San Diego Consumer Attorneys raise record sum for foster children

Consumer Attorneys of San Diego shattered its fundraising goal at the annual Trial Stars Dinner in October, raising $130,000 for Angels Foster -- more than double the initial target of $50,000.

The campaign marked CASD's first major fundraising initiative tied to their signature annual event. Angels Foster, a San Diego-based organization, provides support to infants and children in the foster care system.

"We've always done community outreach and smaller fundraisers, but this is the first fundraiser tied to a large-scale event," explained CASD President Paula Brown. "Because this was our first time, we wanted to work with an organization that our members were already familiar with and passionate about."

The choice of Angels Foster resonates with CASD's mission of advocacy for vulnerable populations, Brown said.

"Our clients are typically going through a really rough time in their lives," she said. "Angels Foster provides support to really vulnerable people -- children in foster care. We felt like its mission is consistent with our values and it is an organization we could get behind and feel good about raising money for."

A partner at Blood Hurst & O'Reardon, Brown specializes in complex class actions, with a focus on consumer protection and antitrust matters including lawsuits involving dangerous products, false advertising, and anticompetitive business practices such as price fixing and monopolies. She also has significant experience handling racial discrimination cases.

The fundraising success came at a critical time for Angels Foster, which has faced severe state budget cuts. The organization provides comprehensive support services, including dedicated social workers and therapists, to ensure stable environments for foster children and their caregivers. The organization is especially focused on keeping children or siblings together with one family throughout their entire time in foster care.

The bulk of the CASD donations came during the "fund the need" portion of the Trial Stars Dinner, with several members making significant contributions, including a single donation of $15,000 and multiple $10,000 gifts.

CASD has approximately 800 members across various practice areas including personal injury, employment law, consumer protection, and family law.