Firm Named Albert R. Rodriguez Civic Legacy Recipient

Latham was presented the Albert R. Rodriguez Civic Legacy award by Los Angeles-based nonprofit Community Partners in recognition of the firm’s pro bono contributions to the organization. Community Partners offers expert guidance and services to help launch and grow creative solutions to community challenges in Southern California. For more than 20 years, many individuals, groups, foundations and other institutions have worked with Community Partners to create new nonprofit projects, establish coalitions, and manage major philanthropic initiatives to benefit the region. Latham began its support for Community Partners through the dedication and pro bono efforts of the firm’s first Latino partner, Albert R. Rodriguez, who was genuinely concerned about the challenges that start-up charities face. His vision led to the establishment of Community Partners in 1992, and Rodriguez served as a member of the organization’s board of directors. Rodriquez passed away in 2009, and the award was established to honor his memory and civic legacy. 

Retired partner Ursula Hyman, who has worked with Community Partners for several years, accepted the award on behalf of the firm. Her legal skills, as well as her personal experience supporting victims of wildfires that impacted her home community of Pasadena in 1993, led Hyman to develop specific disaster recovery approaches that have been applied and refined following significant wildfire outbreaks in Southern California in recent years.