NYC Pro Bono Center

Roger Hawke, a retired partner formerly with Sidley Austin LLP, is a Second Acts® attorney with The Legal Aid Society's Brooklyn Office for the Aging ("BOFTA"). Second Acts® is a pilot project, funded by the Pro Bono Institute, to establish innovative and replicable public interest law opportunities for transitioning and retired attorneys. Since January of 2009, he has worked two days a week with BOFTA, providing outstanding legal assistance to low-income elderly Brooklyn residents and expanding the office's scope of services. Learn more.

The City Bar Justice Center is proud to honor two attorneys from Dewey & LeBouef for their outstanding work with the Refugee Assistance Project. Lauren Petersen and Julia Pizzi, two Dewey & LeBouef associates, recently won a difficult case on behalf of a Nepali refugee who had been detained upon entry to the United States. Learn more.

In response to the real estate market's economic downturn and its consequences for low-income homeowners, Latham & Watkins LLP decided to expand the real estate practice's pro bono work. The firm's expertise became the perfect complement to the legal services being provided by The Legal Aid Society's Community Development Project's ("CDP") Adopt-A-Coop Pro Bono program. Learn more

The City Bar Justice Center is delighted to honor Daniel (Danny) Gomez of Verizon for his commitment to the Elderlaw Project. Danny became an Elderlaw Project volunteer in early 2008, and by the end of December of that year had spent over fifty hours providing pro bono legal services to five of the Project's clients. Learn more

An astounding 27 partners, associates and paralegals from Paul Weiss' corporate department are working with the City Bar Justice Center's Immigrant Women & Children Project ("IWC") to assist survivors of human trafficking with their applications for lawful permanent residency. Learn more

The Legal Aid Society has established a pro bono partnership with Dechert; Patterson Belknap Tyler & Webb; Seyfarth Shaw, and Venable to represent existing tenants with Section 8 vouchers who are being harmed by their landlords' discriminatory practices. Learn more

Because there is still no right to counsel for immigrants in U.S. detention facilities, and concerned that Varick Street detainees are quickly moved to areas of the country where there is even less access to counsel, The City Bar Justice Center, in collaboration with the Pro Bono Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) New York Chapter and the Legal Aid Society, launched the "NYC Know Your Rights" project at Varick Street. Learn More

On May 1, 2009, Kaye Scholer was recognized by The New York State Bar Association for the firm's exceptional commitment to pro bono, as evidenced by the attorneys in the New York office in 2008 performing 27,115 hours of pro bono work - an average of 79 hours per attorney. Kaye Scholer's dedication to pro bono and its impact on the lives of low-income New Yorkers made it an outstanding recipient of the 2009 New York State Bar Association President's large law firm pro bono services award. Learn More

John Rousakis, Counsel at O'Melveny and Myers, recently assisted NYLAG client Mr. B, a political refugee from Guinea, in obtaining asylum in the United States.

On April 7th, in a Bar Association Building made festive with chandeliers, colored lights and gin fizzes, over 500 attendees celebrated the accomplishments of the Justice Center and commitment to pro bono embodied by Goldman Sachs and Sullivan & Cromwell. Learn More
Gregory Palm, Patricia Hynes, and H. Rodgin Cohen

In celebration of National Women's History Month, The City Bar Justice Center and The Legal Aid Society recognize the women whose careers have personified the profession's commitment to public service. This outstanding group of attorneys have guided their firm's pro bono efforts, spent countless hours representing vulnerable children and families, assisted nonprofit organizations that provide vital services to impoverished communities, and expanded access to justice for all New Yorkers. We express deep gratitude to all and specifically to Patricia M. Hynes of Allen & Overy LLP, the current President of the Association of The Bar of the City of New York and past Chair of The Legal Aid Society. Learn More

Jason Lichter and Cecilia ("Sas") Silver, supervised by Vernon Broderick, won a resounding victory for an abused inmate who was beaten brutally by five corrections officers at the Fishkill Correctional Facility. The beating occurred while the prisoner was handcuffed and resulted in at least twelve (12) medically documented injuries to his face, jaw, abdomen, and back. The Legal Aid Society, which had been contacted by the prisoner, referred the case to Weil Gotshal and provided mentoring through its Prisoners' Rights Practice. Learn More

One of the 11 firms that helped to found the Veteran's Assistance Project in the fall of 2007, Howrey attorneys continue to tirelessly advocate on behalf of the City's low-income veterans. Led by partner Bill Purcell, the firm's attorneys have already taken on representation of eight veterans through the Project. One case in particular highlights Howrey's unyielding commitment to the highest level of advocacy. Learn More

(Photo of Bill Purcell, Partner at Howrey, LLP)

Over the past couple of years, more than 80 Dechert attorneys have assisted the City Bar Justice Center in its mission to provide increased access to justice. Teams of volunteer attorneys have tirelessly assisted homeless clients trying to access or challenge denials of public benefits, immigrant victims of domestic violence seeking freedom from their abusers and legal status in the U.S., formerly incarcerated individuals struggling with the hidden consequences of having a criminal record, debt-burdened New Yorkers filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and low-income microentrepreneurs who are in the initial stages of structuring a small business. Learn More
Suzanne Turner, Chair of Dechert's firm-wide pro bono practice.

