PRESS RELEASE
City Bar Justice Center Gala to Celebrate Pro Bono
On April 11, the City Bar Justice Center’s 13th Annual Gala will honor the global biopharmaceutical leader Pfizer Inc. and the international law firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP with the 2018 City Bar Justice Awards, for their leadership and dedication to pro bono and public service.
This year’s gala will support the Justice Center’s work protecting the rights of over 20,000 New Yorkers annually through pro bono legal assistance, community outreach and education, and the largest free civil legal hotline in New York. The Justice Center leverages over $16 million worth of pro bono legal services each year.
Pro Bono Work Without Borders
Pfizer prioritizes giving back to the community through its Colleague Community Engagement programs, which span across the U.S. and around the globe. Corporate projects include partnering with the Justice Center on immigration clinics, advising first responders and military veterans on estate planning documents, conducting “Know Your Rights” trainings for refugees in Brazil, and assisting earthquake survivors in Mexico.
Fragomen attorneys completed more than 13,000 hours of pro bono work in 2017. The firm’s wide-ranging pro bono services include representation of immigrants in asylum matters, domestic violence cases and applications for special immigrant juvenile status, and assisting holders of DACA status to explore other options for regularizing their status. For more than 10 years, Fragomen has sponsored a Fellow at the Justice Center to support pro bono immigration work.
Recognizing Exemplary Leadership in Public Service
“It is a privilege to recognize Pfizer and Fragomen for their commitment to ensuring access to justice for underserved communities,” said Lynn M. Kelly, Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center. “Their actions set a precedent for those in business and in the legal profession to demonstrate our values by placing our time and skills in the service of advancing the public good.”
John S. Kiernan, President of the New York City Bar Association, and Robert F. Cusumano, Chair of the City Bar Fund Board, will present the awards. Maryana Zubok, Senior Corporate Counsel, and Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Chairman, will accept the awards on behalf of Pfizer and Fragomen, respectively.
About the City Bar Justice Center
The City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, increases access to justice by leveraging the resources of the New York City legal community. The Justice Center operates the city’s busiest legal hotline and annually provides direct legal representation, information and advocacy to over 20,000 New Yorkers in areas including immigration, homelessness, veterans assistance, elderlaw, cancer advocacy and micro-entrepreneurship.