About the Center

Founded in 1982, the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law is one of the largest providers of family law and domestic violence assistance to low-income persons in Los Angeles. The focus of the Center’s efforts is on legal problems involving custody, visitation, support of children, domestic violence, and establishing parentage.

Our Story

Inception

Sponsorship

Early Growth

Current Operations

Who is Harriett Buhai

Inception Top of Page

In 1981, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles closed its family law unit due to federal funding cutbacks. Dawn Tillman proposed to the Board of Directors of Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) that it form a pro bono family law project where volunteer lawyers could assist low-income individuals representing themselves in court.

"I always felt that the private bar would do more," says Tillman. "The family law project was merely an idea whose time had come."

Sponsorship Top of Page

Under the leadership of WLALA president Joan Patsy Ostroy and Black Women Lawyers Association president Mablean Ephriam, the two organizations committed themselves to a jointly-sponsored project. They were helped by a generous donation of office space from the Brotherhood Crusade.

The Family Law Project opened its doors in the fall of 1982. During this early period, the Project received the Pro Bono Award from the State Bar of California.

Early Growth Top of Page

In 1984, the Project was renamed in honor of Harriett Buhai, a dedicated advocate who had died the year before. "Harriett was the conscience of the WLALA Board," says Ostroy. "We wanted to do something to recognize her contribution."

The Los Angeles County Bar Association joined as a co-sponsor in 1985. By 1987, the Center had grown to include a staff of three, an Executive Director, and a budget of $160,000. By the end of 1992, the Center was serving over 600 low-income persons a year, on a budget of $500,000.

Current Operations Top of Page

Aided by volunteers, the Center’s small staff provides intensive legal assistance to more than 1,000 clients each year.

Who is Harriett Buhai? Top of Page

A Los Angeles lawyer and activist, Harriett Buhai (1916 - 1983) was an extraordinary advocate for the poor and the least powerful members of the community. Her remarkable career spanned decades of American political upheaval and progress.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked in the labor union movement as a secretary for the Business Agent of the Jewelry Workers Union and as a secretary and paralegal for the labor law firm of Kidwell and Pastana.

In the 1950s, she worked to defend the individual rights of persons accused of violating the Smith and McCarren Acts. In the 1960s and 1970s, she joined the legal community working in the civil rights and antiwar movements.

Finally, as a certified family law specialist, Harriett Buhai provided pro bono family law services in South Central LA.

Throughout her career, she participated in the National Lawyers Guild and was an outspoken member of the growing women’s bar. Harriett made her mark as a dedicated and active member of the Board of Directors of Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.

At her memorial service in 1983, her friend Sam Rosenswein spoke of Harriett’s utter integrity and honesty, her courage, and her lightness despite the intensity of her beliefs.

The Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law pays tribute to this remarkable woman’s achievements and devotion to the cause of justice for low-income persons.