PRESS RELEASE
City Bar Justice Center Gala to Celebrate Pro Bono
New York, April 11, 2016 – On April 13th, the City Bar Justice Center’s 11th Annual Gala will honor the international law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and global media corporation CBS with the 2016 City Bar Justice Awards, for their leadership and dedication to pro bono and public service.
This year’s gala has raised over $1 million to support the Justice Center’s 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 the largest free civil legal hotline in New York, the Justice Center provides more than $18 million worth of legal assistance each year.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher demonstrates exemplary commitment to serving the poor and vulnerable through its pro bono work in immigration with the Justice Center’s Refugee Assistance Project, and the firm has successfully secured asylum for over 30 people fleeing persecution from all over the world.
CBS Corporation is actively engaged in public service throughout all of its divisions, and the CBS Law Department’s partnership with the Justice Center deploys CBS attorneys to assist low-income veterans with disability benefits claims through the Justice Center’s Veterans Assistance Project and clients in financial distress through the Consumer Bankruptcy Project.
“It is a privilege to honor CBS and Willkie for their commitment to bridging the justice gap for the underserved. Their choice to use their legal resources for the good of the community sets a great example for our profession,” said Debra Raskin, President of the New York City Bar Association, who, along with Jane Sherburne, Chair of the City Bar Fund Board, will present the awards.
The event sponsors this year include leading New York law firms and companies including Barclays; Bloomberg Philanthropies; Davis Polk & Wardwell; Debevoise & Plimpton; Citigroup; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton & Garrison; Pfizer; Sony and past honoree Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, among dozens of others.
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.