Julia Bihary has recently joined Proskauer’s pro bono team in London. She has practiced as a litigator for six years (three of which were spent at Proskauer) prior to this move, specializing in complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters. She is also a solicitor advocate with Higher Rights of Audience, which enables her to appear in the higher courts of England and Wales. In this short interview, Julia explains more about her passion for pro bono and the transition to this new role.

Why did you decide to pursue this role? 

I have always felt very strongly about the importance of public service and have been actively involved in various pro bono and corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects as an associate. I worked on a variety of different pro bono cases, volunteered extensively, and was also heavily involved in the origination and day-to-day management of a number of these projects for our London office. I found the work challenging and meaningful. Pursuing pro bono work full time is aligned with my values and I am so excited to get started and to continue to build and expand Proskauer’s pro bono and CSR offerings in our European offices.

Why is pro bono important? 

I think there are two prongs to answering this question. First, pro bono is inherently important and valuable – through pro bono we as a firm and as individual lawyers are able to provide much needed legal advice to individuals and non-profits in need, who would otherwise not be able to access legal advice due to a lack of funds. Pro bono bridges a significant gap in access to justice. Second, pro bono is also important for the development of our lawyers. Working on pro bono matters creates opportunities for our lawyers to get involved in matters that are both challenging and rewarding and which make a real difference to our clients, while also helping them develop crucial technical legal skills.

What are your main priorities in this new role? 

One of my areas of focus will be to expand engagement in pro bono and CSR projects in our London and Paris offices and to help foster a culture of pro bono and CSR in these offices. I would like our lawyer population to understand the immense value of participating in pro bono and CSR projects and for that participation to become part of “the job” in the same way as fee earning work is.

I would also like to expand the roster of pro bono opportunities available to our people by developing new relationships with non-profits and setting up the relevant systems and training for Proskauer to be able to provide meaningful assistance and a positive experience for our volunteers.

What issues or causes are you most concerned about?  

One issue that has always impacted me deeply is homelessness. Due to the high cost of living and housing crisis (amongst other contributing factors), homelessness has been sharply increasing in the UK. I have seen a visible increase in the homeless population in my local area and through volunteering at the Soup Kitchen (one of our firm’s fantastic CSR partners). In my new role, I look forward to expanding Proskauer’s efforts in this area, whether through pro bono work or CSR projects, so that we can make a positive impact on the lives of people in great need.

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Photo of William C. Silverman William C. Silverman

William C. Silverman is a partner responsible for leading Proskauer’s global pro bono efforts, which provide assistance to individual clients and nonprofit organizations in litigation as well as transactional matters. He focuses on identifying and securing pro bono opportunities and partnerships for Proskauer…

William C. Silverman is a partner responsible for leading Proskauer’s global pro bono efforts, which provide assistance to individual clients and nonprofit organizations in litigation as well as transactional matters. He focuses on identifying and securing pro bono opportunities and partnerships for Proskauer lawyers and ensuring widespread participation in these projects.

Bill has robust private and public sector experience and a strong criminal and civil background. He has worked extensively on government investigations and white collar criminal matters, as well as complex civil litigation in federal and state courts. He also served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he led criminal investigations, conducted trials and handled Second Circuit appeals.

Throughout his career, Bill has dedicated himself to the promotion of equal access to justice through pro bono service, particularly in the area of family court, anti-trafficking, and immigration.

Bill spearheaded a partnership among several law firms, corporations and the New York City Family Court to provide free legal advice to pro se litigants. The New York City Family Court Volunteer Attorney Program now has more than 400 volunteer attorneys from 40 major firms and corporations. Bill also helped build a coalition of organizations in a successful effort to secure additional Family Court judges in New York. He is now part of an effort spearheaded by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to simplify the New York Court System from 11 trial courts to three.

Bill serves as counsel to the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition. In that capacity he has been a strong advocate for changes in the law and public policy to protect victims of human trafficking and bring perpetrators to justice. He also represents individual clients in this area, including a successful federal lawsuit brought on behalf of a trafficking victim against her traffickers. For his work, he was named by domestic violence nonprofit Sanctuary For Families as one of “New York’s New Abolitionists.”

Bill has spoken at numerous conferences and events, including New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman’s Hearings on Civil Legal Services and the American Bar Association’s Equal Justice Conference. In 2014, he attended a meeting at the White House with Vice President Joe Biden and other policymakers on the need for access to legal services in immigration proceedings.

Bill has been recognized for his public service with the Abely Pro Bono Leadership Award from Sanctuary For Families and Columbia Law School (2019); the Special Leadership Award for All-Around Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility & the Law from City & State Reports (2015); the Commitment to Justice Award for Outstanding Partner from inMotion (2008); and the Matthew G. Leonard Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Achievement from MFY Legal Services (2007).

Outside of his work at the firm, Bill serves on various committees and non-profit boards. Bill is currently chairman of the Fund for Modern Courts, a non-partisan citizen organization devoted to improving New York State courts, and is formerly chairman of Legal Information For Families Today (LIFT), an organization devoted to unrepresented litigants in Family Court.