“Fred Schwartz embodies and furthers our mission -- using his skills and resources to advance the public good,” said outgoing TLPJ Foundation President Thomas M. Dempsey of the Law Offices of Thomas M. Dempsey in Los Angeles. “We are thrilled to welcome him to our Board.”

Eight other attorneys were also elected as new TLPJ Foundation Board members:

• Janet G. Abaray of Lopez, Hodes, Restaino, Milman & Skikos in Cincinnati;

• Mark A. Chavez of Chavez & Gertler, L.L.P., in Mill Valley, California;

• Jeffrey L. Fazio of Fazio | Micheletti LLP, in Pleasanton, California;

• Richard A. Fisher of the Richard Fisher Law Office in Cleveland, Tennessee;

• Richard Golomb of Golomb & Honik, P.C., in Philadelphia;

• Ellen A. Presby of Baron & Budd, P.C., in Dallas;

• Lee J. Rohn of the Law Offices of Rohn and Cameron, LLC, in Christiansted, St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands; and

• C. Andrew Waters of Waters & Kraus in Dallas.

Other board members from California include incoming President Alan R. Brayton of Brayton v Purcell in Novato and incoming Vice-President Gerson H. Smoger of Smoger & Associates in Oakland. Four other California attorneys have served as Presidents of The TLPJ Foundation: Thomas M. Dempsey of the Law Offices of Thomas M. Dempsey in Los Angeles; Joseph W. Cotchett of Cotchett, Pitre, Simon & McCarthy in San Francisco; J. Gary Gwilliam of Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer in Oakland; and Sal Liccardo of The Liccardo Law Firm in Saratoga.

Trial Lawyers for Public Justice is a prominent public interest law firm dedicated to using trial lawyers’ skills and resources to advance the public good. Founded in 1982, TLPJ utilizes a network of more than 3,500 of the nation’s outstanding trial lawyers to pursue precedent-setting and socially significant litigation. TLPJ has a wide-ranging litigation docket in the areas of consumer rights, worker safety, civil rights and liberties, toxic torts, environmental protection, and access to the courts. TLPJ is the principal project of The TLPJ Foundation, a not-for-profit membership organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with a West Coast office in Oakland, California.