Proskauer is proud to be sponsoring Equal Justice Works Fellows Katherine McClain Fleming and Anna Catherine Young, who will work at the American Civil Liberties Union starting in September 2026. The fellows’ projects will address two critical and evolving areas of civil rights law: reproductive rights and disability rights.

Regarding reproductive rights, in the years following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, states across the country have enacted abortion bans and restrictions that have significantly reshaped access to reproductive healthcare. According to KFF, a leading health policy organization, as of April 2026, 13 states have banned abortion and 28 states have enforced gestational limits, leaving huge swaths of the country without access to reproductive healthcare. Katherine McClain Fleming, a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, will work with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project to protect and expand access to reproductive rights and healthcare. Katherine’s fellowship work will include supporting impact litigation, developing legal claims under state constitutional frameworks, and contributing to broader advocacy efforts aimed at safeguarding individual autonomy and ensuring equitable access to reproductive healthcare.

In the disability rights space, advocates have raised growing concerns about the use of algorithms and automated systems in healthcare and public benefits programs, where biased or insufficiently tested technologies may disproportionately affect people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. Anna Catherine Young, a recent graduate of Brooklyn Law School, will work with the ACLU Disability Rights Project, focusing on the use of algorithms that may unfairly limit access to services for people with disabilities. Anna’s work will include developing cases, conducting research and outreach, and supporting efforts to ensure that emerging technologies are implemented in ways that protect civil rights and promote equitable access to care.

Equal Justice Works Fellowships are designed to address unmet legal needs by pairing fellows with host organizations and sponsors to develop innovative, community-centered legal projects. These fellowships tackle a wide range of issues such as civil rights and healthcare access.

Proskauer is honored to support Katherine and Anna Catherine as they begin their fellowships.

Posted in Disability Rights, Human Rights, Pro Bono, Voting Rights
Tags: ACLU, disability, Disability Rights, Equal Justice Works Fellow, fellowship, healthcare, Pro Bono, Proskauer, reproductive rights
Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
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.

Read more about William C. Silverman
Show more Show less
Related Posts
Proskauer Honored with Adams Pro Bono Publico Award for Securing Life-Changing SSI Benefits
November 12, 2025
Beneficial Changes to Tax-Advantaged ABLE Accounts for Individuals with Disabilities
October 16, 2025
Proskauer Secures Landmark Remedial Plan Order for Blind and Low-Vision Pedestrians in Chicago
June 26, 2025