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Education
University of California, Los Angeles, B.A.
Loyola Law School - Los Angeles, J.D.
Admitted to Practice
California
U.S. Supreme Court
Upon graduation from law school and after successfully passing the California Bar exam, Mr. Besser accepted a position as a partner in a small law firm in suburban Los Angeles. However, his real interest and much of his discretionary time was spent as a self-funded, sole practitioner providing free legal aid in a public housing project of a poverty area in Los Angeles.
This effort led to Mr. Besser being appointed Executive Director of one of the first federally funded legal service programs created by President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. The success and national recognition of Mr. Besser's program led to his appointment as Director of Operations on the national staff of the Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C. In this capacity Mr. Besser oversaw the distribution of $75 million per annum to the local legal services programs throughout the United States; of more import to Mr. Besser's career, he spent a great deal of his time meeting and dealing with the two U.S. Senators from California as well as most members of the Judiciary and Appropriations committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. After completing his two year commitment in Washington, D.C., Mr. Besser returned to California where he became a career long lawyer/lobbyist, as a partner in two large firms in Los Angeles as well as sole practitioner representing such diverse clients as New York Stock Exchange companies and small California businesses.
Mr. Besser retired in 1999, only to return to the practice by what he saw as the exciting challenges offered in the Los Angeles Office of Dykema.
Professional Associations
State Bar of California
Chaired Los Angeles County Bar Judicial Selection Committee for California Governor Pete Wilson
Civic and Cultural Involvements
President: Pacoma Junior Chamber of Commerce
Board Member: NAACP - San Fernando Valley
Board Member: Mexican American Political Association of San Fernando Valley
Elections and Politics
President, Los Angeles City Parking and Traffic Commission
Chairman, Small Business Council - State of California
California Republican Party Central Committee Speakers Bureau
Special Assistant to City Attorney James K. Hoher.
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