CPM attorneys and staff regularly volunteer their time at Haven House, a local non-profit that provides interim shelter and services for local homeless families.
Community Commitment
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP believes it has a responsibility to not only its clients but the community at large. In addition to the firm contributing its legal expertise and resources to worthy cases, attorneys and staff are encouraged to volunteer their time with a variety of local organizations, and the firm contributes significantly to local, state, national, and international non-profits.
“Please relay my Company’s gratitude to all who contributed to the care packages that we received this week. Our PX here at Camp Ramadi closes in the next 2 weeks which means that these packages arrived at the perfect time.”
- Cpt. James Wiltse, Company Commander, 82nd Airborne
CPM employees regularly sort food at the Second Harvest Food Bank. Taking to heart one of CPM’s mottos - “Develop a sense of urgency” - CPM volunteers have broken a single-day record by bagging 2,300 bags of food.
CPM uses its broad-based legal expertise to provide pro bono legal work for deserving clients in need. Here is a sample of cases handled by CPM attorneys.
Some of the other causes and organizations that CPM supports:
Asian Art Museum
Nanci Nishimura is a member of the prestigious Asian Art Museum Board of Trustees. The Museum holds a world-renowned collection spanning 6,000 years of history. Nishimura studied in Japan and was an editor for noted art scholar Sammy Yukuan Lee, the benefactor of the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies.
Community Gatepath
Niall McCarthy is a former Board Chair of AbilityPath (FKA Community Gatepath). AbilityPath fosters hope, dignity, and independence among children and adults with disabilities, and is dedicated to building inclusive environments where individuals of all abilities can thrive. AbilityPath helps people with disabilities in all aspects of their lives including meaningful employment.
Rebuilding Together
For years, CPM has volunteered with Rebuilding Together, the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities for low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities.
Donations to Troops in Iraq & Afghanistan
CPM supports active duty military and veterans in many ways, including by sending hundreds of pounds of care packages to soldiers from the 82nd Airborne serving in Iraq. CPM sent over 500 pounds of various items, from beef jerky to toothpaste, to soldiers from the 82nd Airborne serving in Iraq. CPM does this on a regular basis. The program is managed by Darren Kelley for the Americans Supporting Americans (“ASA”) Program - Troops overseas.
Seven Tepees Youth Program
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP has long supported the Seven Tepees Youth Program. Anne Marie Murphy was a board member for a number of years and remains involved through the Advisory Board. Seven Tepees is a non-profit serving more than a thousand urban youth in San Francisco; it provides comprehensive services to youth, including mentoring, academic support, and college and career counseling in afternoon programs.
2010 Community Award by Santa Clara Law Center
Niall McCarthy was presented with the 2010 Community Award from the Santa Clara University Community Law Center for his outstanding work in the consumer rights area and in supporting organizations in the local community. This award is given to a firm, organization, or individual who has consistently demonstrated a commitment to serving the underprivileged of our society.
Father Alfred Boeddecker Award
Joseph Cotchett was awarded the Fr. Alfred Boeddeker Award from St. Anthony Foundation at a special luncheon and awards ceremony. This honor is given to those who support St. Anthony’s mission and work in servicing the poor and homeless. St. Anthony Foundation’s mission is to feed, heal, shelter, clothe, lift the spirits of those in need, and create a society in which all persons flourish. They are committed to providing the poor with basic needs and services. St. Anthony Foundation was founded by Fr. Alfred Boeddeker, a Franciscan friar who founded humanitarian programs to aid the poor and marginalized in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of Fr. Boeddeker’s greatest sayings: “the great activity of our life is to love.”
KaBOOM! ("Playground In A Day")
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy participated alongside 390 volunteers from the City of Daly City, KaBOOM!, the Foresters and the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club (MPBGC) to build a “playground in a day” which benefited the MPBGC’s Bayshore Heights club location. KaBOOM!, a national non-profit, is dedicated to saving play for America’s children. Their mission is to create a great, safe place to play within walking distance of every child in America.
Preschool Beautification Program
CPM employees volunteered to beautify Faces SF Preschool in San Francisco. CPM and the Asian American Bar Association Community Services Committee partnered with Jumpstart to clean classrooms and a playhouse, scrub walls, sweep surrounding areas, remove trash, paint walls and classrooms and fill a sandbox with new sand.
CPM Distributes Cy Pres Awards
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy has distributed cy pres awards in California to a range of worthy nonprofit charitable organizations in need. Cy pres awards are funded with money from class action settlements, either the residual funds that are left after the settlement proceeds are distributed to class members, or by court order under the rules of procedure when class members cannot be identified. Nanci Nishimura obtained a court order to distribute residual funds from a class action settlement to veterans, legal aid, and child advocacy organizations, including: Bet Tzedek Legal Services Union, Swords to Plowshares Veterans Rights Organization, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, CASA of Los Angeles, Friends of the Children San Francisco, just to name a few. In the past few years, CPM has obtained millions of cy pres dollars for non-profits.
Community Spirit Award
Joseph Cotchett was honored by Notre Dame De Namur University with the Community Spirit Award. University President, Judith Maxwell Grieg said “Joe Cotchett has spent his life both in and out of the courtroom advocating for those who are less fortunate and couldn’t fight for themselves.” The school created the award to recognize individuals who have given their time, energy and resources to improve the quality of life for others.
Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club
Darren Kelley is the former Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club Board President. The Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club is a non-profit group serving local youth. They provide a range of activities during after-school hours for children between the age of six and 18 that promote self-esteem, mental and physical well-being and academic performance.