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May 1, 2012
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2012
PRESIDENT’S PRO BONO SERVICE AWARDS
An Albany Law School student who founded a program to help veterans,
a recently confirmed federal judge who volunteered hundreds of hours to
addressing wrongful convictions, and a New York City law firm that
donated more than 37,000 hours of pro bono services are among the 22
winners of the New York State Bar Association’s 2012
President’s Pro Bono Service Awards.
The State Bar presented the awards at a Law Day luncheon today at the
State Bar Center in Albany. State Bar President Vincent E. Doyle III of
Buffalo (Connors & Vilardo) and President-Elect Seymour W. James,
Jr. of Brooklyn (Legal Aid Society) presided at this year’s
ceremony.
“The work of pro bono service attorneys makes ‘justice
for all’ a reality for New Yorkers. Whether they are a solo
practitioner or work in a large law firm, every lawyer can help solve
someone else’s problem,” said Doyle. “It is an
honor to recognize such a distinguished group of recipients. They
represent the best of our profession.”
In addition to honoring attorneys representing all of New
York’s 13 judicial districts, the awards are given to a lawyer
practicing for less than 10 years or under the age of 36, a senior
lawyer, a large law firm, a mid-size law firm, a small law firm, an
in-house counsel, a government counsel, a law student and a law school
group.
The winners are:
1st Judicial District (Manhattan)
Caroline J. Heller of Manhattan (Greenberg Traurig)
donated 170 hours of pro bono services in 2011, including 40 hours while
on her maternity leave. She obtained lawful permanent residency for two
survivors of domestic violence under the Violence Against Women Act and
provided pro bono representation to the Council of Parent Attorneys and
Advocates.
2nd Judicial District (Kings
County)
“Weil Advantage Team” of Weil,
Gotshal & Manges served as co-counsel with The Legal Aid Society to
prevent New York City from terminating the Advantage rent subsidy
program for 16,000 households. Because of the Weil Advantage
Team’s advocacy, the Advantage tenants received subsidies from
April 2011 to January 2012, totaling more than $115 million.
3rd Judicial District (Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer,
Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster counties)
Alyssa
Talanker of Troy, a solo practitioner, has volunteered at the
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York’s weekly Pro Bono
Unemployment Clinic since February 2011. She has donated more than 100
hours of services to 116 clients who have been denied unemployment
benefits.
4th Judicial District (Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton,
Hamilton, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren,
Washington counties)
In November 2010, Jill O’Sullivan (FitzGerald
Morris Baker Firth) and Jessica H. Vinson (Bartlett,
Pontiff, Stewart & Rhodes), both of Glens Falls, created the
Adirondack Women’s Bar Association Domestic Violence Legal Clinic.
They regularly meet with victims of domestic violence and have recruited
17 volunteer attorneys to help 59 clients receive free legal
services.
5th Judicial District (Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida,
Onondaga, Oswego counties)
A solo practitioner, Susan Esce of Syracuse (Esce Law)
accepted eight new bankruptcy referrals last year from the Central New
York Bankruptcy Bar Association and the Fifth Judicial Pro Bono Action
Committee’s Pro Bono Bankruptcy Panel after funding from the
Office of Court Administration was eliminated.
6th Judicial District (Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland,
Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins counties)
Even with a busy solo practice, Carol Ann Malz of
Oneonta has made pro bono service a priority. She also saved her clients
up to $400 in fees normally associated with Chapter 7 filings.
7th Judicial District (Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario,
Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates counties)
Vowing to clear up the Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe
County’s backlog of 26 bankruptcy cases awaiting referral,
Lucien A. Morin II of Rochester (McConville Considine
Cooman & Morin) did so in 2009 and 2012. The value of his donated
legal services is more than $28,000.
8th Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua,
Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming counties)
Peter C.
Obersheimer of Buffalo (Philips Lytle) donated 445 hours of pro
bono services to four civil/administrative appeals, three of which were
resolved favorably, while another case is still pending.
9th Judicial District (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland,
Westchester counties)
In addition to helping 25 clients with uncontested divorces,
Julia Santiago of Irvington helped develop and lead
uncontested divorce clinics for pro se clients at the Legal
Services of the Hudson Valley.
