PRESS RELEASE
City Bar Justice Center Gala to Celebrate Pro Bono
New York, March 26, 2014 – On April 9, the City Bar Justice Center’s 9th Annual Gala will honor the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and the global financial services company UBS with the 2014 City Bar Justice Awards, for their leadership and dedication to pro bono service.
The annual gala is a fundraising event vital for the Justice Center to continue its work in protecting the rights of over 20,000 New Yorkers each year who cannot afford legal assistance. Through pro bono legal representation, know-your-rights presentations, clinics targeting specific legal needs, and a free Legal Hotline, the Justice Center provides over $20 million worth of legal assistance each year.
The law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz handles a range of pro bono work in the areas of immigration, intellectual property, not-for-profit, tax, trusts and estates, and real estate. The Justice Center recognizes the positive impact Wachtell Lipton has had on the New York community through leadership of numerous philanthropic and public policy causes and support for nonprofit institutions, in addition to its pro bono contributions. In 2013, the head of Wachtell’s Trusts and Estates Practice founded the pro bono Planning and Estates Law Project (PELP) at the City Bar Justice Center to address the gap in free legal services for low-income New Yorkers facing end-of-life and estate-planning issues.
UBS actively encourages the volunteering activities of its employees. In the New York metropolitan area, UBS attorneys are involved in three key City Bar Justice Center programs: the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund legal clinics, the Immigrant Women & Children Project, and the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project.
“We are pleased to recognize organizations that provide pro bono legal services to the underserved. The value they place on improving the lives of underrepresented individuals and the community as a whole serves as a reminder of the importance of access to justice for all,” said Carey R. Dunne, President of the New York City Bar Association, who, along with Mei Lin Kwan-Gett, Chair of the City Bar Fund Board, will present the awards.
In addition to the honorees, sponsors this year include many of New York’s leading law firms as well as companies including BNY Mellon, Pfizer, EY, MetLife, American Express, Barclays, CBS, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, Thomson Reuters and Time Warner.
For questions regarding sponsorships of the event, please contact the gala office at 212.249.6188 or jennifer@emgbenefits.com, or visit www.citybarjusticecenter.org
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 poor and vulnerable New Yorkers in areas including foreclosure, bankruptcy, elderlaw, homelessness, veterans assistance, cancer advocacy and several immigration projects.