The City Bar Justice Center’s 2023 Gala Powers Pro Bono, Raising Over $1 Million to Support New Yorkers in Need

On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, the City Bar Justice Center held its 18th Annual Gala, “The Power of Pro Bono,” at the New York City Bar Association. We were proud to honor BNY Mellon and Mayer Brown LLP with 2023 City Bar Justice Awards for their commitment to promoting racial, social, and economic justice through a range of pro bono legal services and other philanthropic commitments.  

Featuring Broadway talent with live music and dance performance, the program included remarks and award acceptances from special guests: Susan J. Kohlmann (NYC Bar Association President), Kurt M. Denk (City Bar Justice Center Executive Director), Cassandra Celestin (City Bar Justice Center Pro Bono Director), Kevin McCarthy (BNY Mellon General Counsel), and Matthew Ingber (Mayer Brown LLP’s New York Office Managing Partner.)  

With deep gratitude, we thank our 2023 Gala Benefit Committee (listed below), along with advocates for justice who made a personal contribution. Thanks to our partners’ generosity, the Gala raised nearly $1.1 million to power pro bono and further fuel the Justice Center’s capacity to help 25,000 New Yorkers facing poverty and other systemic barriers each year.  

2023 Gala Benefit Committee 

Benefactors 
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP 
Bloomberg 
Bortstein Legal Group 
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 
Jenner & Block LLP 
Kirkland & Ellis 
Labaton Sucharow LLP 
Latham & Watkins LLP 
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP 
Pfizer Inc. 
Proskauer 
UBS 
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz 
WilmerHale 

Sponsors 
American International Group, Inc. 
Arnold & Porter 
Barclays 
Citigroup Inc. 
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP 
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP 
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP 
Deloitte 
DLA Piper LLP 
Emmet, Marvin and Martin, LLP 
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP 
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP 
Greenberg Traurig, LLP 
JPMorgan Chase & Co. 
King & Spalding LLP 
Kramer Levin 
MetLife 
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 
Morgan Stanley 
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP 
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP 
Reed Smith LLP 
Selendy Gay Elsberg 
Shearman & Sterling LLP 
Sidley Austin LLP 
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP 
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP 
Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, PC 
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP 
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP 
Winston & Strawn LLP 

Supporters 
Blank Rome LLP 
BNP Paribas 
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP 
Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP 
Chubb 
Crowell & Moring LLP 
Dechert LLP 
Faegre Drinker 
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP 
Goodwin 
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP 
Mizuho Americas 
O’Melveny & Myers LLP 
Ropes & Gray LLP 
The Morrison & Foerster Foundation 

Advocates 
Akerman LLP 
Analysis Group, Inc. 
ArentFox Schiff LLP 
Covington & Burling LLP 
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP 
EisnerAmper 
Esquire Deposition Solutions 
Grant Thornton LLP 
Hogan Lovells 
Kobre & Kim LLP 
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP 
Riker Danzig LLP 
Steptoe & Johnson LLP 
Stout Risius Ross, LLC 
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America 
Venable LLP