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Helping Hands, Legal Wins, and Community Impact with Scott Rudin of MDR LAW LLC 8-15-25
00:13:06
This episode features Scott Rudin, Managing Partner at MDR LAW LLC, who shares his journey as a trial attorney and his passion for supporting children with developmental challenges through the Helping Hands Network.
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- [00:00]
A
This is Scott Becker with the Becker Business Podcast in the Becker Private Equity Podcast. We're thrilled today to be joined by a very special guest. We're joined today by Scott Rudin. And Scott wears several different hats. He first hat or one hat he wears, and certainly not the first hat is he's a lawyer and a really successful lawyer, second head wears. And probably more importantly is he does a ton of work in raising funds and supporting charitable organizations, largely for children with special needs. And there's a long history to this and I have seen Scott sort of front and center in this effort for a long time and leads to tremendous admiration by me of his efforts. We'll talk a little bit about both these things today. Scott, take a second and introduce yourself. Tell us maybe a little bit about the law practice, a little bit about helping hand and cassette and what you do. Maybe give us an overview.
- [01:01]
B
Sure. First of all, Scott, thank you for having me. I am honored to be an invited guest on your podcast. My name is Scott Rudin and I am the founding partner and managing partner currently of MDR Law. We are a personal injury law firm that specializes in wrongful death cases involving other areas of injury litigation as well transportation, product liability, construction, medical malpractice and sexual abuse and assault cases. We are trial attorneys. So when you come to our office and meet our attorneys, we're actually going to be the ones to take the case from start to finish. You won't be jobbed out or taken to another law firm for their area of expertise. We will handle it for you and hopefully obtain a result, whether it be via settlement or verdict, that's satisfactory to all our clients. So, Scott, that's my day job. My passion, my passion is charity work. And years ago, we formed a organization, a 501C3 called Helping Hands Network, and we raise money for children and young adults with developmental challenges and disabilities. We are a main fundraising arm for an organization called KESHET and nssra, which is the Northern Suburban Recreational Association. And these children face all sorts of heartaches and challenges that many don't know from and shouldn't have to know from. But these organizations are wonderful in facilitating recreational placement, job placement, housing and vocational training, and a number of other things. And with government cutbacks and other issues that are involved in state regulations, these organizations never have enough proceeds to staff adequately and provide the resources that children with special needs desperately need and deserve. So we are, we are very proud of what we do to help fund these organizations and allow them the opportunities to do what they have to do for these.
- [03:27]
A
And talk for a second. I mean, why don't we talk for a second? There's a golf tournament that you cheer or help to cheer that's been going on now for a very long time. It raises an incredible amount of money for these organizations. How did you get that started? And I know you partnered with some of the Chicago Blackhawks on that. How did it all get started? Tell us the story of getting that going now. It's a monumental event each year. How did that start?
- [03:52]
B
So about 27 years ago, Keshette and and my family from a personal situation. We had a son that was autistic, unfortunately, and sadly, he passed away six years ago. But Kesha brought us into their family and we became so fond of what they were doing for all children with all sorts of disabilities, whether it was autistic, cerebral palsy, down syndrome. They are just a wonderful umbrella organization that helps all. No one is turned away. So we decided one of the ways that we could help was by starting a golf and game day event. And the idea was to get folks there that may not know much about cachet, but enjoy golf and mahjong or whatever other game day, game activity they would, they would appreciate. And we started with 50 people at a golf course out south called Ruffled Feathers, and it has now grown into a 450 person event. And as we moved into our second year, a dear friend joined our organization that had an affiliation with the Blackhawks, and he invited Jeremy Roenick, who is now a Hall of Famer, to come to our event. And Jeremy is one of the most sincere individuals as you'll ever meet. Said, you know what? I'm all on board and I'm going to help get some of my fellow Blackhawks and other acquaintances that are celebrities, if you will, whether in sport or media, to come. And since that period of time, we've just networked and grown. And Tony Kukoc, who is a NBA hall of Famer, obviously from the Chicago Bulls, he comes to our events, as do many others. And I think the most unique thing about our event, and we call it a celebrity event, are the celebrities are not paid to be there. They come literally because they believe in our mission, they have good hearts and they want to help us raise money for that day for these organizations that we raise funds for.
- [06:11]
A
It's really an amazing, amazing thing. Take a moment, Scott. What are you most focused on and excited about currently? And then talk about trends in fundraising. Is raising funds getting harder? Is it getting easier? What do you See out there and talk a bit about the need to, if you don't mind.
