Kazan Law partner Gordon Greenwood
In addition to serving our clients and supporting mesothelioma research, the partners at our law firm work through the Kazan, McClain, Abrams, Fernandez, Lyons, Greenwood, Oberman, Satterley & Bosl Foundation to help disadvantaged communities around the country tackle various issues.
To maximize our impact, we try to support other organizations that help disadvantaged citizens maneuver through obstacles that they may encounter because of their socioeconomic status. Several of us also volunteer as leaders for these groups.
Partner Gordon Greenwood
One of our partners, Gordon Greenwood, is serving on the board of the Mississippi Center for Justice, or MCJ. The lawyers and professionals at the MCJ strive to bolster the legal and socioeconomic statuses of communities of color in a state that has traditionally been a hotbed of racial tension. The organization has dealt with matters that are far-reaching in both geography and history. Ongoing campaigns include helping HIV-positive patients navigate the healthcare system, fighting predatory lending practices and keeping public housing affordable.
One of the more high-profile undertakings of the MCJ is its work to help citizens who were hurt by the BP Oil Disaster. Despite the fact that the oil company was found legally liable for the calamity – which killed several people and devastated those who worked in the fishing and service industries – leaders at BP have been trying to brush off all responsibility and stall compensatory payments to residents of the area. Meanwhile, the company is trying to sweep these developments under the rug with a reprehensible public relations campaign touting its supposed efforts improve the region.
MCJ responded to the injustice by forming the Gulf Justice Consortium. The project is helping those that BP hurt by providing pro bono services, arguing for changes to the claims system, giving a voice for all people whose jobs were affected by the disaster, ensuring fair calculations for claims and ensuring the presence of language aides to assist the sizable Vietnamese population.
Our firm’s foundation is proud to have Gordon sitting on the MCJ’s board of directors, where he’s in a position to help millions of Mississippians.