 She founded her own firm in 1984, specializing in age, sex and racial discrimination cases.Appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley, Lomax was the first black woman to lead the Los Angeles Police Commission, which she headed when motorist Rodney King was beaten by four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department.She won many friends and enemies in its aftermath, when she waged a high-profile battle to oust controversial Police Chief Daryl F. Gates in an effort to transform the department's culture.