Press

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Statement of City Bar Justice Center Executive Director Kurt M. Denk Opposing Governor’s Proposed “IOLA Sweep” in NYS Executive Budget That Would Put Civil Legal Aid Further at Risk
February 6, 2024

New York, February 6, 2024 – A recent proposal by New York Governor Kathy Hochul to divert $100 million in IOLA funds to the State General Fund risks an essential support for civil legal aid for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, and should be withdrawn.  As recently reported by the New York Legal Services Coalition, even … Continue reading Statement of City Bar Justice Center Executive Director Kurt M. Denk Opposing Governor’s Proposed “IOLA Sweep” in NYS Executive Budget That Would Put Civil Legal Aid Further at Risk

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City Bar Justice Center to Honor Freshfields and UBS with 2024 City Bar Justice Awards for Pro Bono Service and Community Impact
January 25, 2024

New York, January 25, 2024 – The City Bar Justice Center’s 19th Annual Gala, Pro Bono for Our World, will honor Freshfields and UBS – two leading global firms with growing business footprints and community impact in New York City – on April 3, 2024, at the New York City Bar Association. Freshfields and UBS will receive 2024 City Bar Justice Awards for … Continue reading City Bar Justice Center to Honor Freshfields and UBS with 2024 City Bar Justice Awards for Pro Bono Service and Community Impact

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City Bar Justice Center Announces Honorees of its 2023 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards
October 10, 2023

New York, October 10, 2023 – The City Bar Justice Center, a pro bono legal services affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2023 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards. Honoring volunteer attorneys who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to justice, the awards will be bestowed at … Continue reading City Bar Justice Center Announces Honorees of its 2023 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards

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City Bar Justice Center to Honor BNY Mellon and Mayer Brown with 2023 City Bar Justice Awards for Pro Bono Service
March 16, 2023

The City Bar Justice Center’s 18th Annual Gala, The Power of Pro Bono, will be held on April 4, 2023, from 6:00pm-8:30pm, at the New York City Bar Association. BNY Mellon and Mayer Brown will receive 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.

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The City Bar Justice Center and Covenant House Launch Initiative to Support Migrant Youth in NYC
October 12, 2022

The City Bar Justice Center’s Immigrant Justice Project is pleased to launch its NYC Migrant Youth Initiative, a partnership with Covenant House New York supported by a growing cohort of Justice Center pro bono partners to address the urgent legal needs of the growing number of migrant youth arriving in New York City from the U.S.-Mexico border.

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City Bar Justice Center Announces Honorees of its 2022 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards

New York, October 12, 2022 – The City Bar Justice Center (Justice Center), a pro bono legal services affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award. Bestowed on exceptional volunteer attorneys across the Justice Center’s civil justice projects, the awards will be presented at an in-person celebration on Tuesday, October 25, 2022

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City Bar Justice Center to Honor Deloitte and Kramer Levin with 2022 City Bar Justice Awards for Pro Bono Service to Veterans
March 30, 2022

The City Bar Justice Center’s (Justice Center) 17th Annual Gala, “Serving Those Who Serve,” will be held on April 6, 2022 from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the New York City Bar Association. Deloitte and Kramer Levin will receive the 2022 City Bar Justice Awards for their extraordinary pro bono leadership and commitment to public service.

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City Bar Justice Center Announces Honorees of Its 2021 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards
October 11, 2021

New York, October 11, 2021 – The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC), a pro bono legal services affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, has announced the winners of its 2021 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award. Honoring dedicated volunteer attorneys across CBJC’s civil justice projects, the awards will be presented at a hybrid celebration … Continue reading City Bar Justice Center Announces Honorees of Its 2021 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards

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City Bar Justice Center to Honor Kirkland & Ellis and Morgan Stanley with 2021 City Bar Justice Awards for COVID-19 Pro Bono Response
May 17, 2021

New York, May 17, 2021 – The City Bar Justice Center’s (CBJC) 16th Annual Gala, “Make Justice a Movement,” will be held virtually on May 25, 2021, from 6:00-6:30 p.m. honoring Kirkland & Ellis and Morgan Stanley with the 2021 City Bar Justice Awards for their leadership and proven dedication to public service, especially in … Continue reading City Bar Justice Center to Honor Kirkland & Ellis and Morgan Stanley with 2021 City Bar Justice Awards for COVID-19 Pro Bono Response

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Kurt M. Denk to Lead City Bar Justice Center
February 1, 2021

New York, February 1, 2021 – Kurt M. Denk will become the new Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center, effective March 1, 2021, the New York City Bar Association announced today.

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City Bar challenges proposed $100 million IOLA Fund Diversion
February 14, 2024

Kurt Denk, executive director of the City Bar Justice Center, pointed out the human impact of the proposed IOLA sweep, which threatens to dismantle established services essential to New Yorkers lacking legal representation. “The risk of the governor’s proposed ‘IOLA Sweep’ for IOLA-funded organizations like the City Bar Justice Center and 80 other IOLA grantees across New York State is a deeply human one because it risks unsettling longstanding services that provide those essentials of life to our neighbors who cannot afford legal help,” said Denk.

