Louise Gruner Gans, a former Acting Supreme Court Justice, Civil and Criminal Court Judge, and Family Court Judicial Hearing Officer, was the recipient of the Society’s Second Acts® Leadership Award, as an exemplary model for continuing a lifetime of dedication to the law while serving the public good.  She devotes two days or more each week in The Legal Aid Society’s Harlem Community Law Office, continuing a life-long career dedicated to public service.  Judge Gans began her career with The Legal Aid Society and prior to assuming a judicial role she was the Coordinating Attorney for Family Law at LSNYC (formerly C.A.L.S.).  She was a member of the plaintiffs’ legal team in the landmark case of Goldberg v. Kelly and participated in the first U.S. Supreme Court case argued solely by female counsel.  As a pro bono attorney, Judge Gans handles Social Security disability hearings, housing cases, and family matters that have resulted in clients obtaining more than $30,000 in retroactive federal disability benefits, permanent housing, and guardianships of orphaned children.

From Left: Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, Honorable Louise Gruner Ganz, and Blaine (Fin) Fogg, President of the Society and of Counsel at Skadden