Public Interest Law Institute
Founding Director
Dr. Desmonette Hazly, MA, MSW, PhD

Everyone has the right to seek justice is the credo that fueled the creation of theCD9 Public Interest Law Institute.   Dr. Desmonette Hazly has lived in South Los Angeles for over 40 years and realized that her community did not have any legal advocacy services that residents could access to help themselves and address some of the many issues that the community faces. Being able to receive accurate information and legal representation is paramount to improving the quality of life in economically under-served areas and Dr. Hazly took on the challenge of creating a community legal advocacy program that would provide free and low cost legal services in CD9.

With the dedicated partnership of Councilman Curren Price and the committed collaboration with non-profit and government-based legal organizations, the CD9 first legal advocacy program was launched in 2014. Expungement, Tenant Rights, Immigration, Elder Rights and Protection were some of the legal issues addressed by the program. The overwhelming response of the community indicated that continuous legal services and advocacy were needed in place to serve the residents of CD9. Leslie Ivie Esq., Founder of the Restoration Law Center, agreed to be lead-attorney of the CD9 Public Interest Law Institute and becomes the first permanently retained a lawyer to serve the community with an office located in the CD9 Constituent Service Center. Local residents can now receive reliable legal counsel and representation in their own neighborhood provided by legal professionals who are dedicated to serving community.

---