2022 Justice for All Award Winners
Outstanding Pro Bono Volunteer Award Winners
Lauren Hammer Breslow
Lauren Hammer Breslow is a lawyer, philanthropic advisor, and non-profit executive, with a specialty in bioethics and scientific grants programs. She served as Executive Director of The Sohn Conference Foundation, a New York City-based public charity that funds pediatric cancer research. Ms. Breslow also co-founded Philanthropy Advisory Group, a consultancy that helps philanthropists and foundations make strategic grants, especially in medical and scientific research. In her role as a philanthropic advisor, Ms. Breslow has served as a foundation representative on scientific award committees, and she has overseen the distribution of $60M+ in philanthropic funds.
Ms. Breslow is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, where she teaches Bioethics. She also serves on the Internal Review Board at The Rockefeller University as well as Tri-SCI Embryo Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee, which reviews qualifying research at three institutions: Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, and The Rockefeller University. Ms. Breslow provides pro bono services to the housing unit at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in New York and The Promise of Justice Initiative in Louisiana, which provides services to individuals convicted by non-unanimous juries. She is an elected member of the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee, and she volunteers for WJCS’s care program.
Ms. Breslow received her JD from Harvard Law School, MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and BA from Harvard University, all with honors. She clerked for the Honorable Barbara Jones of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association and admitted to practice in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Elissa Hecker
A long-standing New York Super Lawyer, as well as Top Attorney – New York Metro Area’s Outstanding Lawyer, and recognized as among The Best Lawyers in America (Copyright Law) practicing in the entertainment and business fields, I have a wide range of experience in corporate, copyright, and trademark law, with clients encompassing a large spectrum of the business and entertainment world. I am an articulate, persuasive, communicator with polished presentation skills.
My goal as an attorney is to help resolve legal and business affairs issues, enabling my clients to do what it is that they do best, running and growing their businesses/brands, acquiring deals and investors, creating and acquiring commissions, and moving forward. My approach is to listen carefully, advocate, and negotiate on my clients’ behalf and make sure that all of their questions and issues are properly addressed.
In addition to my private practice, I edited the books Entertainment Litigation – Know the Issues and Avoid the Courtroom, In the Arena and Counseling Content Providers in the Digital Age. Since its inception, I have been Chair of the Board of Directors of Dance/NYC. I am also Past Chair of the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law (EASL) Section of the New York State Bar Association, Editor of the EASL Journal, and Co-Chair and founder of the EASL Pro Bono Committee. I am also editor of the EASL Blog. I am a frequent author, lecturer and panelist, a past Trustee of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. (CSUSA), and Associate Editor and member of the Board of Editors for The Journal of the CSUSA.
Law Firm Honorees
Barclay Damon has a proud history of giving back to the communities we serve, with an emphasis on using our skills, time, and ingenuity to narrow the gap between those in need who seek legal assistance and access to justice. Our commitment to pro bono work runs deep and is a critical part of the firm’s core culture.
For the last several years, every one of the law firm’s full-time attorneys has provided pro bono legal services to low-income individuals in the communities we serve. In the last completed year, the firm dedicated more than 2,500 hours of time valued at nearly $750,000 to pro bono efforts, with attorneys actively participating in firm-sponsored family court clinics, litigating civil rights violations, drafting wills for veterans, assisting with clemency applications, and providing online legal aid through initiatives such as the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers program. The firm’s investment in communities across its office platform supported legal matters involving many of today’s critical issues, including immigration, housing, women’s rights, prisoners’ rights, community building, and economic development, among others.
As a firm that has been in existence since 1855, a strong commitment to pro bono service has been a priority for Barclay Damon at every stage of the firm’s development. Now a leading law firm with offices across the Northeastern United States and in Toronto, the firm has more reason than ever to give generously of our time, talent, and passion for pro bono service.
We are honored that our work is frequently recognized by our peers at organizations across the state, and we extend our great thanks to the New York State Bar Association for today’s honors—both for our attorneys and for the many other attorneys at firms throughout the state who dedicate themselves to helping the most needy among us find justice.
Learn more about our award-winning pro bono program at barclaydamon.com/pro-bono.
Paul, Weiss is committed to providing impactful pro bono legal assistance to individuals and organizations in need. Our program is all-encompassing, spanning the core issues facing our society.
Throughout our firm’s history, we have maintained an unwavering commitment to providing pro bono legal assistance to the most vulnerable members of our society and in support of the public interest. This commitment is a part of the firm’s identity, and is embraced by every member of the Paul, Weiss community, from the most senior leaders across all departments to the summer associates who join us each year.
From helping Thurgood Marshall reverse the doctrine of “separate but equal” in Brown v. Board of Education to representing Edith Windsor in challenging the Defense of Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor, our attorneys have achieved landmark victories in civil rights cases that have changed society for the better. Paul, Weiss lawyers participate in all levels of pro bono work, working directly with individual clients, non-profits and small businesses in a wide range of substantive areas, as well as handling appeals and drafting key amicus briefs before the Supreme Court.
Pro bono work has been an important commitment for Phillips Lytle throughout its 185+ history. Across all of our eight offices (six of which are in New York State), our more than 190 attorneys are dedicated to providing legal services to the poor, the disadvantaged and those in need. The legal services the firm provides also benefit organizations and institutions that assist the indigent and contribute to the quality of life in our communities. This work includes civil and criminal matters, and non-litigation legal assistance, ranging from matters that broadly impact communities, to representation of those in need in high-volume court settings, to complex individual case representations. As the firm plans for the future, pro bono services remain one of its core values.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and affiliates strongly encourages its lawyers, summer associates, and professional staff to work on pro bono matters for individuals and groups that are unable to afford legal services. The firm is a charter signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, whereby Skadden pledges that attorneys and summer associates from its domestic offices will dedicate time equivalent to at least 3% of their annual billable hours to work on pro bono matters.
