New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report

For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report Lawyers

2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest

New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report

For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers

2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest

New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report

For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers

2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest

New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report

2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest Editor: Anne Mackinnon Design: Curtis & Company Photos: Harvey Wang or nearly 30 years, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) has been implementing a strategy that some might call “partnering for justice.” We partner with the private bar, and through those partnerships we Fengage thousands of volunteer lawyers who provide tens of thousands of hours of pro bono legal work. We part- ner with community groups and neighborhood coalitions, and in the process we multiply our collective capacity to address the problems of underrepresented New Yorkers. We partner with advocacy groups and other legal services providers, and along the way we strengthen the litigation and advocacy we conduct on behalf of our clients. At the heart of our strategy of partnering for justice is our community lawyering approach. We call it community lawyering because it begins and ends with community concerns. Our role is to advocate, educate, organize, and lit- igate in support of community members’ vision for themselves. It is their voices we help to get heard. It is their vision we work to make real. This report defines our community lawyering approach and offers examples of its power. Whether you read about the Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods’ incredible campaign to establish a more equitable distribution of waste transfer stations in , or Parents for Inclusive Education’s innovative efforts on behalf of children with disabilities, or our work with a Brooklyn coalition that succeeded in ensuring that several hospitals provide interpreters and multilingual signage, we think you will be impressed by what has been accomplished. Each accomplishment is compelling, yet there is still much work to be done to make the promise of opportunity for all a reality. As you review this annual report, we hope it will inspire you to rededicate yourself to partnering with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. Together, we can make a difference with and for the communities we serve. Thanks for your support.

John S. Siffert Sharon Y. Bowen Michael A. Rothenberg Board Chair Board Chair 2004–2006 Executive Director

(From left to right) John S. Siffert, Sharon Y. Bowen, and Michael A. Rothenberg 1 Pro Bono Clearinghouse

he Pro Bono Clearinghouse screens and refers requests for to low and moderate income Mitchell-Lama housing in three free legal assistance from hundreds of community-based buildings on Manhattan’s West Side. groups to law firms and corporate legal departments. Last T ■ Solid Waste Management for New York. Davis Polk & year alone, NYLPI placed over 200 projects with volunteer Wardwell’s legal research assisted NYLPI with advancing an lawyers, who tackle complex legal issues and use their expertise economic, environmentally sound, and equitable solid waste to improve the quality of life of underrepresented New Yorkers. A management plan for New York City. list of recent cases is available on our website at www.nylpi.org. ■ Our quarterly newsletter Pro Bono Matters offers best practices The Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund for pro bono programs. (AALDEF). Co-counsels Dewey Ballantine LLP and AALDEF are representing various members of the Chinatown Legal projects referred through the Pro Bono Clearinghouse community in connection with the legality of street closures assist organizations, strengthen communities, and address sys- which adversly impact local businesses. temic problems for low-income New ■ Yorkers. The skills and resources of City University School of Law at Queens College Foundation. our members allow NYLPI to supply Proskauer Rose LLP currently represents the Foundation, a wide variety of legal services, an independent entity that provides support for CUNY law stu- while the variety of representation dents through funding for student activities, scholarships, and needed gives lawyers many avenues other programs, in a contract dispute. for pro bono work. Assistance is pro- ■ Matter of Robert R. Heller Ehrman LLP is advocating for an vided in three areas: appropriate educational setting for an eight-year-old boy diag- ■ Litigation to protect the nosed with a learning disability and ADHD. disadvantaged

■ Transactional assistance to build communities and institutions Creating Partnerships to ■ High-impact collaborations through partnership projects Address Systemic Problems Partnership projects between NYLPI and member law firms Protecting the Disadvantaged — Litigation entail significant commitments of expertise, time, and other resources to strengthen communities and address systemic prob- Protecting disadvantaged New Yorkers through affirmative and lems. A law firm that chooses to participate in a partnership pro- defensive litigation is a primary objective of NYLPI’s work. ject agrees to work in a specific area of law and provide services Member firms have undertaken groundbreaking litigation in to a large number of individual clients. areas such as housing, civil rights and civil liberties, disability Three years ago, Clifford Chance US LLP entered into a part- rights, employment, and environmental justice. Recent examples nership with NYLPI to assist people with physical disabilities. include: The firm agreed to provide direct representation and advocacy on ■ Bronx Arts Ensemble, Inc. (BAE). Chadbourne & Parke housing issues to people needing accommodations, such as LLP successfully represented BAE, a Bronx-based music edu- ramps or automatic doors, to enter and exit buildings. Without cation and performance organization, in a proceeding before a counsel to act on their behalf, these clients are often unable to negotiate effectively for resolution of their legal problems. panel appointed by the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization that restored the group’s domain name The team of Clifford Chance attorneys was trained by NYLPI’s after it had been wrongly appropriated by a cybersquatter. staff attorneys, who also provide ongoing support. The firm’s lawyers have gained considerable pro bono experience, a chance ■ Westgate Amicus Brief. Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler to make a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities, LLP, along with Legal Services for New York City, prepared an and an opportunity to work within a multi-faceted team. amicus brief in support of rent stabilization laws as they apply

