NYLAG Celebrates 2024 Pro Bono Awards

NEW YORK, NY - Last week, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) celebrated Pro Bono Week with our annual Pro Bono Awards celebration, highlighting the critical work our pro bono and volunteer partners make possible in furthering NYLAG's reach.

NYLAG presented the following awards:

• Champion of Justice Award: Sullivan & Cromwell
• Legacy Award: Ciara Farrell
• Spirit of Hope Award: Fenwick & West LLP
• Hero of Justice Award: Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
• Spirit of Service Award: Ropes & Gray

"NYLAG's pro bono and volunteer partnerships critically expand our reach and give us the ability to say 'yes' when we might otherwise lack capacity to work with everyone seeking our services," said Lisa Rivera, NYLAG President & CEO. "Our Pro Bono and Volunteer Unit has significantly grown the program over the past year, and these award recipients played a key role in this success. We are so grateful for our partners' commitment to our clients, our organization, and our mission to combat economic, racial, and social injustice."

In Fiscal Year 2024, pro bono firms put on a record breaking 117 legal clinics with NYLAG and increased law firm pro bono volunteer attorney participation to more than 2,000 individuals, contributing 93,000 hours to our clients and coming to a total value of $46 million in services.

"At NYLAG, we pride ourselves on being nimble and responsive in meeting communities' needs, but the reality is that our capacity alone has its limits," said Amira Samuel, Director of NYLAG's Pro Bono and Volunteer Unit. "Our pro bono community bridges the gap, allowing us to remain a 'yes we can' organization. This year's award recipients in particular have gone above and beyond in furthering NYLAG's work in lockstep with staff, and in doing so, making this city a more just city for everyone who lives here."

"NYLAG played a crucial role in enforcing the right to receive an appropriate education for low-income New York City families who had been waiting for years to receive the special education services their children needed," said Bill Monahan, head of the Sullivan & Cromwell's Products Liability & Mass Torts Group and a partner in the Firm's Litigation Group. "We worked closely with NYLAG at every turn in certifying a class to remedy this issue, and we are proud that our work will result in better access to education services for New York City children and their families."

"NYLAG's pro bono program affords me wonderful opportunities in which to develop and expand redressing of systemic barriers to equitable access, due process, and access to justice issues within the state and federal components of the Unemployment Insurance system through policy advocacy, direct client representation, and litigation," said Ciara Farrell, a long term volunteer in NYLAG's Mobile Legal Help Clinic. "I strongly encourage any law student, graduate, or attorney who wants to make a meaningful contribution to historically marginalized and underserved communities to participate in NYLAG's pro bono program because it is genuinely impactful while providing incredible professional development prospects."

"We are incredibly honored to receive the Spirit of Hope Award at NYLAG's 2024 Pro Bono Celebration," said Hilarie Atkisson, Fenwick's Sr. Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Pro Bono Counsel. "Our commitment to delivering professional and compassionate legal aid is at the heart of our mission to serve the community. We remain dedicated to making a change and express our deepest gratitude to NYLAG for this recognition and to their attorneys and staff for the incredible work they do every day."

"We're lucky to partner with NYLAG to provide important pro bono legal services to New Yorkers in need," said Marc Greenwald, founding member of Quinn Emanuel's New York office and partner in charge of the New York Pro Bono Practice. "As the largest business litigation firm in the world, we take seriously our obligation to give back to our community and provide legal representation in state and federal courts to clients identified by NYLAG who otherwise would be unrepresented. Our partnership with NYLAG has been a great success for our clients and the New York legal community."

"Ropes & Gray is deeply honored by this recognition from New York Legal Assistance Group," said Marianne Staniunas, Pro Bono Immigration Counsel at Ropes & Gray. "It is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our lawyers, who realize our firm's commitment to practice with purpose through providing legal assistance to those in need. Over 15 years, our partnership with NYLAG has been incredibly rewarding, and we are proud to support an organization that tirelessly advocates for the rights and dignity of the disadvantaged."

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