The private bar plays an instrumental role in the Legal Aid Society's Community Development Project ("CDP"), which provides business legal services for low-income clients, with attorneys from New York's leading law firms providing pro bono assistance on 75 % of the matters. Until recently, however, CDP lacked the financial and accounting expertise to advise community based nonprofits and low-income micro entrepreneurs on sound accounting practices. Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC), which recently joined the Legal Aid Society's Board of Directors, has made a commitment to fill this void and ensure clients operate with appropriate internal financial controls and transparency.

The City Bar Justice Center is delighted to honor Wendy Luftig, a health care attorney, for her outstanding work with the Cancer Advocacy Project. Wendy has been an active member of the Project since 1997, and has dedicated countless hours to assisting cancer patients, survivors and their families with challenging health care concerns. Learn More

Under the leadership of Irwin Shaw, Attorney-in-Charge of the 150 attorney Manhattan office, nine mid-level associates from Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, and White & Case LLP are devoting 30% of their time over a six-month period to Legal Aid's criminal defense practice. Each of the law firms has a litigation partner and/or senior counsel who oversees the project. Learn More

The City Bar Justice Center is delighted to honor Julie Fendo-Lauck, Director of GMI Litigation at Merrill Lynch, for her outstanding work with the Legal Clinic for the Homeless. Julie recruits attorneys from Merrill Lynch as well as from Skadden, Arps to represent homeless families residing at the Arbor Inn and St. Johns Place Family Center, two shelters serving some of the neediest families in New York City. Learn More.

Serving as quintessential models of a lifetime of dedication to the law and the public good, Jay Greenfield, of Counsel to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and Allen Joslyn, a retired partner from Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, were honored on October 7, 2008 as the first recipients of The Legal Aid Society's Second Acts® Leadership Award. Learn more.

Every year summer associates at leading New York City law firms represent Legal Aid clients who are seeking disability benefits and are fighting to preserve their subsidized apartments. This summer, pro bono participation reached a new level when summer associates from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Cahill Gordon & Reindel, LLP, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, Kaye Scholer LLP, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Shearman & Sterling LLP, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP volunteered to provide comprehensive legal representation for fifty (50) low income New Yorkers. Learn more.

The City Bar Justice Center is delighted to honor Willkie Farr & Gallagher and attorneys Megan Hogan, Rachel Owens, and Avani Shah as outstanding volunteers for their work with the Refugee Assistance Project. These attorneys represented a young Chinese woman seeking asylum who had been in proceedings for almost 8 years. Learn more.

For the past year, Erin Abrams, Esq., a second-year litigation associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, has worked full-time with inMotion as the Fried Frank Fellow. Her ardent legal advocacy and forceful litigation skills have brought freedom, safety and financial security to 28 indigent women and their children-most of whom are victims of domestic violence-in highly contested divorces and family law cases. InMotion would like to share just two of Erin's hard-fought victories on behalf of inMotion clients living in Queens. Learn more.

This article has been reprinted with special permission from What's New, Summer 2008, inMotion, Inc.

Jacqueline Arana, an associate with Kaye Scholer LLP working pro bono with the Legal Aid Society, filed an Article 78 petition against the parole board on behalf of Jack South, challenging the arbitrariness of the most recent denial of parole. Mr. South, who receieved a bachelor's and master's degrees followed by a doctorate in theology, overcame a heroin addiction and counseled other prisoners, yet had been denied parole six times. With the help of Ms. Arana, Mr. South was victorious at his recent hearing and will be released from prison shortly

The City Bar Justice Center is delighted to honor American Express as an outstanding volunteer for their work with the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP). Linking philanthropic support and legal expertise, American Express awarded a grant to NELP to develop a new financial literacy initiative geared towards low-income microentrepreneurs. Then attorneys in the Corporate Legal Department at American Express work pro bono with NELP to teach the program's financial literacy course. Learn more

Sanctuary for Families and the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges won a precedent-setting appellate victory in the case of Miriam M. v. Warren M. Associates at Weil, Gotshal & Manges worked closely with attorneys at Sanctuary for Families in securing protection for the same-sex partner of a woman who was a victim of domestic violence. In particular, Weil attorneys Mark Fiore, Caroline Geiger, and Harris Cohen worked with Sanctuary attorney Brett Figlewski and were crucial in achieving victory in the case. Learn more

This month, the Legal Aid Society honors Ilona Coleman-Lange, a sixth-year litigation associate at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP. Ilona was Legal Aid's first extern with the Criminal Defense Practice and Legal Aid Attorney Claudia Conway was Ilona's primary mentor. During her six month externship, the Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono Practice sat down with Ilona to talk about her experience. Learn more

More than 650 members of New York's legal community, corporate leaders, and government officials joined in the tribute to Evan A. Davis, a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, as he received The Legal Aid Society's Servant of Justice Award. Mr. Davis served as counsel to former Governor Mario Cuomo, who presented the award to Mr. Davis during the 31st Annual Servant of Justice Award Dinner at the Waldorf on May 13, 2008. Learn more

Weil, Gotshal, & Manges has made a strong commitment to the Bankruptcy Pro Bono Panel at the City Bar Justice Center. Over the past year, the firm has volunteered to take on several pro bono matters referred by the Panel. Most have involved debtors who are faced with undue hardship as they seek the discharge of student loans. Weil has contributed hundreds of hours of work, and a recent referral from the Bankruptcy Court to the Panel demonstrates the firm's dedication to providing pro bono assistance. Learn more