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, at 6:00 p.m.

This year’s awardees are:

Abigail F. Cousins, Counsel at Potomac Law Group

Alison G. Greenberg, Principal at Law Offices of Alison Greenberg LLC

Anthony C. Coles, Partner at Potomac Law Group

Beth G. Schwartz, Volunteer with the NYS Attorney Emeritus Program

Christopher Kochman, Associate at Latham & Watkins

David Wise, Paralegal at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Erin P. Kelly, Pro Bono Director at Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Janine Tramontana, Pro Bono Director at Federal Reserve Bank of New York

John M. Conlon, Partner at Mayer Brown LLP

Julia L. Davis, Director of Youth Justice and Child Welfare at the Children’s Defense Fund

Max Ian Fiest, Associate at Mayer Brown LLP

Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Supreme Court of the State of New York, will deliver a keynote address. Susan Kohlmann, President of the New York City Bar Association, and Carol Villegas, Chair of the City Bar Fund Board, will offer remarks and present the awards.

“Each year, we are proud to celebrate the outstanding generosity and dedication of volunteer attorneys who invigorate the Justice Center’s “built for justice, built for pro bono” motto. Our 2022 awardees demonstrated a remarkable commitment to providing the highest quality pro bono services to our clients and projects, helping to advance justice for New Yorkers facing systemic barriers,” said Kurt M. Denk, Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center.

Cassandra Celestin, Director of Pro Bono Initiatives at the Justice Center, said, “Our award recipients spent hundreds of hours on client matters, taking on challenging assignments and a high volume of pro bono work to help meet the demand for high-quality and free legal services. We are grateful to them for leading with heart and by example. Their service has changed the lives of our clients and their families as well as lifted New York City communities.”

About the City Bar Justice Center

The City Bar Justice Center furthers access to justice by addressing unmet civil legal needs of New Yorkers struggling with poverty and other systemic socioeconomic barriers. The Justice Center’s dozen civil justice projects are led by a staff of dedicated attorneys and support professionals who provide high-quality civil legal services through brief advice and information, referrals, and both limited scope and extended representation that benefit more than 23,000 New Yorkers each year who cannot afford to hire counsel. www.citybarjusticecenter.org