NYLPI Senior Staff Attorney Dennis Boyd (left) and Monty Steckler of 2 Clifford Chance US LLP with pro bono housing client Margaret O’Brien

■ Hospital Billing Practices Research. Davis Polk & Wardwell Matching General Counsel Services provided research and advice regarding federal, state, and with Nonprofits in Need local laws governing hospital billing practices for a project on In the past year, the Pro Bono Clearinghouse has helped establish behalf of community groups with members who could not long-term relationships between law firms and organizations afford hospital care. The research provided indispensable needing general counsel services. Here are four examples that guidance to NYLPI clients as they formulated a strategy for a show the value of building strong and lasting connections: community-based organizing campaign about hospital billing Change for Kids, Inc. practices. Change for Kids provides enrichment opportunities in the arts, ■ Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF). sciences, and humanities to children in four of New York City’s Latham & Watkins LLP worked on a housing discrimination most under-resourced public elementary schools. Weil, case on behalf of Latino tenant day-laborers evicted from their Gotshal & Manges LLP provides legal services that have homes within the Town of Brookhaven for housing code viola- helped Change for Kids develop a “best practices” corporate tions. The tenants were shut out of their homes without notice. governance structure, including updated bylaws. ■ Equal Benefits Law. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP assisted River Alliance The Bronx River Alliance is dedicated to promoting and restor- in a legal challenge regarding the pas- ing the Bronx River corridor and greenway as recreational and sage of the “Equal Benefits Law.” The law, which was intro- educational resources for Bronx communities. Winston & duced by the City Council, requires that the City enter into Strawn LLP drew together a team of attorneys from its corpo- contracts only with companies that provide the same benefits rate, employment, and environmental groups, to revise the to employees with domestic partners as they provide to married Alliance’s employment manual and serve the organization’s employees. diverse legal needs. Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) JESNA operates programs and services designed to prepare Building Communities and Institutions — Transactional new generations of Jewish educators and to assist communi- Member firms and corporate law departments offer a broad range ties in improving their practices. Milbank, Tweed, Hadley of transactional assistance to community-based organizations and & McCloy LLP provides JESNA with ongoing legal assis- not-for-profits. Attorneys provide crucial legal services, such as tance with contracts, intellectual property issues, and other corporate, tax, and real estate work; assist with sophisticated needs. financing arrangements; and support community and economic Fortune Society development initiatives. Examples include: Staffed primarily by former prisoners, the Fortune Society is ■ Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). Debevoise & dedicated to educating the public about prisons, criminal justice issues, and the root causes of crime. A team of attorneys at Plimpton LLP assisted CCR, a civil rights organization, in Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP have handled a wide closing on a line of credit. range of issues for the organization, including contract negotia- ■ Haiti Soccer Project. Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP is tions, privacy matters, and real estate transactions. helping the Haiti Soccer Project, a group dedicated to the pro- Jamaica Business Resource Center (JBRC) motion of soccer and other recreational opportunities for chil- JBRC promotes community economic empowerment by dren in Haiti, file for tax-exempt status and incorporation. providing access to financing and procurement opportunities ■ StoryCorps. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP assisted and offering technical assistance to small businesses throughout the New York metropolitan area. Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP StoryCorps, a national project to inspire people to record each has helped JBRC grow into one of New York’s leading nonprofits others' personal stories, in the review of their contract to build by representing it in various negotiations with governmental a Story Booth at the World Trade Center site. and other organizations. ■ Brownfields Manual. Chadbourne & Parke LLP has com- pleted a rewrite and update of NYLPI’s brownfields manual, “Brownfields Basics: A Guide to Rebuilding Our

