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Dear Friends,
Happy summer! My family just celebrated my son’s fifth birthday, and the shrieks of a bunch of young humans on a cupcake sugar rush chasing one another with water cannons on a warm summer day are still fresh in my heart, if not audible to my ears.
Milestones and celebration are also the heart of the City Bar Justice Center’s Summer Newsletter. We celebrate our just-released 2024 Impact Report, detailing the pro bono spirit and pure hard work that helped us assist nearly 26,000 New Yorkers in the past year. Partnerships make all of that happen, and also still fresh in our consciousness are the dozens of law firms, corporations, and others that sponsored our recent 19th Annual Gala, Pro Bono for Our World, honoring Freshfields and UBS for their unwavering dedication to expanding our asylum advocacy work. Our honorees and guests helped us raise nearly $1.2 million, making a tangible difference in the lives of those seeking safety and a fresh start in New York.
We're also building strong as we look ahead. From collaboration with Artists Athletes Activists and Metro Baptist Church to assist those newly arrived to New York from the southern border to a new partnership with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to assist pro se litigants pursuing civil rights and other supremely important claims, we’re working with a range of partners to provide essential legal services that increase access to justice.
Thank you for your dedication to our shared mission, and please continue supporting our collective efforts to make a difference in individual lives and create a more just and equitable society for all.
Best regards,
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Kurt M. Denk
Executive Director
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New! The City Bar Justice Center’s FY2023-24 Impact Report highlights work accomplished in the past year through our twelve civil justice projects and an enthusiastic cohort of advocates – pro bono supporters, community partners, volunteers, and donors. In the past year our dedicated team continued to respond to emerging legal needs of New Yorkers who cannot afford private counsel. See a few highlights below and click here to learn more about our impact: https://bit.ly/cbjc2024impact
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On April 3, 2024, the City Bar Justice Center held its 19th Annual Gala, Pro Bono for Our World, at the New York City Bar Association. The Justice Center was proud to honor Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and UBS with 2024 City Bar Justice Awards, with guests enjoying Broadway talent, a caricature artist, live music, dance performances, and inspiring remarks from City Bar and partner pro bono leaders. Read more here.
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New! The Board of Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has selected the City Bar Justice Center to operate the Southern District’s Pro Se Legal Assistance Clinic beginning October 1, 2024. The S.D.N.Y. Pro Se Clinic will rely on a combination of Justice Center professional legal and support staff, law students, pro bono attorneys, and a dedicated volunteer recruitment and social work support team to serve pro se plaintiffs and defendants litigating matters in the Southern District. Read more here.
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We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Pro Bono Leadership Council! On July 17, 2024, the City Bar Justice Center launched its first-ever Pro Bono Leadership Council, comprising a dedicated group of 26 lawyers from esteemed NYC firms and corporate legal departments who will serve as "ambassadors" to spread the word about and boost support for the City Bar Justice Center’s mission and impact. Led by co-chairs Keun Young Bae, counsel with the internal corporate and government investigations practice at WilmerHale, and Timothy C. Nash, Jr., assistant general counsel for supervision, markets, and financial services at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Council members will volunteer their time to help strengthen the Justice Center's visibility and fundraising efforts, stimulate and support pro bono involvement, and provide strategic advice. In return, the Justice Center looks forward to partnering with Council members to meet their own professional growth aspirations and serve at the forefront of private sector pro bono leadership for the future. Remaining Council members, in addition to Ms. Bae and Mr. Nash, are: Eric Barnosky, Esquire Deposition Solutions; Mia Batista, Seyfarth Shaw; Boaz Cohen, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP; William Fassuliotis, New York Court of Appeals; Melissa Fedornak; Max Fiest, private practice; Elliot Fink, Seyfarth Shaw; Vanessa Friedhoff, UBS; Florian Fuhrimann, Jenner & Block LLP; Jonathan Guest, Holland & Knight LLP; Hannah Khalifeh, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP; Sammuel Kim, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP; Jack Klein, Latham & Watkins LLP; Jessica Kriegsfeld, Lowenstein Sandler; Alex Leonard, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Sarah Libowsky, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP; Alexandra McDevitt, Debevoise & Plimpton; Marina Miller, UBS; Tapan Oza, Kobre & Kim; Romane Paul, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP; Pedro Ramirez, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP; Rebecca Rubin, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP; Sean Topping, Norton Rose Fulbright; Thomas Wright, Esquire Deposition Solutions. We look forward to the impactful contributions the Pro Bono Leadership Council will bring to our organization and, especially, to the communities we serve! | |
City Bar Justice Center social media has been ablaze introducing ten energetic undergraduate and law school students filling out our dynamic summer internship program. Please check out our posts, and if you don’t already follow us on social media, find us here! | |
Our Legal Clinic for the Homeless is a proud collaborator with Artists Athletes Activists! Every Thursday, Mariana Monahan Negron and Jennifer Quijano of the Justice Center – now also with pro bono volunteers – help those recently arrived from the U.S. southern border, and others, get used to being “new New Yorkers” by providing legal services and other resources alongside a network of providers hosted by Metro Baptist Church in midtown. Watch this Fox 5 video highlighting the impactful work of our team and fellow services providers as they meet pressing needs in our community. | |
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Huge thanks to Harlem New York Public Library for teaming up with the Justice Center! Libby Vazquez, Director of Legal Services, and other colleagues have hosted enlightening information sessions on Tenants’ Rights to Repairs and Life & Estate Planning. In addition to presenting educational material, our team offered personalized consultations, ensuring that community members received tailored guidance and support for their unique circumstances.
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Our Immigrant Justice Project worked alongside UBS and Freshfields to help "new" New Yorkers gain asylum. Watch the videos below to see the impact our honorees had on the lives of those seeking asylum:
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The newsletter editor is Sammy Darris, the City Bar Justice Center's Communication and Outreach Associate. For questions you may reach her at sdarris@nycbar.org.
Copyright © 2024 City Bar Justice Center. All rights reserved.
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