May 2019
In This Edition
Major Changes in PLC Leadership
Pro Bono Spotlight: Serving our Veterans
We are Getting Ready to Toast our Volunteers
PLC Celebrates Jorge Alvarado & Leigh Ferrin
This Wednesday, the PLC Staff bid a fond farewell to our Director of Advocacy, Litigation and Training, Jorge Alvarado . Jorge retired this week from PLC to spend more time with his grandchildren and to devote his skills toward Canyon Children’s Legal Services, a non-profit he founded to provide free and low-cost legal services to families with special education needs in the Inland Empire.

In his two year’s at PLC, the former New Mexico Chief Public Defender led many efforts on behalf of the organization in the areas of staff development, policy advocacy and community engagement . His leadership will be missed at PLC, but we are also excited to announce the promotion of Directing Attorney Leigh Ferrin to Director of Litigation and Pro Bono . 

Leigh is a PLC veteran who started her career as a Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow and worked her way to building our Consumer, Bankruptcy and Veterans units. She noted: “Having been at PLC for more than 10 years now, I am fiercely dedicated to this organization, my co-workers, and our clients. I am grateful to have the opportunity to support our staff and volunteers in our mission to provide access to justice for Orange County's low-income residents."










Get to Know Leigh:

  • Leigh's units and projects have recovered and discharged $11 million for PLC clients since 2008

  • The Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative is the mother of three children (8, 3 & infant) plus a new puppy

  • She received her J.D. in 2008 from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles

  • She published “Pencil Me In: The Use of Title IX and Section 1983 to Obtain Equal Treatment in High School Athletics Scheduling” in American University’s The Modern American in 2007

  • She graduated from Pomona College, where she wore number 33 as a member of the Pomona-Pitzer basketball team
Be Like Matt! Serve Our Veterans
Our May Pro Bono Spotlight shines brightly on Haynes & Boone associate Matt Costello and the veterans he serves. Matt is a dedicated PLC volunteer and recently achieved a life-changing victory for Army veteran Kenneth Knight, who sought help petitioning the Army for an upgrade to his discharge status. As a first-year associate, Matt began working with Mr. Knight to secure a discharge upgrade we knew would be the key to survival for the veteran experiencing mental illness and homelessness. After five years of working with Mr. Knight, Matt secured a 5-0 unanimous decision from the Army Discharge Review Board to upgrade Mr. Knight's discharge status to "honorable."

Between June 2009 and May 2010, Mr. Knight served as a mortarman in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province . He earned numerous medals and commendations for his courageous and honorable service, including the Army Achievement Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge . However, Mr. Knight’s existing mental health issues were exacerbated by the conditions he experienced while deployed and he was discharged with a characterization of other than honorable conditions after returning to Fort Carson, Colorado. 

Matt’s journey with Mr. Knight included many set-backs, but through perseverance and the support of Haynes & Boone, they made progress on the case. At one point, Matt asked and received permission from Haynes & Boone to appear before the Army Discharge Review Board in Washington, D.C. to first-chair a hearing before a five-officer military tribunal . All his efforts have now paid off with Mr. Knight’s discharge upgrade granted. In Mr. Knight’s own words, he can now “lead a productive and meaningful life becoming of a soldier in the United States Army and one that would make my former Fort Carson commanders proud.” Mr. Knight will now have access to many veteran benefits including much-needed VA medical assistance that was previously unavailable to him.

We salute all our returning heroes and the pro bono heroes like Matt Costello who help veterans and their families. Want to be like Matt? Here’s a short video on Discharge Upgrades featuring Mr. Costello himself. 
We Are Ready to Toast our Pro Bono Heroes
@ Volunteers for Justice 2019!