Public Interest
Aug. 6, 2002
Bowling, Beer, Trophy Lure Lawyers
Walking into the Hollywood Star Lanes on a Friday night, you might expect to see some serious bowlers practicing for league play, wannabe rock stars, groups of giggling high-school kids or maybe even some celebrities. But on July 19, the first 20 lanes of the alley were taken up by public-interest attorneys in matching T-shirts.
Walking into the Hollywood Star Lanes on a Friday night, you might expect to see some serious bowlers practicing for league play, wannabe rock stars, groups of giggling high-school kids or maybe even some celebrities. But on July 19, the first 20 lanes of the alley were taken up by public-interest attorneys in matching T-shirts.
Seven public-interest firms traded their loafers for bowling shoes to compete in the Public Interest bowl-a-thon and the right to take home the trophy, which was displayed proudly in the center of the lanes, reminding the players of what they were bowling for.
The bowlers, who comprised mainly summer clerks, kept the lone cocktail waitress busy; most of them seemed content to drink and chat rather than bowl.
"We're here to have fun and drink Miller Lites," said Jenny Greengold, summer clerk with the American Civil Liberties Union. "We're not even paying attention to whose turn it is."
The man whose firm is responsible for the festivities - Public Counsel President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Grunfeld - agreed.
"It's fundamentally about fun," Grunfeld said, but he also wanted to make sure that his team got the job done.
He joked that, before he hired this year's summer clerks, he asked them their bowling scores. As defending champion, he has to protect his team - and do his part to help the cause. Grunfeld finished the night bowling 147, one of the higher scores.
But his team faced stiff competition from some of Southern California's prominent public-interest firms.
Neighborhood Legal Services, whose office in is Pacoima, got the two-for-one deal with a bowling team and a cheerleading squad. Its members wore red T-shirts with their names and the team name, Pacoima Pins, on the front. The Pins were heard often, yelling out teammates' names at their turns, cheering wildly for strikes and spares, and chanting "NLA! NLA!"
"You can just cut the tension with a knife," Grunfeld quipped.
The games lasted 21/2 hours. When they were over, each team averaged the top five scores from its group; the team with the highest average won.
Neighborhood Legal Services' spirit lifted it close to the top, but the group didn't quite get the job done, as it came in a close second to Public Counsel.
Public Counsel's win comes at a price: It has to buy the trophy for next year's event. And, coincidentally, it also will have to find a new location. Hollywood Star Lanes is closing its doors in two days.
But that won't stop all the firms, including the ACLU, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund and Western Center on Law & Poverty, from coming back next year for the chance to put their name on the trophy.
Stefanie Knapp
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