Press

For all press inquiries, please contact Cheryl Lopez.

New York Bar Foundation Awards Grant to Justice Center
May 9, 2016

The New York Bar Foundation recently presented a grant of $5,200 to the City Bar Justice Center. The grant will be used to support the Housing Security Initiative of their LGBT Advocacy Project, which will educate and assist LGBT seniors experiencing housing instability through community presentations, legal advice, and “know your rights” materials.

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City Bar Justice Center Gala to Celebrate Pro Bono
April 11, 2016

On April 13th, the City Bar Justice Center’s 11th Annual Gala will honor the international law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and global media corporation CBS with the 2016 City Bar Justice Awards, for their leadership and dedication to pro bono and public service.

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Jane C. Sherburne to Chair City Bar Fund; New Board Members Announced
June 25, 2015

Jane C. Sherburne, principal of the legal consulting firm Sherburne PLLC, has been elected Chair of the City Bar Fund of the New York City Bar Association. The Fund encompasses the City Bar Justice Center, the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, the Lawyer Assistance Program, and other activities. Sherburne succeeds Mei Lin Kwan-Gett as Chair of the City Bar Fund.

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U.S. Eastern District Court and City Bar Justice Center Launch Innovative Pro Se Legal Clinic
June 22, 2015

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York and the City Bar Justice Center have collaborated to launch the Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (FedPro), a pilot project to provide information, advice, and limited-scope legal assistance to people proceeding pro se in a variety of federal civil cases in the Eastern District of New York.

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City Bar Justice Center Presents 2014 Jeremy G. Epstein Awards for Pro Bono Service
September 17, 2014

The City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, has announced the winners of the sixth annual Jeremy G. Epstein Awards for Outstanding Pro Bono Service. Honoring the most outstanding volunteer attorney in each of the Justice Center projects, the awards will be presented at a Celebration of Service reception on October 20th, as part of National Pro Bono Week.

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City Bar Justice Center Launches LGBT Advocacy Project
May 28, 2014

The City Bar Justice Center has launched the LGBT Advocacy Project to provide direct civil legal services to low-income LGBT New Yorkers. Seed money for the initiative has been provided by the Tiger Baron Foundation.

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City Bar Justice Center Gala to Celebrate Pro Bono
March 26, 2014

On April 9, the City Bar Justice Center’s 9th Annual Gala will honor the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and the global financial services company UBS with the 2014 City Bar Justice Awards, for their leadership and dedication to pro bono service.

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City Bar Justice Center Announces New Chair and Board
July 1, 2013

Mei Lin Kwan-Gett, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, has been elected Chair of the City Bar Fund, which oversees the City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association.

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New Estate Advisory Panel Provides Needed Resource for Low-Income Callers to Legal Hotline
April 2, 2013

The City Bar Justice Center has established an Estate Pro Bono Advisory Panel for low-income callers to its Legal Hotline, and will soon establish a regularly scheduled clinic to advise low-income people on personal planning, end of life, and estate matters.

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Human Trafficking in the U.S.: Concrete Solutions for Better Data Collection
March 6, 2013

Better data collection on human trafficking, particularly on labor trafficking, would help service providers allocate limited resources and help prevent trafficking in the future, according to a white paper by the Immigrant Women & Children project (IWC) of the City Bar Justice Center.

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There’s No Eviction Moratorium on NYC Storage Units. Now the Contents of Hundreds are Being Auctioned Off
October 26, 2020

“Lisa Pearlstein, director of the City Bar Justice Center’s Legal Clinic for the Homeless, was so concerned about auctions among people who had lost their jobs during the crisis that she asked a law firm, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, to examine the possibility of a moratorium on auctions.

‘They’re unemployed, they can’t pay their storage bills so easily,’ Pearlstein said. ‘They pay their rent, they buy their food first. And then, you know, boom, they’re hit with a storage auction notice, and they don’t have the funds to pay the bill and they lose their possessions.'”

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New York City Bar Justice Center Announces 10 Recipients of 2020 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award
October 15, 2020

“The City Bar Justice Center has announced its 10 recipients of this year’s Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award, in which the legal services group recognizes and celebrates the ‘outstanding’ volunteer attorneys who have contributed to its core pro-bono lawyering projects.”

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Homeless Students Deserve More From NYC’s Education Department
September 21, 2020

“While the DOE’s decision to supply homeless students with iPads is certainly a step in the right direction, the New York City Bar Association through City Bar Justice Center reported earlier this year that most city shelters not only lack Wi-Fi, but also have spotty cell service — making it difficult for residents to use hotspots or the unlimited data the city-issued iPads come with.”

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NYC Commercial Eviction Moratorium Extended Until October 20th
September 20, 2020

“The non-profit clinic to which the city directs business owners on their website for “COVID-19-related legal assistance,” the City Bar Justice Center—which doesn’t receive funding from the city—is being inundated with requests, according to Akira Arroyo, who directs the program.”

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These Families Feel Forgotten as N.Y.C. Pushes to Open Schools
September 14, 2020

“Most city shelters do not have Wi-Fi, according to a recent report by the New York City Bar Association, and many shelter units do not even have cell service, making it impossible for families to use hotspots.”

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Universal Music Group Launches Youth Task Force in Honor of Civil Rights Pioneer John Lewis
August 25, 2020

“UMG is also paying tribute to Lewis’ lifelong fight for economic justice, criminal justice reform and fair housing with a second initiative. TFMC announced concurrently that it’s contributing to the following organizations: Give Directly (national); Modest Needs (national); City Bar Justice Center (New York); Housing Crisis Center (Dallas); Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles; Project Home (Philadelphia); Safe Haven Family Shelter (Nashville); SEARCH Homeless Houston; Star C Eviction Relief (Atlanta) and United Community Housing Coalition (Detroit).”

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25,000-member NYC Bar Urges City to Guarantee WiFi in Homeless Shelters
August 24, 2020

“An organization representing 25,000 New York City attorneys has joined a chorus of advocates urging the city to guarantee WiFi inside homeless shelters and bridge a digital divide exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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Advocates for NY veterans seek help, answers amid pandemic
August 14, 2020

“’We have spoken with too many veterans who have lost their jobs or have had to drop out of school, too many veterans concerned about whether they will have housing next month or who have suddenly been tasked with serving as caretakers for their elderly and ailing family members,’ Logan Campbell, project coordinator of the City Bar Justice Center’s Veterans Assistant Project, which helps low-income disabled veterans in New York City, said in written testimony.”

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Small businesses can again seek help with commercial leases through city program
August 11, 2020

“The City Bar Justice Center is running a legal clinic that offers pro-bono consultations to small-business owners impacted by the pandemic’s effects …”

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Over One Third Of NYC Restaurants And Bars Surveyed Couldn’t Pay Last Month’s Rent
August 3, 2020

“Keitt said the agency has assisted 200 small businesses understand legal requirements under leases and connected more than 150 businesses to City Bar Justice Center for legal assistance on commercial leasing, insurance, contracts, and other issues.”

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