The enduring partnership between CAALA and Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities

A legacy of service, justice, and community impact

2026 September

For 20 years, the partnership between the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) and Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities (LATLC) has stood as one of the most meaningful alliances in our legal community. As LATLC celebrates its 20th anniversary, this milestone offers an opportunity to reflect on its history, its accomplishments, and the profound impact its volunteer events have had on the communities we serve.

LATLC is not simply a charitable organization; it is a living expression of the generosity, civic responsibility, and humanity of plaintiff trial lawyers. For two decades, LATLC has shown how trial lawyers can extend their advocacy beyond the courtroom and into neighborhoods across Los Angeles. Through grants to partner charities, scholarships, hands‑on volunteer service, and signature events such as Day of Dignity, the Great Tryke Giveaway, and Comfort & Joy, LATLC has demonstrated the transformative power of collective action.

Twenty years of service, impact, and community transformation

Founded in 2006 by attorneys who wanted to serve the community in a deeper way, LATLC began with a focus on improving education, safety, access to shelter, and opportunities for vulnerable populations. What started as a grassroots effort quickly evolved into a powerful movement defined by hands‑on service, community partnership, and sustained charitable giving.

In its early years, LATLC confronted some of Los Angeles’s most pressing challenges: inner‑city safety, educational inequities, homelessness, abuse, and youth vulnerability. Volunteers showed up wherever help was needed: food banks, beach clean‑ups, school programs, and neighborhood initiatives. Fundraising grew rapidly as attorneys, families, vendors, and affiliate businesses joined the effort. By 2012, LATLC had more than 300 supporters and had already returned $250,000 to the community.

As LATLC matured, it developed signature events that became central to its identity and impact. The Annual Golf Tournament launched in 2013, followed by Casino Night and the Texas Hold’em Tournament in 2014. These events quickly became major fundraising engines, drawing hundreds of attorneys and supporters and raising more than $600,000 by 2015. That same year, LATLC expanded its mission to include assistance for people with disabilities and formalized its volunteer program with partner charities. Membership surged to nearly 3,000 supporters, enabling LATLC to contribute more than $750,000 to 45 partner organizations. A donation of 55,000 pounds of food allowed LATLC to provide meals to more than 110,000 individuals experiencing hunger; an early example of the organization’s ability to mobilize large‑scale relief.

By its 10th anniversary in 2016, LATLC reached unprecedented levels of giving and community engagement. The organization raised $1.6 million in a single year, awarded grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000, expanded its Youth Sports Sponsorship Program to support 50 teams in underserved neighborhoods, and awarded eleven $5,000 college scholarships. More than $1 million in grants and goods were returned to the community, an all‑time record.

LATLC also launched its first independent service project - the Holiday Turkey and Toy Giveaway - providing food, gifts, and essential supplies to 500 families. This event grew rapidly, eventually serving more than 2,500 community members annually and becoming one of LATLC’s most beloved traditions. In 2017, LATLC introduced the Great Tryke Giveaway, partnering with SoCal Trykers and Red Star Riders to custom‑fit adaptive trykes for children with disabilities. This event became a powerful symbol of LATLC’s mission: Restoring joy, independence, and dignity to children who might otherwise go without.

By 2018, LATLC had expanded its board to 41 members, awarded 66 grants totaling more than $426,000, and added 23 new partner charities. Volunteer engagement reached new heights, with more than 1,400 hours of service. In 2019, LATLC added 14 partner charities, distributed more than $300,000 in grants, and launched its third signature event - the Day of Dignity. This event provided showers, clothing, meals, medical and dental care, pet supplies, and essential services to unhoused individuals, demonstrating LATLC’s ability to mobilize attorneys, nonprofits, and government agencies to deliver comprehensive care.

When the COVID‑19 pandemic struck, LATLC responded immediately. The organization funded meals for students and seniors, hosted virtual fundraisers, awarded 12 college scholarships, and ensured that 500 families received holiday food and gifts through “Patrol Car Santas.” LATLC also published a Tribute Book to fund $253,000 in partner charity grants; proof that even in crisis, its commitment to service never wavered. During this period, LATLC expanded its mission by launching Youth Ambassadors and a Law Student group, empowering the next generation of advocates. OCTLC officially formed in Orange County, extending LATLC’s model of service beyond Los Angeles.

By 2021, LATLC resumed in‑person volunteer work, introduced a new logo, and unveiled a redesigned website, signaling renewed momentum and continued innovation.

Twenty years of impact

Today, LATLC’s events – Golf Tournament, Casino Night, Day of Dignity, Great Tryke Giveaway, Comfort & Joy, Youth Ambassadors projects, and dozens of volunteer service days -represent far more than fundraising opportunities. They are the heartbeat of an organization that has returned millions of dollars and tens of thousands of volunteer hours to the community.

Why participation matters now more
than ever

As LATLC celebrates its 20th anniversary, CAALA encourages all members – new and longtime – to reconnect with this extraordinary organization. LATLC thrives when trial lawyers show up. Once people attend an event, they often feel inspired to stay involved. Life can be demanding, and not everyone can volunteer at every event, and that is completely understandable. Even with life’s many obligations, giving just a few hours at an event can make a real and lasting impact.

What matters is engagement in any form

Attend an event. Volunteer for a few hours. Sponsor a program. Encourage someone in your office to participate. Every person who gets involved expands LATLC’s reach and impact. Participation is not only an act of service; it strengthens the identity of our legal community. LATLC reflects who we are: Advocates who fight for justice in the courtroom and stand with our neighbors outside of it.

CAALA is proud to stand with LATLC, and we hope more members will join us as we continue building on the last 20 years and shaping the next 20. To volunteer or serve as a sponsor, please visit LATLC’s website – www.latlc.org.