City Bar Fund Appoints New Officers and Members for 2025-26

CONTACT
Anthony Johnson 
City Bar Justice Center 
anthonyjohnson@nycbar.org 

New York, June 20, 2025 – The Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc. (“City Bar Fund”), the charitable affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, is pleased to announce its directors and officers for 2025-26. The City Bar Fund engages New York City lawyers across four programs – the City Bar Justice Center, the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, the Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and the Lawyer Assistance Program – to advance social justice and well-being for the public and within the legal profession.

Muhammad U. Faridi, Partner, Linklaters LLP, continues to serve as President of the City Bar Fund. James J. Benjamin, Jr., Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, who has served on the City Bar Fund Board since 2019, will succeed Shaila Rahman Diwan, Partner, King & Spalding, LLP as Board Chair. Ana Alfonso, Partner, O’Melveny & Myers, LLP, will now serve as Board Treasurer, and Kara Coggin, Bloomberg L.P., will continue to serve as Board Secretary.

The following members are newly appointed to the City Bar Fund Board: Hon. Lois Bloom, recently retired Chief Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York; Boaz I. Cohen, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP; Ross L. Hirsch, General Counsel, Gordon Property Group; Archana Iyer, Partner, Fragomen Del Rey Bernsen & Loewy, LLP; Richard Mancino, Senior Counsel, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP; and Jerri E. Shick, Senior Pro Bono Counsel, O’Melveny & Myers, LLP.

The following members were re-elected to second terms on the Board: Pouneh Aravand, Assistant General Counsel, Deloitte; Brittany Bacon, Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth; James J. Benjamin, Jr., Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; Mary Eaton, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP; Alison Morpurgo, General Counsel, JPMorgan Wealth Management; and Anupama Yerramalli, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP.

Bret Parker, Executive Director, New York City Bar Association, and Kurt M. Denk, Executive Director, City Bar Justice Center, will continue to serve as Vice Presidents of the City Bar Fund. Cecilia Sakosky, Chief Financial Officer, New York City Bar Association, will continue to serve as the Fund’s Assistant Treasurer.

About the City Bar Fund  

The City Bar Fund, the 501(c)(3) arm of the New York City Bar Association, is comprised of four programs. The City Bar Justice Center provides access to justice for New Yorkers with limited economic resources by leveraging the pro bono expertise and time of the New York City legal community. The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice provides pro bono legal support to human rights and environmental organizations in Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere in the world. The Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging works with New York City legal employers to foster more diverse and inclusive work environments. The Lawyer Assistance Program is a free, confidential service, available to attorneys, judges, law students and their family members in New York City who are struggling with substance use or mental health issues.