Feldman Shepherd is pleased to announce that attorney George A. Donnelly has been appointed to the overlapping Boards of Directors of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Legal Assistance.
Since its founding in 1966, Community Legal Services (CLS) has provided free civil legal assistance to more than one million low-income Philadelphians. CLS attorneys and other staff provide a full range of legal services, from individual representation to administrative advocacy to class action litigation, as well as community education and social work. CLS serves its clients on issues involving public benefits, employment, housing, debt and consumer rights, utilities, family law, criminal records and senior-related issues.
Founded in 1996, Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) provides free civil legal services to over 7,000 individuals and families in Philadelphia who cannot afford an attorney each year. PLA serves its clients through seven specialized units which are: Consumer Housing, Medical Legal Community Partnership, Unemployment Compensation, Family Law, Pennsylvania Farmworker Project, Taxpayer Support Clinic and a General Intake Unit.
Donnelly brings to the Boards of Directors a long-standing commitment to serving people in need. He served as Chief of Staff for Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval for more than three years. In that role, he secured hundreds of millions of dollars of grants for public interest projects and was responsible for constituent services for thousands of Philadelphians. Previously, Donnelly served as an attorney at the Public Interest Law Center, where he was a forceful advocate on tenant issues.
At Feldman Shepherd, Donnelly represents individuals and families in all manner of litigation involving catastrophic personal injury, civil rights cases, consumer class action cases, whistleblower claims and qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act.
“CLS and PLA are two of the preeminent legal services agencies in the country, and it is an extraordinary privilege to support the work of the talented attorneys and legal professionals who provide the highest quality legal representation to families throughout Philadelphia,” said Donnelly.
“We are delighted that George will continue and expand his commitment to support access to justice for all by serving on the Boards of CLS and PLA, while maintaining his busy law practice at our firm,” said Feldman Shepherd Co-Managing Partner Alan M. Feldman.