On Law Day, May 1, Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr., Principal at Mesereau Law Group in Los Angeles, discussed his volunteer and pro bono work throughout the United States and the founding of Mesereau Free Legal Clinic, where judges, lawyers, law students, community activists, and college students donate their time alongside Mr. Mesereau to advise and assist the poor and needy.
President Dwight Eisenhower established the first Law Day in 1958 to mark the nation's commitment to the rule of law. In 1961, Congress issued a joint resolution designating May 1 as the official date for celebrating Law Day, which is subsequently codified (U.S. Code, Title 36, Section 113). Every president since then has issued a Law Day proclamation on May 1 to celebrate the nation's commitment to the rule of law.
The Mesereau Free Legal Clinic is named after Attorney Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr., who is one of the most famous criminal defense attorneys in the world. He has successfully defended such personalities as actor Robert Blake, heavy weight boxer Mike Tyson, and radio personality Larry Carroll, just to name a few. Mr. Mesereau is internationally known for having obtained an acquittal of music legend Michael Jackson on all counts in a highly publicized child-molestation trial in Santa Maria, California. In addition, Attorney Mesereau volunteers his time throughout Los Angeles County at various legal clinics and is a motivational speaker for volunteers, law students, and community organizations. Yet, he still finds time each year to defend a death penalty case in Alabama, pro bono.
These altruistic aspirations created a dream in Attorney Mesereau and the Mesereau Free Legal Clinic was born. A subsidiary of the Mesereau Community Legal Foundation and currently located in the heart of South Central Los Angeles at the Morningside United Church of Christ, the Mesereau Free Legal Clinic provides much needed resources of legal information and legal assistance to residents who might not otherwise have ready access to such services. The panel of volunteer attorneys, paralegals, law students and others work diligently to ensure the residents of South Central are afforded the same type of professional, quality legal services as residents of affluent communities. It is the goal of Mesereau Free Legal Clinic that each client is treated with the utmost respect and courtesy regardless of income, circumstances, or station in life.
