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

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 on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 6:00 p.m.

This year’s awardees are:

Barbara A. Keller, Senior Partner at the Keller Legal Group

Brenton Clarke, Associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Chase Henry Mechanick, Associate at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Garry Canepa, Summer Associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Jean L. Chou, Principal at JLC & Associates

Lina Stillman, Principal at Stillman Legal P.C.

Rachel I. Winters, Summer Associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Richard Mancino, Senior Counsel at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Romane Paul, Associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Victor M. Metsch, Of Counsel at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP

William Fassuliotis, Associate at Proskauer Rose LLP

Hon. Llinét Rosado, Justice of the New York Supreme Court – Bronx County, will deliver this year’s keynote address. Sheila S. Boston, President of the New York City Bar Association, and Carol Villegas, Chair of the City Bar Fund Board, will offer introductory remarks and present the awards.

“We are extremely proud of this year’s recipients of our Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award. Our volunteers have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to providing life-changing legal assistance to our clients as they continue navigating the effects of the pandemic – a crisis that has taken a serious toll on those already experiencing socioeconomic and systemic barriers,” said Kurt M. Denk, Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center.

Cassandra Celestin, Director of Pro Bono Initiatives at the City Bar Justice Center, added, “Having worked in public interest law for all of my career, I was truly inspired to see attorneys across different legal practice areas, each with a unique skillset, come together to further access to justice for New Yorkers unable to afford quality legal services. Our 2021 nominees proved to be dedicated champions of justice through visionary pro bono leadership, legal advocacy, client-centered services, and their willingness to expand the scope of their practices to best serve our clients.”

About the City Bar Justice Center

The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) increases access to justice by leveraging the resources of the New York City legal community. CBJC operates New York’s largest civil legal hotline and annually provides direct legal representation, information and advocacy benefiting over 24,000 New Yorkers experiencing poverty or other systemic barriers in areas including cancer advocacy, consumer debt relief, elder law, housing and homelessness, immigration,  micro-entrepreneurship, pro se support, trusts and estates, and veterans assistance. www.citybarjusticecenter.org