State Bar Association Announces Jonathan Lippman Pro Bono Award Winners
1.28.2022
Emilia Rodriguez of Scarsdale and Daniel D. Shonn, Jr., of Akron received the Jonathan Lippman Pro Bono Award from the 50+ Lawyers Section Jan. 27 during the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting.
The award recognizes dedicated senior members of the legal profession who have generously provided pro bono service in New York.
“Our profession has a proud and storied tradition of providing pro bono legal services to those who are otherwise unable to afford a lawyer,” said Anthony J. Enea of White Plains, chair of the 50+ Lawyers Section. “We are pleased to recognize two outstanding volunteers who exemplify our motto: do the public good.”
Rodriguez has volunteered with the Pace Women’s Justice Center for 13 years. She has answered helpline calls, counseled survivors of domestic violence seeking orders of protection, custody, and child/spousal support at the Family Court Legal Program; and provided legal consultations in the walk-in clinic.
Shonn volunteers with the Center of Elder Law and Justice, providing limited representation to lower-income people seeking assistance filing documents for probate, administration, and guardianship matters in Erie County Surrogate’s Court. He also volunteers for Surrogate Decision-Making Committees in Central and Western New York, reviewing requests for certain medical procedures or end of life cases for disabled persons who have no family members or guardians who have the authority or willingness to participate in medical decisions.
Honoring attorneys who render extraordinary service to the public and the profession is part of NYSBA’s Annual Meeting tradition. The 145th Annual Meeting has focused on more than 65 different topics. Subjects of discussion included Law and Ethics during the Pandemic: Individual Rights vs. the Common Good; New York State’s Surprise Billing Law Against the Backdrop of the Federal No Surprises Act; New York Energy Leadership: Can NY Become a Hub for the Energy Industry?; and Prosecutors and the Color of Justice: The Role of the Prosecutor in Reforming the Criminal Justice System.
The Presidential Summit on Thursday, Jan. 20, focused on two of the leading social justice and civil rights matters of the day: a reevaluation of the #MeToo Movement, and the intersection of transgender rights and sports. Attorney General Letitia James provided the keynote address.
Other featured speakers were Court of Appeals Judge Anthony Cannataro; Lily Batchelder, assistant secretary for tax policy, Department of the Treasury; and retired Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Stein, director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School.
For more information on NYSBA’s Annual Meeting, click here.
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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