Righteous indignation: plaintiff's attorney Ray Boucher is in the midst of two of the state's major legal tussles--sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and misuse of the business code. (People).

RAYMOND Boucher's work in extending California's statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases brought him a new set of clients: 180 Southern Californians who claim to have been abused by Catholic priests. The new law, effective Jan. 1, suspends the statute of limitations to file a sexual abuse claim for a year and allows suits to be filed against institutions that employed a known molester. Boucher is an active lobbyist for the interests of plaintiffs. A partner in the Beverly Hills firm of Kiesel Boucher & Larson LLP, he has handled cases for consumers against insurance companies, brought actions against homebuilders arising from toxic mold problems and is handling a taxpayer case brought in 2001 by Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante against electricity producers. While it won't comment on cases brought by Boucher, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has said that most of the alleged abuse conduct occurred before the 1985 arrival of Cardinal Roger Mahony, who adopted a "zero tolerance policy" for abuse and c reated background screening for those entering the seminary.

Question: You're no stranger to handling child molestation cases. But how do those filed against Catholic priests differ from past cases?

Answer: I don't think anything parallels what's happening with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and across the country. There isn't anything that parallels the sheer number of children who were molested and are suffering today as adults, the outrage of what happened, the abuse of power that took place -- we're in uncharted territory.

Q: How do you handle the emotional aspect of the job?

A: Every time I'm hired by someone who's been injured, I grow. Even if we're not able to help, it's a great experience. Even though you're talking about dark things, like sexual molestation and murder and the maiming of children, there's so much courage in so many people we represent. They have a belief in our system of justice.

Q: How are you handling that many cases logistically?

A: So far, we've handled it almost entirely in house, and we expect to continue to. We'll bring on a psychologist full time to help us -- not so much to handle cases but have a vehicle for the victims to call and talk to when it's not a legal issue. It's a tremendous undertaking.

Q: How have you handled the high profile nature of the cases involving priests?

A: I've been on TV and interviewed by the media fairly regularly. But the sheer persistence of media attention to this issue is unique. For years, the media looked at this issue and said it's not a big problem, or the church can handle it in house. That's how law enforcement groups handled it, as well. We have 4,000 victims in Los Angeles alone. This is a major problem.

Q: Are you a Roman Catholic?

A: Yes. It's difficult from the standpoint of being a Catholic and seeing what has occurred for many years. But at the same time, it strengthens my resolve to make sure the survivors obtain justice and that the problem is addressed in every way.

Q: Critics of the new state law, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, say it unfairly targets the Church.

A: It wasn't designed for them. The problem with sexually abused children is it transcends all areas of society. This is a law that saves children from sexual molestation.

Q: Some victims of sexual abuse have been unable to remember the details of the misconduct. How do you prove their claims?

A: We don't represent anyone who doesn't have a sufficient basis to prove that he or she was molested. Before we represent anyone, we have him or her seen by a childhood sexual abuse expert to determine whether a claim is likely to be true. So we make sure there's corroborative facts and look at as much evidence as we can before we go forward with the claim.

Q: You handle a wide range of cases, from personal injury to insurance fraud. What case stands out the most?

A: There was a case involving Lula Wallace against the City of Los Angeles. Her daughter, Demetria, witnessed a murder and the police came to her to get a statement. They lied to her about the number of other witnesses and the danger she was in. She was the one person who stood between putting a man away for life or going free.

She was later killed on a busy street in South Central L.A., and the court found there was a duty owed to Demetria and her mother that police officers should not lie to victims or witnesses, particularly those subject to danger. Now, the LAPD protects victims and witnesses. Seldom in your life as a lawyer you get to go back and say the work you did resulted not only in making life better for an injured victim but made life better for a whole segment of society. This law did.

Q: A lot of your work represents consumers against businesses. Have you noticed a change in how individuals view business interests?

A: There's a pendulum. When I started, there was what people thought was an anti-corporate sentiment. The pendulum swung the other direction and the courts couldn't do enough to protect corporations, and the little people were shut out of the process. I think that pendulum has swung back in the direction of consumers.

Q: How much do you make?

A: I don't make enough. We have an office in Beverly Hills because I have a partner who has had a house there for many years.

Q: Do you get paid on a contingency basis?

A: For me, contingency is normal. I work on cases on behalf of poor people who can't afford. hourly rates the way the Catholic Church or corporations can. We're willing to take the risk of the case on behalf of the client and put a lawyer's time and energy and costs into the case and wait until there's a recovery before he or she is paid.

Q: One consumer issue going on right now surrounds California's unfair business practices law, Business and Professions Code 17200. Some attorneys are alleged to be making money by abusing the statute. Is there a need for reform?

A: That statute has been an essential tool for consumers and environmental groups in protecting Californians. If you were to talk to most of the people within the automobile sales industry, one of the first industries that identified this abuse, they will admit that cases filed by consumer attorneys have helped clean up their industry. Anytime you have a corporation that unfairly, illegally or fraudulently engages in business practices, it's important to have a statute that allows attorneys representing the individuals or other corporations that are aggrieved by that conduct.

Q: But there has been abuse?

A: There has been abuse. But what has to be done is take a level approach at taking the profiteering out of these cases. I don't think it's a widespread problem.

Q: Some legislators say reforming 17200 has been difficult because of the strong lobbying power of consumer attorneys in Sacramento.

A: That's the simple answer. Other than these consumer attorneys, the California Teachers Association and a couple of labor groups, there are very few voices for consumers. You still have an element up there beholden to corporate America, and everything they do comes from the Chamber of Commerce. So I don't apologize.

Q: Why did you want to become a consumer attorney?

A: I became a lawyer because I wanted to make society a better place. I thought as a lawyer, you could effectuate change. It's always been a clear path. My passion has always been on the side of the little person who needs a voice.

Q: Who has inspired you?

A: My mom was an angel. She raised eight of us, and I didn't realize until I was in college she was handicapped. She couldn't use her left arm. From her I took the importance of compassion and caring.

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Raymond Boucher

Born: 1957, Tyngsborough, Mass.

Title: Partner

Organization: Kiesel Boucher & Larson LLP

Education: Bachelor's in political science and business administration, Fort Lewis College; Master's in management, Colorado State University; J.D. at Pepperdine University

Career Turning Point: Representing Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers union pro bono in strike violence cases.

Most Admired People: Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy and Cesar Chavez.

Personal: Married, two children

Hobbies: Spending time with family; watching, monitoring and crying about the Boston Red Sox.