Thank you very much for your interest in the COVID-19 Pro Bono Recovery Task Force, formed through a partnership of the New York State Bar Association and the New York State Court System. The COVID-19 Recovery Task Force is coordinating this network and is chaired by former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, currently of counsel at Latham & Watkins.
The mission of the Task Force is to facilitate the delivery of effective, comprehensive and efficient pro bono legal services, in urgent civil and criminal matters, to all New Yorkers in need during and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
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**Working Group rosters and press releases may be found by clicking on the Resources tab on the left navigation menu.**
Meet the Task Force
- Jonathan Lippman (Chair), Former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals and Of Counsel at Latham & Watkins LLP
- Jason Myles Clark, Office of the New York State Attorney General
- Dean Craig M. Boise, Syracuse University School of Law
- Saralyn Cohen, pro bono counsel at Shearman & Sterling
- Mylan L. Denerstein, partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
- Dean Matthew Diller, Fordham Law School
- Vincent E. Doyle, president of Neighborhood Legal Services in Buffalo and past president of NYSBA
- Cynthia F. Feathers, director of quality enhancement for appellate and post-conviction representation at the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services
- Sally Fisher Curran, Executive Director of Volunteer Lawyers Project on Onondaga County, Inc.
- Robert J. Giuffra, Jr., partner at Sullivan & Cromwell
- Rose Gill Hearn, principal at Bloomberg Associates
- Seymour W. James, former attorney-in-chief of the NYC Legal Aid Society, partner at Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco and past president of NYSBA.
- John Kiernan, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton and past president of the New York City Bar Association
- Erin Law, Executive Director & Counsel at Morgan Stanley
- Marcia Levy, executive director at Volunteers of Legal Service
- Alan Levine, partner at Cooley
- Edwina G. Mendelson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives
- John R. Morken, partner and head of the pro bono department at Farrell Fritz
- Lillian M. Moy, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
- Gail Prudenti, Dean of Hofstra Law School and former presiding justice, Appellate Division, Second Department
- James Sandman, president emeritus of the Legal Services Corporation in Washington, D.C.
- Kathryn Wheelock, law clerk to Chief Judge DiFiore
New York State needs the help of attorneys to handle a surge in legal matters resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic fallout. Visit our Pro Bono Network to review current volunteer opportunities.
Committee Roster
WORKING GROUPS
Criminal Justice Working Group:
- Mylan L. Denerstein (Chair), Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Child Guardianship Working Group:
- Edwina G. Mendelson (Chair), Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, Office for Justice Initatives
- John Morken (Co-Chair), Farrell Fritz, P.C.
Domestic Violence Working Group
- Bob Giuffra (Chair), Sullivan & Cromwell
- Hillary Williams, Sullivan & Cromwell
- Jessica Klein, Sullivan & Cromwell
Diversity & Inclusion Working Group
- Lillian Moy (Chair), Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
- Sue Bryant, City University of New York
- Saralyn Cohen, Shearman & Sterling
- Kurt Denk, New York City Bar Justice Center
- Doralyn De Dios, The Dominican Bar Association
- Tanya Douglas, Legal Services NYC
- Ernesto Guerrero, New York State Bar Association
- Rohit Kumar, South Asian Bar Association of New York
- Seymour James, Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP
- Edwina G. Mendelson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, Office for Justice Initatives
- Karen Yau, Asian American Bar Association of New York
Family Law Working Group
- Edwina G. Mendelson (Chair), Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, Office for Justice Initatives
- Sharon Katz (Co-Chair), Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
- Dara Sheinfeld, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Healthcare
- Jason Myles Clark (Chair), New York State Attorney General’s Office
Housing Working Group
- Alan Levine (Chair), Cooley LLP
- Grace Andriette, Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.
- Edward Campanelli, New York Legal Assistance Group
- Anthony Cannataro, New York State Supreme Court Justice and Citywide Administrative Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York
- Craig Doran, New York State Supreme Court Justice and Administrative Judge for 7th District
- Tina Foster, Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County, Inc.
- Ross Gilmore, Sperber, Denenberg and Kahan, PC
- Beth Goldman, New York Legal Assistance Group
- Adriene Holder, The Legal Aid Society
- Seymour James, Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP
- Ken Kanfer, Kanfer & Holtzer, LLP
- Mark Moretti, Phillips Lytle LLP
- Domenick Napoletano, Law Offices of Domenick Napoletano
- Carlos Perez-Hall, Borah Goldstein Altschuler Nahins & Goidel, P.C.
- Jason Polevoy, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
- Philip Rosen, Horing, Welikson, & Rosen, P.C.
- Andrew Scherer, New York Law School
- Sara Wagner, Teamsters Local 237 City Employees Union Legal Services Plan
With assistance provided by Jacqueline Haberfeld of Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Immigration
- Michèle Penzer (Chair), Latham & Watkins LLP
- Shira Bressler, Latham & Watkins LLP
Life Planning Initiative:
- Erin Law (Chair), Morgan Stanley
- Lauren Connell (Co-Chair), Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Long Island Initiative:
- Gail Prudenti (Chair), Hofstra Law School
- John Morken (Co-Chair), Farrell Fritz, P.C.
Non-Profit Working Group
- Rose Gill Hearn (Chair), Bloomberg Associates
- Saralyn Cohen, Shearman & Sterling
Unemployment Insurance Working Group
- John Kiernan (Chair), Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
PRESS RELEASES
- NY State Court System Joins With New York State Bar Association To Launch Pro Bono Network To Respond To Pandemic (https://nysba.org/ny-state-court-system-joins-with-new-york-state-bar-association-to-launch-pro-bono-network-to-respond-to-pandemic/)
- Former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman Leads Partnership to Build a Network of Pro Bono Lawyers in Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak (https://nysba.org/building-a-pro-bono-network-to-serve-new-yorkers-in-their-time-of-need/)
- COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Appointed to Oversee Pro Bono Network (https://nysba.org/covid-19-recovery-task-force-appointed-to-oversee-pro-bono-network/)
- New Pro Bono Initiative will help jobless New Yorkers secure unemployment benefits (https://nysba.org/new-pro-bono-initiative-helps-jobless-new-yorkers-secure-unemployment-benefits/)
- Jack Newton, CEO of Clio, discusses the technology NYSBA uses to match unemployed New Yorkers with pro bono attorneys (https://nysba.org/jack-newton-ceo-of-clio-using-legal-superpowers-to-help-unemployed-new-yorkers-miranda-warnings/)
- NYSBA COVID-19 Pro Bono Network helps more than 250 unemployed New Yorkers within first week of operations. (https://nysba.org/nysbas-pro-bono-network-doing-the-public-good/)
- NYSBA COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Convenes Working Group to Deal with Expected Surge in Landlord-Tenant Disputes due to Coronavirus Pandemic (https://nysba.org/new-york-state-bar-association-convenes-working-group-to-deal-with-expected-surge-in-landlord-tenant-disputes-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic/)
- NYSBA COVID-19 Pro Bono Initiative Provides Pro Bono Attorneys in Small Estate Cases Involving COVID-19 Deaths (https://nysba.org/state-bar-association-provides-pro-bono-attorneys-in-small-estate-cases-involving-covid-19-deaths/)
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