Member Spotlight: Norman J. Rodich

It Started with a Suit: How a Simple Donation Built a National Movement

When Norm Rodich donated a gently used suit, he had no way of knowing that his act of kindness would blossom into a nationwide movement to help others help themselves. At the time, he was just trying to help a young man get back on his feet.

“[My wife’s coworker] knew somebody who needed some nice clothing to interview so he could get a job,” he explained. “I pulled out a suit and tie … and it fit this person reasonably well, and he ended up successfully getting a job. That was the genesis of the idea for the Law Suits program.”

The experience reshaped Norm’s view of service. If one suit could help one person secure a job, what could an entire professional community accomplish? He began imagining what might happen if every member of the California State Bar’s Litigation Section contributed one article of professional clothing. The impact, he realized, could be enormous.

So in 1997, the Law Suits program was born.

Norm knew that this program had great potential, but he also knew he couldn’t do it alone. He began looking for a partner in his efforts and was soon connected with Jerri Rosen, founder of Working Wardrobes, an Orange County-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals overcoming major life challenges.

“At that time, [Working Wardrobes’] original mission was to assist survivors of domestic violence. Clients were only women in that situation,” said Norm. “We talked, and she was excited about expanding, and she had the idea to start a men’s event … it became a really great partnership.”

Together with the support of the CLA (then California State Bar) Litigation Section, Norm and Jerri transformed Law Suits from a simple idea into a thriving clothing drive supported by legal professionals across the state: Members of the Litigation Section donated their gently used suits (men’s and women’s), and Working Wardrobes distributed them to people in need who were striving to re-enter the workforce.

As the program grew, the logistics of distributing donated clothing became a challenge.

“Clothes are heavy, bulky, and awkward to move,” Norm recalled. “The secret to Law Suits was leveraging an existing distribution network.”

Norm reached out to Men’s Wearhouse Founder George Zimmer, asking if the company would be interested in partnering on this clothing drive. To his delight, Men’s Wearhouse was eager to get involved.

The system was simple but made a significant impact: Litigation Section members would drop off their donated suits at local Men’s Wearhouse stores, and anyone who donated a suit would receive a discount on their next purchase at Men’s Wearhouse. The clothes would then be transported back to central hubs using empty return trucks and distributed to nonprofits like Working Wardrobes.

With this new partnership, the program took off, and Men’s Wearhouse was so impressed with the model that, with Norm’s blessing, they expanded it beyond California. They launched the National Suit Drive, a nationwide version of the Law Suits program that ran annually for years. At its peak, the National Suit Drive had collected and distributed over one million items of career clothing, a legacy rooted in Norm’s original concept.

For more than two decades, the Law Suits program served as a powerful, tangible expression of the legal community’s commitment to service. Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the in-person donation model to an abrupt halt. Store drop-offs, trucking logistics, and large-scale sorting events were no longer viable.

“I didn’t think it was ever going to come back,” Norm admitted.

But the idea was too powerful to fade away. In 2024, Adrieannette Ciccone, then Chair of the CLA Litigation Section, approached Norm with a vision: to resurrect the program for a new era. Her question was, how could they capture the spirit of Law Suits in a post-pandemic, digitally connected world?

The answer? Go digital.

The revived program transforms the act of donation into a streamlined, community-tracked effort. Participants are encouraged to donate their professional attire directly to a local nonprofit that supports workforce reentry, whether it’s a longtime partner like Working Wardrobes or an organization in their own community. They then log their donation through a simple online portal on the CLA Litigation Section’s website, creating a virtual record of the section’s collective impact.

This digital framework opens up new possibilities. Norm envisions future partnerships with online retailers who could offer donor incentives, and a dynamic map showcasing the wave of generosity across the state.

“The motto of the Law Suits program has always been ‘Helping others help themselves,’” Norm said. “That hasn’t changed. Now, we’re just using new tools to make it easier for our members to participate and see the difference they make.”

From a single suit in a closet to a national movement, and now to a resilient digital initiative, Norm Rodich’s simple idea has proven its enduring power. As Law Suits enters this next chapter, it continues to remind the legal community that within their wardrobes lies not just old clothing, but the key to unlocking someone’s new beginning.