- [06:28]
B
You know, you know, I say to anyone that anything you do in terms of fundraising philanthropically for charitable organizations, you're a wonderful person. And yes, it's actually competitive. In fact, when we plan our outing, which is already planned for next year, which will be August 17, 2026, we have to jump on the calendar right away because we know that other worthy organizations are going to do golf outings or game day events or pickleball events or whatever there is in Chicago's eight week summer of summer. And we are challenged to make sure that we have a date available and make sure that our constituents and the people that enjoy our event will be able to come to our event. And yes, it is very difficult. Funds are scarce now. You know, there are, and I don't want to be political on this, but there are cutbacks in funding to all charitable organizations and everything is very scrutinized. I think people don't realize that when you have a child with special needs, you are basically paying for college for them the rest of their life. You're one year of age until God, you know, if God is good to them, until you're 75 years of age. So when you're a parent of a child with special needs, you have to prepare for that as if you are paying for college every year. And most folks don't have the ability to do that and they need assistance. And we want to make sure that every child, every young adult, has what they need. No different than a typical child would have from their parents or from the community at large.
- [08:10]
A
It really is. And that sort of analog of, look, it's like paying for a kid in college. So the rest of your life is exactly true. And I've seen it up close and personal with your family and some other families in the area that we live in, I guess, Scott, you've done this incredible job building a law practice. You've done literally the Lord's work with your wife in building these charities. It's amazing what you've done. And let me ask you a question, and you don't have to answer this if you're not comfortable answering. Let me know if you're ready.
- [08:42]
B
I'm ready.
- [08:43]
A
Okay. We have a mutual friend, Eric Schloss. Will his golf game improve over the next year? And will his ability to drive a golf cart also get better?
- [08:56]
B
I feel very comfortable. Eric has a direct connection to the man Upstairs because he does the best work ever as a friend and as a charity fundraiser. And he's there for his anyone and everyone that needs him. He's a phenomenal landscape architect as well. So I would tell you that his golf game is definitely going to improve. He's due for definitely many hole in ones in regard to driving his golf cart. That's to be seen. And as a personal injury attorney, I'm ambivalent as to whether I want to see him approve his golf cart driving or not. Who knows? I may get a case out of that one day down the road.
- [09:35]
A
It seems like it's coming. No, actually phenomenal person, a phenomenal leader. And I can't agree with you more about what you said about his charitable instincts and being there for everybody who needs him. As a friend and colleague, I think that is. That is right on. Scott, anything or further that you'd like to add in that you want to mention either about charity or about practice, I. I love what you do with Helping Hands Network and Cash It. It really is the Lord's work. Anything else you wanted to add in that we didn't get a chance to touch on today?
- [10:03]
B
You know, I just want to thank you. You've been a friend that's been there as well at each and every one of these outings. To support a community when you have a child with special needs is so important. Parents and marriages are strained by that. Siblings bear an extra responsibility when they have a brother or sister with special needs. So when a community rallies around Helping Hands and an organization like ours and we have the kind of showing we had. It's funny, after 27 years, we had the biggest showing that we've had. So you would think that there's a burnout rate and people get tired and they get exhausted by, you know, always being asked for money and funds and things like that. And to have, you know, 450 folks come out and support this organization and raise. I think we're at close to half a million dollars from this one event that we're going to donate to these charities. And it's amazing.
- [11:05]
A
Yeah, no, but it's worth commenting on. I've been to a million different golf audits and charity out and stuff like that. There's a reason why it's thrived for 27 years. And part of it is the inclusiveness that you bring to it and bringing people together. It's an incredibly positive situation and how it's handled. You also, I see people, some of your lifelong friends, you know, Benjoy and others make the trip in from Arizona to spend time at it to help, you know, chaperone and make sure it's going well. And it's a tribute to you and your and some of your close friends that it goes that well. But it's become. But the other thing that people can't take for granted is if a charity event is not a not well run in a place to be at, people will still give money, but they'll find reasons not to show up for those days. And you guys do a wonderful job of making a very challenging situation. So many of the leaders of the organization are people that have children that have, that have special needs and have the situation you talk about. You do a wonderful job of making a heartwarming and heart wrenching event a great place to be where people can gather and share and be happy to be supportive of such a wonderful cause and what you do. Scott, can you tell us where people can find out more about Helping Hands Network?
- [12:25]
B
Sure. It's the website, Scott, actually is helping handstoday.org so the name of the organization, Helping Hands Network. The name of the website or to locate us on A website is helping handstoday.org fantastic.
- [12:41]
A
Again, we're joined today by Scott Rudin, founder of a law firm, but more than that, the father with his wife Debbie of a special needs child. And they've just done a remarkable job of raising funds for those efforts and to help others in similar situations that they have been in and are in. Scott, thank you so much for joining us today.
- [12:59]
B
Thank you, Scott. I really appreciate the opportunity.