Proskauer For Good

The Proskauer corporate social responsibility and pro bono blog

The Proskauer corporate social responsibility and pro bono blog

Category Archives: Pro Bono

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Proskauer Files Amicus Brief in Support of a “Practical and Commonsense” Application of the Attorney-Client Privilege

By Richard M. Corn on Posted in Pro Bono
Proskauer recently submitted an amicus brief on behalf of The Buckeye Institute, an independent research and educational institution, in connection with the U.S. Supreme Court case of In Re Grand Jury. On appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, this case represents the first time the Court has examined the scope … Continue Reading

Proskauer Assists Unrepresented Litigants in Orleans Parish

By E. Sydney Cone and Sara Gothard on Posted in Family Law, Pro Bono
The Pro Bono Project is a New Orleans-based non-profit providing free civil legal services to underserved members of six South Louisiana parishes. Managed by The Pro Bono Project and staffed with volunteers — including attorneys, paralegals, and law students — the Self-Help Resource Centers (SHRCs) provide assistance to pro se plaintiffs with various family law-related matters. Unrepresented litigants who visit … Continue Reading

Proskauer Hosts Prelaw Students from Stillman College

By William C. Silverman and Wendy Dessy on Posted in Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Pro Bono
Our story begins in or about 1875 when both Proskauer and Stillman College were founded. Fast forward almost 150 years when, this past summer, Stillman Professor Gordon Govens reached out to Proskauer. There have been graduates of Stillman, a small historically black college in Alabama, who have gone on to become lawyers but not until … Continue Reading

Election Protection 2022: Proskauer Spearheads Ohio Call Center

By William C. Silverman on Posted in Pro Bono, Voting Rights
For the 8th election cycle in a row, Proskauer hosted an Election Protection call center on November 7th and 8th in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which spearheads a national, nonpartisan effort that provides comprehensive information and assistance to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to vote. This … Continue Reading

Discharge Upgrades Bring Much-Needed Closure to Nation’s Veterans

By Shawn S. Ledingham Jr. on Posted in Pro Bono, Veterans
When a veteran is discharged from the armed forces, they begin the transition to civilian life.  However, the type of discharge received can have far-reaching consequences for veterans as the stigma of an “Other Than Honorable” discharge follows veterans throughout their lives and limits the federal benefits they can receive.  Proskauer is actively involved in … Continue Reading

Proskauer Files Amicus Brief in Support of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals’ Right to Vote

By Massimo B. Capizzi on Posted in Pro Bono, Voting Rights
            Proskauer recently represented the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College in submitting an amicus brief before the Supreme Court of North Carolina in a major voting rights lawsuit. The case, Community Success Initiative v. Moore, involves a challenge to N.C. Gen. Stat. §13-1, a felony supervision law that denies the franchise … Continue Reading

Bloomberg and Proskauer Sponsor Equal Justice Works Fellow at the ACLU Voting Rights Project

By William C. Silverman on Posted in Pro Bono, Voting Rights
Bloomberg and Proskauer are sponsoring Equal Justice Works Fellow Casey Smith, who will work at the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project. Casey, a recent graduate of Yale Law School, will contribute to the defense of individuals unjustly prosecuted for voting. Casey also will help to develop impact litigation that challenges statutes imposing harsh penalties … Continue Reading

Proskauer Advises NGO Funding Recycling Projects in Brazil

By Antonio N. Piccirillo on Posted in Environmental Sustainability, Pro Bono
For the past five months, Proskauer has acted as pro bono counsel to Instituto Recicleiros (Recicleiros), a Brazilian non-profit, in obtaining a grant from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW). AEPW is an industry-founded non-profit dedicated to funding projects to reduce, and ultimately end, plastic waste. Brazil has long struggled to properly manage solid … Continue Reading

Pro Bono as Ikigai: Finding Your Purpose through Public Service

By Erin Meyer on Posted in Pro Bono
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month and Well-Being Week in Law, Proskauer’s Senior Manager of Wellness, Tracey Saliski, brought Brianne Gallo and me together for a discussion about finding purpose in life and work through participation in public service at Proskauer. It was a privilege to present on this topic with Brianne, who is … Continue Reading

Proskauer Files Suit for Immigrant Mother and Daughter Harmed by Family Separation Policy

By Timothy E. Burroughs on Posted in Immigration, Pro Bono, Social Justice
Proskauer, with co-counsel Public Counsel and Squire Patton Boggs, has filed a complaint in Arizona Federal Court on behalf of a mother and daughter from Guatemala who were forcibly separated after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border under the Trump Administration’s family separation policy. The lawsuit comes after negotiations with the Biden Administration over a potential nationwide … Continue Reading

Proving the Good Moral Character of VAWA Self-Petitioners with Convictions Connected to their Status as Domestic Violence Survivors