In the first 11 months of 2020, attorneys and summer associates from Skadden’s domestic offices dedicated to pro bono 9.7% of time billed. Firmwide, Skadden attorneys, summer associates, and professional staff recorded 236,927.16 hours of pro bono work from December 1, 2019 through November 30, 2020.
Deeply ingrained in the firm’s culture, pro bono work provides vital help to a wide variety of individuals and organizations in need of legal assistance. Skadden attorneys regularly assist those seeking asylum in the United States and elsewhere in their attempts to escape persecution due to religious or political beliefs or sexual orientation. Attorneys handle many cases for death row inmates; take on numerous matters involving wrongful imprisonment and prosecution, housing disputes, veterans matters, family law and micro-entrepreneurs. Attorneys frequently provide legal assistance to legal services organizations and other nonprofits on a wide variety of issues including corporate governance, intellectual property, real estate, employment and potential and actual mergers.
Bond, Schoeneck & King provides a complete range of legal services to local, regional and national clients. Since our founding in 1897, we have developed a reputation for professional excellence, integrity and success. What began as a boutique law firm consisting of three attorneys has grown to a nationally ranked, full-service law firm of 250 attorneys, 39 paralegals and 155 staff members. From our origin in Syracuse, New York, we have expanded to nine offices across New York State (Albany, Buffalo, Garden City, New York City, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Utica and Westchester), as well as locations in Boston, Kansas City, Red Bank, New Jersey and Naples, Florida. Our experience is both broad and deep, positioning us well to effectively manage the sophisticated legal issues our multitude of clients face each day.
Commitment to our clients. Understanding our clients’ needs and achieving their short and long-term objectives are our first priorities. We are responsive to our clients – as in 24/7. Our experience lets us shine as relentless advocates, or as architects of strategic solutions. We offer alternate fee arrangements and work with our clients for long-term relationships. In short, Bond is successful because our clients are successful.
Commitment to community. We are eager to leave our good marks everywhere we can and are genuinely committed to and well-known in our community, and we are proud of it. Each of our lawyers donates time and talents to not-for-profit boards and other charitable endeavors, and each year we look for opportunities to care for the less fortunate and provide pro bono legal services to those in need. We strive to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards, and to provide leadership in community activities, pro-bono work and service to the Bar.
The attorneys at Bond, Schoeneck & King are committed to providing pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations throughout New York State. Whether it is advising an organization on the legalities surrounding formation of a non-profit agency or helping a tenant remain in their apartment and not become homeless or representing incarcerated individuals, who are bringing federal or state civil rights claims, these services are provided with professionalism and compassion. Bond attorneys devote hundreds of hours each year to pro bono representation. This work is central to Bond’s commitment to the communities in which our attorneys and staff work and live. Additionally, in our communities, Bond attorneys serve on the boards of more than 100 entities, including legal aid societies, Boys and Girls Clubs, and various YMCA and YWCAs.
In late 2015, the Firm was honored by the dedication of the George H. Lowe Center for Justice in Syracuse, New York. Named after Bond attorney and retired United States Magistrate Judge George H. Lowe, the Center for Justice brings Legal Services of Central New York, Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, and the Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY, Inc. together under one roof, improving access to legal representation for the indigent.
As the first law firm to establish a formal pro bono practice more than a half-century ago, Hogan Lovells has been a pioneer in the provision of free legal services to those in need.
Each year, our lawyers devote more than 100,000 hours to pro bono. While facing a global pandemic, Hogan Lovells delivered its strongest pro bono performance yet, focusing on addressing racial inequities through criminal justice reform, housing and economic justice, and voting rights.
Most recently, following the effective collapse of the Afghan government in mid-August, our people quickly mobilized in response to the burgeoning humanitarian crisis. More than 200 volunteers across 14 U.S. offices have assisted hundreds of individuals fleeing the Taliban and seeking immigration relief. Our New York colleagues have been particularly active in representing at-risk Afghans, including female athletes, politicians, and activists; members of ethnic and religious minorities; and U.S. military interpreters and allies.
Hogan Lovells’ pro bono practice draws on the experience of our professionals worldwide to improve the lives of those most in need and least able to pay. Whether by acting on behalf of individual clients, meeting the legal needs of nonprofit organizations, or through policy advocacy and impact litigation, our goal is to tackle injustice on a global scale.
Special Recognition Award
The mission of Copps DiPaola Silverman, PLLC is to provide skilled advocacy and knowledge to our Clients in the cutting edge areas of Family Law, Adoption, Surrogacy, Assisted Reproduction Technology, Estate Planning & Probate and Guardianship. We bring those very same principals to our community through pro bono advocacy for the underserved populations throughout the Capital District of New York. Our attorneys volunteer every month to provide pro bono legal assistance for those in need through Albany County Bar Association’s Family Court Help Center. Our firm provides paralegal support and calendaring services for the Help Center at no charge to the Bar Association to ensure that it continues to operate. Our attorneys provide training for Help Center volunteers, we volunteer, and we donate because we know that in order for programs like this to continue, we must lead by example. In addition to the Help Center, our Attorneys provide countless hours of direct pro bono services to helping survivors of domestic violence secure civil orders of protection, divorce their abusers, obtain custody of their children, and secure child and spousal support, all of which help further the safety and independence of survivors. We care. We are committed to ensuring justice for all.