Los Angeles, CA, November 14, 2012 — CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Los Angeles (CASA/LA), a non-profit organization whose volunteers serve the best interests of foster children in the courts and in the community, is proud to welcome Lori Kozakto its Board of Directors.

Ms. Kozak’s excellent legal experience and past service with CASA/LA as a CASA Volunteer brings a valuable skill set and viewpoint to the Board. Having spent three years as a volunteer advocate for foster children through the organization, Lori knows the unique challenges that abused and neglected children face, and has an inside perspective into areas of special interest to which she can lend her expertise. She has also served as a leader of Counsel for CASA, an outreach of CASA to the legal community.

“Serving as a CASA volunteer has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I am truly honored to be able to take on new challenges in a leadership role with this incredibly vital organization moving forward,” said Kozak.

Lori currently serves as a Partner with the law firm of Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman LLP, where her practice focuses on trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property issues.  Ms. Kozak is a Parent Board Member for the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center, and has sat on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Westside Neighborhood School.  She is also actively involved with BookEnds, a non-profit that recycles children’s books to create and revitalize libraries in Los Angeles schools and youth organizations.

As CASA/LA looks to aggressively scale its volunteer base so they can serve more children, continued familiarity, cooperation and involvement with the California and Los Angeles County legal system will be a critical enabler of that growth. Kozak’s expertise will be invaluable to the organization in this regard.

Kozak received her B.A. with honors from Mount Vernon College, which is now part of The George Washington University, and went on to procure her Juris Doctor from GWU as well. Ms. Kozak also is a member of the Women Lawyers’ Association of Los Angeles, the International Trademark Association (INTA), the Los Angeles County Bar Association (Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Section), and the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

 

ABOUT CASA/LA  

Founded in 1978, CASA of Los Angeles is a community-supported 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that trains and supports volunteers from the community to serve as advocates for children in the highly-overburdened foster care system of Los Angeles County. A CASA volunteer is a committed, highly-trained everyday citizen volunteerassigned by a judge to a foster child in Los Angeles County’s Juvenile Dependency Court system who advocates for the best interests of the child. CASA volunteers bring the voice of the community into a child welfare system that is often overly-bureaucratic and legalistic. Studies have shown that children with CASAs receive more assistance and support than children without, are more likely to be adopted, and are less likely to reenter the child welfare system. For more information, please visit the CASA of Los Angeles website: www.casala.org