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January 29, 2010
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION HONORS SEVEN LEADERS
IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE WITH 2010 AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Court of Appeals Judge Hon. Carmen Beauchamp
Ciparick and Theodore V. Wells Jr. among those recognized
NEW YORK – The New York State Bar Association’s Criminal
Justice Section presented its Awards for Outstanding Achievement to
seven leaders who have made an outstanding contribution in the criminal
justice field. The awards were presented on January 28 during the State
Bar Association’s Annual Meeting at the Hilton New York in
Manhattan. Court of Appeals Judge Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick and
Theodore V. Wells, co-chair of Paul Weiss’ Litigation Department,
were among the honorees. Criminal Justice Section Awards Committee Chair
Norman P. Effman of Buffalo (Wyoming County Public Defender) and Section
Chair James P. Subjack of Fredonia presented this year’s
awards.
“This year’s winners of the Criminal Justice Section
awards have all worked determinedly to enhance public confidence in the
criminal justice system with astute advocacy, tireless devotion to
service and an inspiring commitment to equal justice under the
law,” said State Bar President Michael E. Getnick (Getnick
Livingston Atkinson & Priore, LLP of Utica and of counsel to Getnick
& Getnick of New York City). “We are thrilled to recognize
their outstanding work, and I congratulate them on a job well
done.”
“All seven honorees have contributed their great talents to
make our criminal justice system more responsive to the people of New
York. In different ways, all the Criminal Justice Section awardees have
helped make our system fairer and better for all,” said Subjack.
“We are proud to honor them for their achievement and thank them
for their service.
Award categories and recipients are:
• The Vincent E. Doyle Jr. Award for Outstanding Jurist:
Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, senior associate judge of the New York
State Court of Appeals, New York, has enjoyed a long and groundbreaking
career. Judge Ciparick has served on Court of Appeals since January 1994
when she made history by being the first Hispanic to serve on this
state’s highest court. She began her career in service when
she was appointed a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society in New
York City in 1967. In 1969, she became an assistant counsel for the
Judicial Conference of the State of New York; in 1972, chief law
assistant of the New York City Criminal Court, and in 1974, counsel in
the office of the New York City Administrative Judge. In 1978, she was
appointed judge of the New York City Criminal Court where she was the
first Puerto Rican woman to serve on New York’s bench while also
being one of the state’s youngest judges. In 1982, Ciparick was
first elected to the New York State Supreme Court where she served until
her appointment to the Court of Appeals.
• The Charles F. Crimi Memorial Award for Outstanding
Private Defense Practitioner: Theodore V. Wells, Jr. Esq., Paul, Weiss,
Rifkin, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York. A partner and co-chair of
Paul Weiss’ Litigation Department, Theodore V. Wells, Jr. has
extensive litigation experience in white-collar criminal defense,
complex civil and corporate litigation, SEC regulatory work, FCPA
investigations, environmental matters and class action litigation. In
one of the largest civil fraud jury trials of the last decade, Wells
successfully defended Citigroup in a five-month civil jury trial where
it was alleged that Citigroup aided and abetted in the massive fraud at
Parmalat, the Italian dairy and food corporation. The jury rejected the
$2 billion damages claim against Citigroup and awarded Citigroup $364
million on its counterclaim.
• The David S. Michaels Memorial Award for Courageous
Efforts in Promoting Integrity in the Criminal Justice System: Erin P.
Gall, Esq., Oneida County Court. The principal court attorney to Hon.
Barry M. Donalty, Gall is a tireless advocate for improved treatment of
sexual assault victims and their families. A sexual assault survivor
herself, she has bravely spoken out in public forums and at rape crisis
centers. She has devoted a great deal of time training law enforcement
personnel to be sensitive to the assault victims’ special
needs.
• The Michele S. Maxian Award for Outstanding Public
Defense Practitioner: Claudia S. Schultz, Esq. Noted for her unwavering
commitment to equal protection under the law through the guaranteed
right to adequate counsel, Schultz serves as the deputy administrator
for the Assigned Counsel Program in the Erie County Bar Association Aid
to Indigent Prisoners Society. The program provides representation
for those who are unable to afford a lawyer in criminal cases, Family
Court, parole-related issues, and appellate cases.
• Outstanding Appellate Practitioner: Barbara D.
Underwood, Esq., Solicitor General, New York. Underwood was appointed
solicitor general of the State of New York by Attorney General Andrew
Cuomo on January 2, 2007. Before her present position, Underwood was
counsel to the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New
York from June 2003-January 2007 after serving seven years as the
district’s Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney. In Washington, Underwood
was the Acting Solicitor General of the United States from January to
June 2001. She also served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of
the United States from March 1998 to January 2001. Underwood has argued
16 cases in the United States Supreme Court and has extensive appellate
experience in the federal and state courts of appeals. Before her work
in the federal government, she served in executive positions in the
Queens and Brooklyn District Attorneys' Offices, supervising appellate
litigation and other matters, after beginning her public career as a
trial attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
• The Outstanding Prosecutor: Stephen F. Lungen, Esq.,
Sullivan County District Attorney, Monticello. Recognized for his
unwavering commitment to justice, Lungen has served as the Sullivan
County District Attorney for close to three decades. He is a past
president of the Sullivan County Bar Association and a faculty member at
the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, serving as an instructor in their
intensive trial advocacy program.
• Outstanding Contribution to Public Information: John
Caher, director of public information, New York State Division of
Criminal Justice Services, Albany. Caher has been the director of public
information since 2007 where he has handled hundreds of criminal justice
information requests from the media, law enforcement, and the defense
bar. He previously served as the Albany bureau chief for the New York
Law Journal and was a state editor of the Albany Times Union.
Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State
Bar’s programs and activities have continuously served the public
and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
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