By Erin Meyer on Posted in Immigration, LGBT Civil Rights, Pro Bono
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) allows immigrant survivors of domestic violence to self-petition for legal status in the United States without relying on their abusive U.S. citizen spouses to sponsor their adjustment of status (i.e., “green card”) applications. VAWA self-petitioners must prove that they are persons of “good moral character” to obtain approval of … Continue Reading

Lawsuit Challenges New York’s Host Homes Program for Putting Children at Risk

By William C. Silverman on Posted in Family Law, Pro Bono
Last week, Proskauer filed an Article 78 petition on behalf of The Legal Aid Society, Lawyers For Children, and the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo — three organizations that represent children in foster care proceedings — against the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) over its regulations establishing a Host Homes … Continue Reading

Ukraine Refugee Crisis: An Interview with a Ukrainian-American Pro Bono Client

By Erin Meyer on Posted in Immigration, Pro Bono
More than 10 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Yet we are still awaiting the designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status to take effect upon the publication of a forthcoming Federal Register, and relevant U.S. agencies have not yet produced the logistical and operational plans necessary to … Continue Reading

Class Action Lawsuit Seeking Relief for D.C. Tenants Facing Egregious and Unlawful Living Conditions

By Amy Gordon and Shannon D. McGowan on Posted in Pro Bono, Racial Justice
Earlier this week, Proskauer and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of tenants of the Meridian Heights apartment building (“Meridian Heights” or the “Property”), against the owner and associated property managers for their failure to maintain the Property in habitable condition.  Meridian Heights is home to a mostly Spanish-speaking community … Continue Reading

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against New York State for Failure to Provide Legally Required Mental Health Services to Medicaid-Eligible Children

By Shiva Pedram on Posted in Disability Rights, Healthcare, Pro Bono
Proskauer, in conjunction with attorneys from Children’s Rights, Disability Rights New York, and the National Health Law Program, have filed a class action lawsuit against New York officials in response to the mental health crisis arising from New York’s failure to provide, in sufficient quantity, frequency, and duration, home and community-based mental health services that … Continue Reading

Proskauer Secures Class Certification for Visually Impaired Chicagoans

By Nigel F. Telman and Edward Young on Posted in Disability Rights, Pro Bono
Earlier this month, Proskauer – along with co-counsel Disability Rights Advocates (“DRA”), a nationwide nonprofit disability rights legal center – obtained class certification in an important litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, brought on behalf of pedestrians with visual disabilities in the metropolitan Chicago area. Proskauer and DRA filed … Continue Reading

Report Detailing Impact of COVID-19 on the New York City Family Court Urges Reform

By William C. Silverman on Posted in Court Reform, Family Law, Pro Bono
Over the past several months, I have had the honor of co-chairing a joint New York City Bar Association/Fund for Modern Courts work group, which just issued its report on the impact of COVID-19 on the New York City Family Court. Given its large caseload, the fact that about 80% of the litigants are unrepresented, … Continue Reading

Proskauer Honors Public Service at the 14th Annual Golden Gavel Awards

By William C. Silverman, Wendy Dessy and Peter Wilson Jr. on Posted in Corporate Social Responsibility, Diversity and Inclusion, Pro Bono
Last week, the Proskauer community came together for the 14th Annual Golden Gavel Awards ceremony, a firm-wide virtual celebration to honor those lawyers and staff members who went far above and beyond to contribute to the Firm’s pro bono, corporate social responsibility, and diversity & inclusion initiatives this year. Congratulations and thanks to the following … Continue Reading

Spotlight on Equal Justice Works Fellow Rita Gilles

By William C. Silverman on Posted in Disability Rights, Healthcare, Pro Bono
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rita Gilles, an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Bloomberg and Proskauer, has observed firsthand the heroic dedication and sacrifice of frontline workers, especially the health care staff at Mount Sinai Health System who are now dealing with another challenging winter. For those in or near poverty the pandemic has been … Continue Reading

Asylum Victory for Gay HIV+ Immigrant from Uzbekistan

By Gail Port, Yena Hong and Erin Meyer on Posted in Immigration, LGBT Civil Rights, Pro Bono
Nearly six years after our pro bono client first filed his asylum application, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finally granted him asylum in the United States. Our client is a gay man living with HIV who fled Uzbekistan because he had suffered anti-gay violence and feared he would be harmed again due to … Continue Reading

Charting a Path Forward with Valerie Jarrett

By William C. Silverman on Posted in Pro Bono, Racial Justice, Social Justice
Chief among the characteristics of highly successful people are a fierce work ethic and the ability to make success look easy. A good example is Valerie Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer of the Barack Obama Foundation, who spoke at Proskauer virtually last week as part of the firm’s A Path Forward lecture series and Collaborate for Change program. The presentation … Continue Reading

Demanding More for Our Disabled Veterans

By William G. Fassuliotis on Posted in Disability Rights, Pro Bono, Veterans
The New York City Bar Justice Center’s Veterans Assistance Project recently presented William Fassuliotis with their 2021 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award. In this post, Will explains how difficult the disability claims process has become for veterans. A recent statement by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it is hiring 2,000 new … Continue Reading
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