Apr. 9, 2011

Lawyers Deliver Laughs for a Good Cause

By Eb Richardson Daily Journal Staff Writer By day, Neal Svalstad works in-house for Hitachi Home Electronics (America) Inc. But by night, he is the funniest lawyer in San Diego. Or so he was deemed by a panel of judges at the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s 5th annual LAF-Off competition on March 24. Five attorneys and three law school students had five minutes to crack up the audience, all vying for that perfect 10 from the judges. While other programs host stuffy fundraisers, program coordinator Heather L. Rosing of Klinedinst PC says LAF-Off gives lawyers a relaxing environment. “I think the lawyers like the nontraditional format for a fundraiser. Instead of a sit-down dinner with speeches, this event is all about mixing, mingling and laughing.” That laughter raised about $50,000 for the program this year. Rosing is responsible for getting these lawyers on the stage, but says she wasn’t the first. Organizations in Portland, Ore. had been allowing attorneys to torture friends and family in the name of charity for years. “The “LAF” stood for ‘Legal Aid Fundraiser’ because the proceeds were to benefit four legal-aid organizations in Oregon,” Rosing said. “We also used the “LAF,” but changed it to mean ‘Lawyers Are Funny.’” To recruit the ever-elusive humorous lawyer, the program’s planning committee “scours the legal community for the funniest attorneys they can find.” By drawing on the local legal community, Rosing says they attract more friends, family members and colleagues to the event. Though some may question the comedic abilities of lawyers, past president of the program Timothy R. Pestotnik of Pestotnik & Gold LLP says their participation is essential to the program’s survival. “Without fundraisers like LAF-Off and donations from the community, the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers programs wouldn’t be able to provide legal assistance to thousands of disadvantaged clients each year.”