Kicking-off the city’s celebration of National Pro Bono Week, the City Bar Justice Center honored 10 outstanding volunteers at a luncheon on October 26th. The first annual Jeremy G. Epstein Awards for Pro Bono Service were given in honor of Mr. Epstein, who passed away in May of 2009. Mr. Epstein was a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP; a board member at the City Bar Justice Center, The Legal Aid Society, and the Fund for Modern Courts; and was a staunch supporter of pro bono, logging over 5,000 hours of pro bono and public service over the last 20 year of his life.

Eve Burton, Vice President and General Counsel of The Hearst Corporation, delivered a keynote address, and New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman and City Bar President Patricia Hynes also spoke. The awards were presented by City Bar Fund Chair Austin T. Fragomen.
 

This year’s winners are:

• William Bagliebter, Duane Morris LLP, for his work with the Cancer Advocacy Project
• Alena Brenner, Hunton & Williams LLP, for her work with the Immigrant Women & Children Project
• Casey Laffey, Reed Smith LLP, for his work with the Elderlaw Project
• Christopher J. Moore, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, for his work with the Veterans Assistance Project
• Edward Martin Reisner for his work with the Lawyers Foreclosure Intervention Network
• Sehar Siddiqi, Seward & Kissel LLP, for her work with the NYC Know Your Rights Project at Varick Street
• Scott Smedley, Dechert LLP, for his work with the Legal Clinic for the Homeless
• Jason M. Sobel, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, for his work with the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project
• Jesenia De La Torre, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, for her work with the Refugee Assistance Project
• Netanella Zahavi, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, for her work with the Consumer Bankruptcy Project

2009 Epstein Award recipients with Lynn Kelly, Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center
Front row: Scott Smedley, Jason M. Sobel, Jesenia Ruiz de la Torre, Netanella Zahavi,
Back row: Lynn Kelly, Executive Director, City Bar Justice Center; William Bagliebter, Alena Brenner, Casey Laffey, Christopher J. Moore, Edward Martin Reisner, Sehar Siddiqi