10th Judicial District (Nassau, Suffolk counties)
Barry Smolowitz of Kings Park (Law Offices of Barry
M. Smolowitz) launched the Suffolk County Pro Bono Foreclosure
Settlement of the Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, where
homeowners subject to a residential foreclosure filing can receive a
free one-on-one legal consultation. He recruited and trained volunteers,
and later supervised their work at settlement conferences. He also
designed a special website which includes forms, laws, CLE materials,
appointment scheduling and an attorney forum.
11th Judicial District (Queens County)
A young attorney, Mohammad Saleem of Corona (Saleem Law
Firm) represents clients, the majority of whom are immigrants and
Muslim-Americans, on various immigration petitions and proceedings, real
estate transactions and civil litigation matters. He has donated 60
hours to four cases.
12th Judicial District (Bronx County)
Noah
Liben of Manhattan (Mayer Brown) volunteers with inMotion,
which helps low-income and abused women in New York City. He helped an
abused Bronx woman with four legal matters, including obtaining orders
of protection, filing for divorce and securing full custody of her
son.
13th Judicial District (Richmond County)
Daniel
C. Marotta of Staten Island (Gabor & Marotta) helped
establish the Richmond County Volunteers Lawyers Project. In the case of
IndyMac Bank, FSB v. Blount, Marotta negotiated a favorable
settlement for his client. The matter required 21 court appearances, 10
of which occurred in 2011.
Young Lawyer
The leader of her firm’s Humanitarian Parole for Haitian Women
Project, Natalie Fleming Nolen of Manhattan (Morrison
& Foerster) donated 430 hours of pro bono services to nine clients
in 2011. The project represents a group of Haitian women who were the
victims of sexual violence in post-earthquake outdoor encampments and
are at risk for repeat attacks. Two clients were able to escape Haiti
because of the team’s efforts.
Senior Lawyer
Daniel F. Kolb of
Manhattan (Davis Polk & Wardwell) is the driving force behind his
firm’s pro bono efforts. Davis Polk’s partnership with The
Legal Aid Society has helped to achieve legislative funding and
administrative policies that ensure indigent criminal defendants receive
high quality comprehensive representation. Kolb also is co-chair of the
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
In-House Counsel
The author of the recently released
Good Counsel: Meeting the Legal Needs of Nonprofits,
Lesley Rosenthal of Manhattan (Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts) oversees the Leadership Committee of the Charity Corps
Program, which matches volunteer attorneys with nonprofit organizations
in need of legal counsel.
Government Counsel
Ronnie Abrams was
counsel to the New York Justice Task Force from 2009 until March 2012.
She spent more than 600 hours in 2011 working on the task force and
another 1,200 hours on other pro bono matters at Davis Polk &
Wardwell. She was recently confirmed as a judge on the U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of New York.
Law Student
While maintaining a 3.93 grade point average,
Benjamin Pomerance of Plattsburgh founded and leads the
Albany Law School’s Veterans Pro Bono Project. He organized a
three-hour Continuing Legal Education training focusing on legal issues
confronting homeless military veterans. He also recruited volunteers to
assist at a monthly Wills for Heroes pro bono program at the Albany
Housing Coalition’s Veterans’ House. Most recently, he
implemented free legal clinics to help 87 veterans from five different
counties.
Law School Group
The Syracuse University College
of Law Pro Bono Advisory Board volunteers at pro se divorce and
bankruptcy clinics, as well as assists volunteer lawyers with
landlord-tenant court proceedings. Last year’s graduating class
logged more than 7,000 hours of pro bono services.
Small Law Firm
A solo practitioner, Noemi
Fernandez of Buffalo (Law Offices of Noemi Fernandez), donated
more than 60 hours of service to 11 divorce cases through the Erie
County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project. She was praised for
her ability to speak Spanish and reach an underserved population.
Mid-Size Law Firm
Bond, Schoeneck &
King has handled the “Say Yes to Education” Legal
Clinic at Elmwood School in Syracuse since 2009. The clinic helps
inner-city families with legal issues and sponsors a
“drop-in” clinic for legal advice at Syracuse city schools.
The firm’s attorneys also assist in the Onondaga County Bar
Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project to represent indigent
tenants in summary eviction proceedings.
Large Law Firm
The New York office of Gibson,
Dunn & Crutcher logged more than 37,396 hours of pro bono
service in 2011. Its pro bono work includes good government projects,
immigration, transgender advocacy, holocaust survivors and domestic
violence.
The 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest
voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in
1876.
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