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BigLaw Slams Hochul Plan To Divert Client Trust Interest Cash
February 12, 2024

A long list of BigLaw attorneys, firm leaders and legal groups have urged New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to reconsider her plan to divert $100 million in interest earned on lawyer trust accounts that typically goes toward legal aid for low-income New Yorkers, calling the move “misguided” and cautioning that it could create “an existential threat” to civil legal services. A slew of social service agencies, veterans groups, healthcare providers, concerned citizens and legal organizations — including Access to Justice Brooklyn, Community Service Society of New York and the City Bar Justice Center — also signed onto a separate letter criticizing the plan.

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Little Oversight, Deals Signed in the Dark: How Speculators Cash In When NYC Homeowners Die Without Wills
July 26, 2023

Lawmakers, court authorities and city agencies have failed to safeguard the estates of homeowners who die without wills, threatening the transfer of Black and Latino generational wealth. K. Scott Kohanowski, director of the Homeowner Stability Initiative at the City Bar Justice Center, says the predation of homes without wills is “the biggest problem that nobody has heard of.” “It’s something that flies under the radar. It definitely results in a loss of homeownership, especially within communities of color,” he said. “That’s been a huge issue in New York City because there’s been a large flight of Black residents… just because housing is expensive and it’s so difficult to find.”

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Mayor Adams Announces Asylum Application Help Center
June 21, 2023

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the Asylum Application Help Center, which will offer thousands of asylum seekers assistance completing and filing asylum applications as they seek a new life in the United States. “This crisis calls for tenacious professionalism to help those striving to make a new home in New York,” said Bret Parker, executive director, New York City Bar Association and Kurt M. Denk, executive director, City Bar Justice Center. “Our organizations and others like ours have seen the difference that pro bono legal services can make in times of emergency, and we’re confident that approach will have an impact here as well.”

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How New Yorkers Can Claim Over $17 Billion of Their Lost Money
May 2, 2023

Kayla Freeman, a project coordinator at the legal services organization City Bar Justice Center said she has helped 15 clients locate funds from utilities, old investments and bank dividends just in the past month. However, it’s not always possible to see how much money the state might send you, Freeman warned. “That can be kind of a deterrent sometimes because folks are like, ‘Well, it could be $2 or $10, what does it matter?’” Freeman said. “But it also could be a significant amount that they’re just not aware of.” Freeman works with clients who need help paying down arrears on foreclosed homes, and she has encouraged them to track down unclaimed funds in the hopes of finding an alternate source of income, she said.

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Backed by State AG Letitia James, Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Combat Deed Theft
April 28, 2023

K. Scott Kohanowski, director of the Homeowner Stability Project at the City Bar Justice Center, indicated the legislation could stave off the “terrible disruption and loss” from deed thefts. “Even when we identify the crime and the perpetrators, it can be incredibly difficult to right the wrong and return the victims to their homes and prior lives,” he said. “This slate of proposals by the Attorney General is an important and necessary step to helping these homeowners.”

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A House Divided: How a Band of Speculators Seized Deeds of Black-Owned Brooklyn Brownstones
April 18, 2023

K. Scott Kohanowski, director of the Homeowner Stability Initiative of the City Bar Justice Center, an affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, has worked with dozens of attorneys and residents facing partition cases over the last several years. He called the practice “predatory in nature.” “It’s forcing people out of homes they’ve lived in their entire lives,” Kohanowski said. “It’s sucking the wealth out of these communities, wealth that has been accumulated over generations, and especially in Black communities, because so many African-American families hold their family wealth in homes.”

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Through Pro Bono Program, New York Fed Legal Group Volunteers Bring Services to Those in Need

The Legal Group has connected New York Fed staff with pro bono opportunities through the City Bar Justice Center (CBJC), a nonprofit affiliate of the New York City Bar Association that delivers high-quality, free legal services to New Yorkers in need. In 2022, Legal Group volunteers provided pro bono services to 178 CBJC clients.

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Mayer Brown, BNY Mellon Honored For Pro Bono Work
April 6, 2023

The New York City Bar Association‘s City Bar Justice Center is awarding BNY Mellon and Mayer Brown LLP the 2023 City Bar Justice Award on Tuesday for promoting justice through their pro bono and philanthropic work. The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and Mayer Brown have long worked with the City Bar Justice Center. City Bar Fund Chair Carol Villegas will present the award to BNY Mellon general counsel Kevin McCarthy and Mayer Brown New York office Managing Partner Matthew Ingber during the center’s annual gala.

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Attorney General James Announces Arrests in New York City Deed Theft Ring
December 13, 2022

“Deed theft is a shocking and highly lucrative criminal scheme that preys on some of New York’s most vulnerable communities,” said K. Scott Kohanowski, Director of Homeowner Stability Project, City Bar Justice Center. “It can have a devastating effect on New Yorkers resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars, often of inter-generational family wealth in a way that worsens the racial wealth gap. We applaud the Attorney General’s efforts to hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable and put their like-minded copycats on notice.”

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