CBJC Celebrates Outstanding Volunteers at the Jeremy Epstein Awards

The City Bar Justice Center kicked off National Pro Bono Week on Monday, October 24th with the 2016 Jeremy G. Epstein Awards for Outstanding Pro Bono Service. Pro bono is the driving force of CBJC’s mission to increase access to justice by utilizing the NYC legal community, and the annual awards celebrate the CBJC volunteers who excel in their pro bono service.

The awards were established in honor of the late Jeremy G. Epstein, the prominent litigator who fiercely opposed the death penalty, published numerous articles on the importance of pro bono and the need for procedural reform, and logged over 5,000 hours of pro bono and public service.

New York City Bar Association President John Kiernan gave the opening remarks and the keynote address was delivered by Hon. Colleen McMahon, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Judge McMahon’s inspiring speech stressed the importance of the legal profession’s obligation to use their mastery of the law to help those without the resources to access justice:

“When a lawyer performs work pro bono publico, he is expressing, consciously or unconsciously, a belief that society is well-served when individuals and organizations unable to afford counsel have competent legal representation. In a country dedicated to the rule of law, lawyers work pro bono publico because they believe that everyone – not just the wealthy and powerful — should have meaningful access to the law, and to the courts, and a real ability to enforce the rules that are supposed to regulate the behavior of all for the protection of all.”

City Bar Fund Chair Jane Sherburne presented the awards to the volunteers, who were selected as honorees based on the quality of their legal work, outcome accomplished for clients, and willingness to take on challenging cases, among other criteria.

 

If you are an attorney in New York City seeking pro bono opportunities, please visit our Do Pro Bono page to learn how to get involved with a City Bar Justice Center project.

2016 Jeremy G. Epstein Award Honorees

Brittany Bacon, Hunton & Williams LLP
Jonathan K. Chang, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Yago Cuesta-Civis, Revlon, Inc.
Arthur M. Dresner, Duane Morris LLP
Evan K. Farber, Reed Smith LLP
Luba Jabsky, Barclays Capital Inc.
John Low-Beer, Solo Practitioner
Lauren R. Mendolera, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Julia B. Milne, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Jurij Mykolajtchuk, Law Offices of Jurij Mykolajtchuk
Herman Raspé, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
Virginia F. Tent, Latham & Watkins LLP
Elie Jonathan Worenklein, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP