November 16, 2022
Willkie Private Clients Group senior counsel Jonathan Lurie and associate Elham Ardestani have been profiled by the California Community Foundation (CCF) regarding their work to facilitate clients’ philanthropic goals and their own personal commitment to giving back.
Jonathan and Elham discussed the way their passion for giving back enriches their lives and animates their legal practice, often helping to catalyze their clients’ own philanthropic activities as part of a wealth planning portfolio.
“Philanthropy does as much for the person giving as it does for the person receiving,” Jonathan said.
Elham emphasized how strongly clients respond to her own efforts to support the organizations and causes important to her. She sits on the board of the Warren Christopher Scholarship, which provides annual scholarships to outstanding high school sophomores in the Los Angeles Unified School District. A former recipient of the scholarship herself, she takes pride in supporting the program and mentoring current recipients.
“Philanthropy really is contagious and when you convey your own passion to clients,” Elham said. ”It ignites a spark in the client to do good and move towards their passions that can fulfill some need in the community.”
The article also highlighted Jonathan’s commitment to benefiting children’s lives, including by sitting on the board of a camp owned and operated by Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles and volunteering on the weekends as a referee for a youth soccer league.
Jonathan Lurie and Elham Ardestani are members of Willkie’s Private Clients Group, based in Los Angeles. They focus on matters involving estate and wealth transfer planning, trusts, family governance, business succession planning, charitable organizations, estate administration and tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and families.
The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915. CCF stewards $2.3 billion in assets and manages 1,900 charitable foundations, funds and legacies.
Read the full interview here.
