Zucker was honored at a special reception at the Monetery Marriott earlier this month.

Zucker devoted more than 150 hours in pro bono services last year helping low-income families deal with eviction matters, assisting parolees with appeals at revocation hearings and serving as a supervising attorney at the Van Nuys Self Help Legal Access Center.

"I didn't expect to get this award. The highest honor for me is the recognition I get from my students. But being acknowledged by my peers is a close second," Zucker said. "Often for things to change in communities, the only remedy is to hire legal representation, and have access to justice for low-income people is just abysmal."

Zucker created the Tenant Legal Clinic at Cal State Northridge as part of a business law class that provides, community-service learning to students who help low-income individuals with landlord or tenant problems.

Last year, Zucker and ten of his students helped clean up an elderly couple's apartment when the couple faced eviction due to a large amount of clutter in their apartment. The landlord later tried to reneged the agreement and Zucker took the case to trial where the couple won the right to stay in the apartment.

"I like the study of law more than the practice, and teaching gives me the flexibility to take cases that interest me," Zucker said. "When a case comes my way, I get so incensed that this stuff is happening and there is no one to correct it, so I have to get involved."