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 →

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 →

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.

City Bar Justice Center Announces Honorees of the 2020 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award

October 12, 2020

New York, October 12, 2020 – 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 2020 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award. Honoring outstanding volunteer attorneys from each CBJC project, the awards will be presented at a virtual celebration on Monday, October 26, from 5:00-6:00pm.

City Bar Urges de Blasio Administration to Prioritize Internet Access for Homeless Shelter Residents

August 25, 2020

New York, August 24, 2020 – The New York City Bar Association is urging the de Blasio Administration to prioritize and provide broadband internet access for homeless shelter residents in the Mayor’s recently announced NYC “Internet Master Plan.”  

While the plan prioritizes NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) facilities to help those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it does not mention homeless shelters.

City Bar Justice Center Receives International Award for its Pro Bono-Focused Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias Program

July 31, 2020

New York, July 29, 2020 – The Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA) has recognized the City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) with its Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Best Public Interest Category for the CBJC’s “Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias: Practice Pointers for Pro Bono Advocacy” training program.

Homeless Need Internet Access to Find a Home: City Bar Justice Center Report Documents Lack of Technology in Homeless Shelters

May 19, 2020

New York, May 19, 2020 – The lack of access to technology – specifically Internet access – in homeless shelters severely hampers shelter residents in finding permanent housing, a report by the City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) finds. Additionally, insufficient Internet access is imposing further hardships on homeless families, as the COVID-19 pandemic has led … Continue reading Homeless Need Internet Access to Find a Home: City Bar Justice Center Report Documents Lack of Technology in Homeless Shelters →

City Bar Justice Center Announces Pro Bono Legal Hotline COVID-19 Expansion

May 12, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis has devastated New York City and disproportionately impacted low-income communities served by the City Bar Justice Center (CBJC). In response, the CBJC has launched the Legal Hotline COVID-19 Expansion, a pro bono initiative in response to the urgent legal needs of underserved New Yorkers.

City Bar Justice Center Launches Pro Bono COVID-19 Small Business Remote Legal Clinic

April 10, 2020

New York, April 9, 2020 – The City Bar Justice Center has launched a pro bono, remote legal clinic to help small businesses understand and access options available under the federal government?s COVID-19 stimulus package and other opportunities available through federal, state and local programs.

City Bar Justice Center to Honor Venable and MetLife with Pro Bono Awards – Event Moved to Sep. 24

April 1, 2020

New York, April 1, 2020 – The City Bar Justice Center’s 15th Annual Gala will honor the law firm Venable LLP and financial services company MetLife, Inc. with the 2020 City Bar Justice Awards for their leadership and dedication to pro bono and public service. Originally scheduled for April 1, 2020, the Gala will take place … Continue reading City Bar Justice Center to Honor Venable and MetLife with Pro Bono Awards – Event Moved to Sep. 24 →

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.”

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

What Happens to Employees When a Company Files for Bankruptcy?

November 16, 2022

City Bar Justice Center explains in a guide that in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the company stops its operations and goes out of business. In turn, employees are laid off, and those who are owed wages and benefits become creditors. The proceedings can take a long time and laid-off employees should immediately apply for temporary benefits, such as unemployment insurance, and seek new employment, according to the City Bar Justice Center.

Serving Those Who’ve Served Us

November 14, 2022

Kirkland’s pro bono department proudly partners with The City Bar Justice Center’s Veterans Assistance Project (VAP), which aims to empower New York City veterans and their families to achieve financial stability. Kirkland attorneys receive training from VAP in order to screen potential clients to attend a monthly legal clinic. With help from Kirkland and other attorneys, VAP has provided legal assistance to more than 1,500 veterans and recovered more than $7.5 million in retroactive benefits in addition to ongoing disability benefits.

The Costs Lurking in Self Storage

October 25, 2022

Lisa Pearlstein, director of the City Bar Justice Center’s Legal Clinic for the Homeless in New York City, tells The Progressive that she had concerns about how the pandemic would affect storage unit renters. Because she works with families experiencing homelessness who receive storage eviction notices, she understands how devastating the prospect of losing their possessions can be.

City Bar Debuts Free Legal Advice For Migrant Youth In NYC

October 14, 2022

The City Bar Justice Center in New York has partnered with housing and homeless youth services nonprofit Covenant House to provide pro bono advice on immigration law to young asylum-seekers arriving in the city from the southern border of the U.S., the City Bar has announced.

Senator Biaggi Joins Community Activists And Legislators To Advocate For Free Internet Access In All Homeless Shelters Across New York

November 30, 2021

According to a 2020 survey of New York City shelter residents by the New York City Bar Justice Center, only 6% of residents in homeless shelters were able to access the internet through their shelter.