuit ongoing against Simpson (“Attorneys, Defend Thyselves,” Calendar, Nov. 18).

However, at the end of the story, I couldn’t help but wonder why Rosenberg didn’t reach into his considerable Rolodex and make even one phone call to check his facts, because it’s no secret that Loyola Law School Professor and Associate Dean Laurie Levenson isn’t the sort of person who would do anything for mere money.

Unlike nearly every other commentator mentioned in Rosenberg’s report, Levenson hasn’t kept one penny of the compensation she has received for her commentaries or for the more than 100 speeches she has given to community groups across the nation. She and her husband have given the money away. They have helped fund a chair in Jewish Law and Ethics at Loyola Law School. They have given to women’s groups, to abuse shelters and to other social causes they believe deserving.

Levenson and her husband, Doug Mirell, have spent much of their careers fighting for press freedom. The fact that Levenson takes time away from her family to answer reporters’ never-ending questions reflects that commitment. It’s also a testament to Levenson’s belief that, as an educator, she has a responsibility to help reporters gather all the facts pertinent to a story because, via reporters, she can educate thousands about our legal system.

SALLY ANN STEWART

Santa Monica