Thursday, August 6, 2009
Page 3
Legal Aid Foundation Names Argueta Executive Director
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles has selected Silvia R. Argueta to be its next Executive Director, the foundation announced yesterday.
Argueta has served since October as interim executive director of the foundation, which is one of the largest and oldest public interest law firms in the nation.
Harriet Posner—president of LAFLA’s Board of Directors and a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP—called Argueta “a seasoned and compassionate attorney whose leadership and dedication to LAFLA’s mission will advance the Foundation’s legal work at a time when the demand for free legal services is enormous.”
Argueta joined the foundation in 1999 and was promoted to senior attorney in its Government Benefits Unit, where she handled a range of legal issues involving access to health care, Medi-Cal, Medicare, Social Security and California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids. She also served as lead counsel in a federal court case that prevented the closure of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and the closure of 100 beds at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center.
“For 80 years, LAFLA has been at the forefront in helping low-income and poor clients navigate the halls of justice, and now in these difficult economic times when many are losing their homes, jobs, benefits or suffering from domestic violence, we will continue to pursue the promise of equal access for those who have nowhere else to turn,” Argueta said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead an outstanding staff and to work with such a dedicated board.”
Born in Guatemala, Argueta came to the United States at age 6 and has resided in Southern California since then. She was admitted to the State Bar in 1989 after graduating from UCLA and UC Hastings College of the Law.
Prior to joining LAFLA, Argueta was a staff attorney at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund handling education, employment and immigration issues, including all aspects of civil rights litigation. She was also previously employed at the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and involved in civil rights litigation and policy matters.
Copyright 2009, Metropolitan News Company