City Bar Justice Center to Honor BNY Mellon and Mayer Brown with 2023 City Bar Justice Awards for Pro Bono Service

March 16, 2023

The City Bar Justice Center’s 18th Annual Gala, The Power of Pro Bono, will be held on April 4, 2023, from 6:00pm-8:30pm, at the New York City Bar Association. BNY Mellon and Mayer Brown will receive 2023 City Bar Justice Awards for their commitment to promoting racial, social, and economic justice through a range of pro bono legal services and other philanthropic commitments.

The City Bar Justice Center and Covenant House Launch Initiative to Support Migrant Youth in NYC

October 12, 2022

The City Bar Justice Center’s Immigrant Justice Project is pleased to launch its NYC Migrant Youth Initiative, a partnership with Covenant House New York supported by a growing cohort of Justice Center pro bono partners to address the urgent legal needs of the growing number of migrant youth arriving in New York City from the U.S.-Mexico border.

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

City Bar Justice Center to Honor Deloitte and Kramer Levin with 2022 City Bar Justice Awards for Pro Bono Service to Veterans

March 30, 2022

The City Bar Justice Center’s (Justice Center) 17th Annual Gala, “Serving Those Who Serve,” will be held on April 6, 2022 from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the New York City Bar Association. Deloitte and Kramer Levin will receive the 2022 City Bar Justice Awards for their extraordinary pro bono leadership and commitment to public service.

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.

Little Oversight, Deals Signed in the Dark: How Speculators Cash In When NYC Homeowners Die Without Wills

July 26, 2023

Lawmakers, court authorities and city agencies have failed to safeguard the estates of homeowners who die without wills, threatening the transfer of Black and Latino generational wealth. K. Scott Kohanowski, director of the Homeowner Stability Initiative at the City Bar Justice Center, says the predation of homes without wills is “the biggest problem that nobody has heard of.” “It’s something that flies under the radar. It definitely results in a loss of homeownership, especially within communities of color,” he said. “That’s been a huge issue in New York City because there’s been a large flight of Black residents… just because housing is expensive and it’s so difficult to find.”

Mayor Adams Announces Asylum Application Help Center

June 21, 2023

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the Asylum Application Help Center, which will offer thousands of asylum seekers assistance completing and filing asylum applications as they seek a new life in the United States. “This crisis calls for tenacious professionalism to help those striving to make a new home in New York,” said Bret Parker, executive director, New York City Bar Association and Kurt M. Denk, executive director, City Bar Justice Center. “Our organizations and others like ours have seen the difference that pro bono legal services can make in times of emergency, and we’re confident that approach will have an impact here as well.”

How New Yorkers Can Claim Over $17 Billion of Their Lost Money

May 2, 2023

Kayla Freeman, a project coordinator at the legal services organization City Bar Justice Center said she has helped 15 clients locate funds from utilities, old investments and bank dividends just in the past month. However, it’s not always possible to see how much money the state might send you, Freeman warned. “That can be kind of a deterrent sometimes because folks are like, ‘Well, it could be $2 or $10, what does it matter?’” Freeman said. “But it also could be a significant amount that they’re just not aware of.” Freeman works with clients who need help paying down arrears on foreclosed homes, and she has encouraged them to track down unclaimed funds in the hopes of finding an alternate source of income, she said.

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.