The Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation a Commitment to Justice
At the Kazan Law Firm, our practice centers around helping our clients get just compensation for the harm that has been done to them and holding negligent corporations accountable. With the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation, we take our commitment to justice even further. We created the foundation 25 years ago to support institutions that fight for the little guy, just like we do. I’m proud to say that, since 1994, the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation has given out a total of more than $20 million in grant money. We’re excited to see the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation grants making a difference in people’s lives. Here are a few of the community, health, and civic organizations that benefit from Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation funding.
Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation Funds Mesothelioma Research
As one of the pioneering law firms in the field of asbestos litigation, we have worked with a great many mesothelioma clients since we opened our practice in 1974. Because of the brutal nature of this cancer, we have also had to say goodbye to our clients with mesothelioma, some sooner, some later. We have sat with grieving families who have lost fathers and mothers, husbands and wives. We have seen firsthand the devastating effect of mesothelioma on the lives of our clients and our loved ones.
Because of these experiences, research into better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for mesothelioma is a top priority of the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation. The Foundation has given almost one third ($6 million) of its donations to mesothelioma research.
The Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation has given grants to the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Thoracic Oncology Program. UCSF is one of the top medical schools in the United States. Their Thoracic Oncology Program specializes in treatment of cancers of the lungs, including mesothelioma. In the 20 or so years since its founding, the program has done ground breaking research. The program’s Thoracic Oncology Laboratory was awarded a National Institutes of Health R01 grant in 2005 to study mesothelioma. In addition to this important research, the thoracic oncology specialists at UCSF provide top-notch care to mesothelioma patients.
We also support the Thoracic Cancer Program at Stanford Healthcare. Through its connection with the Stanford University School of Medicine, mesothelioma patients get state of the art care from some of the best and brightest medical practitioners in the country. Mesothelioma care options include one of the most exciting new treatments for mesothelioma patients: immunotherapy. By analyzing the genetic code of a tumor, Stanford physicians can prescribe chemotherapy that attacks the mechanisms by which that particular cancer grows, increasing the chance of fighting back the tumor and extending life
We are proud to have had a role in funding these and other promising new breakthroughs in mesothelioma treatment, including innovative surgical procedures. The Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation will continue to fund mesothelioma research at outstanding institutions like the ones above and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and Creighton University School of Medicine.
Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation Funds Fellowships
At Kazan Law, we know that the legal community that defends the rights of everyday people is only as robust as its next generation. Training young lawyers for careers representing the poorest and neediest among us and holding corporate wrongdoers to account is close to our hearts. That’s why the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation provides grants to pay for fellowships and internships for law students and new lawyers at nonprofit legal organizations.
The Golden Gate University Innocence Project is an adjunct to the Northern California Innocence Project, based out of Santa Clara Law School. The project is part of a national movement to exonerate prisoners who were wrongly convicted using DNA and other evidence. Law clinic students get practical experience in criminal law through the project, which has brought much needed attention to the hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of people who languish in jail because of shoddy work by the criminal justice and legal systems.
The East Bay Community Law Center gives low-income communities of color free legal advice and education and also represents low income clients for no fee. EBCLC helps with everything from tax compliance to understanding loan documents to creating a nonprofit organization. This nonprofit legal center also provides a program for UC Berkeley Law School students that trains them in community legal activism.
The Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation has also supported Hastings Students for Immigrant Rights, which helps law students at Hastings build the foundations for a career representing immigrants. The group was named the Student Organization of the Year in 2016.
Our Foundation has also contributed to the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Public Justice, Impact Fund, and Bay Area Legal Aid, among others.
Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation Fund Youth
It all begins with our children. Healthy, strong, and empowered youth are the foundation of a just and sustainable society. The Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation has provided money for scholarships and stipends that create opportunities for youth from diverse backgrounds to explore careers in government in law.
The Youth Law Academy at Centro Legal de la Raza calls itself “a diversity pipeline.” The Academy is an after-school program that helps high school students in Oakland, California, prepare for college and for legal careers. The students are mentored by lawyers and judges, learn leadership skills, and get help with college applications, SAT prep, and financial aid.
The Center for Youth Development Through Law gives students from disadvantaged communities in the East Bay, San Francisco area, exposure to the law through programs at UC Berkeley Law School. During the intensive summer program, youth get paid internships while they take classes on campus. The program also sponsors a mock trial competition to develop self-confidence for local high school students.
The Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation also supports youth through The Annual Cruz Reynoso Social Justice & Judicial Externship Fellowship Dinner and the Oakland Technical High School Washington DC Program. We are excited to play a part in the education of the next generation of inspiring leaders, in the legal field and beyond.
The Future of the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation
This is only part of the story of the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation. We have supported the San Francisco Chronicle Season of Giving holiday fundraising drive and given funding to the Employee Rights Advocacy Scholarship Program every year since it began almost ten years ago. We continue to find new ways to use foundation funding to support mesothelioma patients, budding lawyers, and the cause of justice for all citizens.