The general counsel team from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP with staff members from pro bono client Change for Kids, Inc. 5 Communities,” to include new statutory and regulatory devel- opments. The manual provides valuable information for com- Increasing Special Ed Inclusion munity groups on strategies to clean up blighted property. NYLPI works with member law firms to advocate for more appro- ■ Friends of the Birth Center. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton priate educational opportunities for children with disabilities. & Garrison LLP assisted the Center, a group trying to create Recent examples include: an alternative to hospital birth in New York City, to incorporate Christopher O. and obtain tax-exempt status. When Christopher first came to NYLPI, he was in the fourth grade but reading at the second grade level. Although Christopher had ■ Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental received instructional interventions in the past, his parents decid- Development (PICCED). Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP ed to scrape together the money for a tutor. The tutor and assisted PICCED, a group that provides technical assistance Christopher’s school psychologist found that he needed special- and advocacy in neighborhood planning, housing, and commu- ized, individualized instruction. Christopher’s mother visited two nity facilities. The firm provided advice to the group on admin- classes that the New York City Department of Education (DOE) istering funds for acquiring and developing brownfields sites. had recommended as appropriate. She rejected them, believing that her son would not receive the academic attention he needed. ■ The Harlem School of the Arts. Shearman & Sterling LLP She asked to see other options, but in response the DOE closed assisted the group, which works to enrich the lives of its stu- her son’s case. Attorneys from Heller Ehrman LLP agreed to dents through dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, with the help. The attorneys advocated on Christopher’s behalf at multiple closing of a large grant. hearings before finally securing funding for a private school and specialized tutoring to address his educational needs. Christopher is thriving in his school, and his reading and comprehension test Pro Bono Advisory Council scores have improved dramatically. Like many 12-year-olds, he In the fall of 2004, NYLPI brought together a group of associates now enjoys reading Harry Potter books. and counsel dedicated to enhancing the public service commit- Asia D. ment of their profession. That group has flourished, attracting Asia, a young girl with disabilities, was described by her teachers as more than 25 talented attorneys from large law firms throughout sweet and very shy. They believed that she required the support of New York City and holding a series of events on various topics a small special education class to succeed, but the DOE told Asia’s related to pro bono and public interest work. father that no such classes were available. Asia’s father enrolled her in a private school program, where she began to make progress. He One such event was a panel on the subject of nonprofit board ser- sought to obtain public funding for his daughter’s tuition. Attorneys vice. The panel, comprised of associates currently serving on from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP pushed for a nonprofit boards, provided valuable insights into how board ser- date for an impartial hearing to decide Asia’s case. For the 2004-05 vice has helped them fulfill their public service goals and school year, the DOE offered to settle for less than full tuition, but enhance their legal careers. last-minute negotiations yielded an agreement covering the entire At another event, titled “The Pursuit of Public Interest,” the pan- amount. At a subsequent hearing the following year, the DOE elists addressed how associates can develop careers that fulfill agreed to pay Asia’s full tuition for another year. their zeal for public service. The panel was made up of partners Joshua S. at law firms who have taken different paths to serve the public Joshua is a 10-year-old boy with dyslexia and other learning dis- interest, including performing extensive pro bono work and serv- abilities. Despite an average IQ, he struggled with basic reading ing on boards of legal service organizations. and writing skills and was placed in a succession of special edu- cation settings, none sufficient to his needs. Moreover, although A list of Pro Bono Advisory Council members is on page 24. he needed both speech therapy and occupational therapy, he received those services only intermittently. Attorneys from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP represented Joshua and his mother at a hearing and were able to arrange for him to attend a school that provides him with individualized instruction, therapeutic services, and other crucial supports.

Pro bono special education attorney Lenor Marquis of Heller Ehrman LLP (far left) and NYLPI Associate General Counsel Kim Sweet (second from left) with clients Kevin and Christopher Olivera and their mother Deborah Naldi Olivera 6

Community Lawyering

t NYLPI, we believe that every community has power, latent and overt, to achieve a vision for its future. Our “NYLPI has provided legal counsel and Alawyers, organizers, advocates, and other staff work with strategic thinking—invaluable tools that community-based activists and individuals and provide them have helped low-income communities of with the tools and support they need to exercise that power. Our color around New York City win battles “community lawyering” work takes several forms; at its core is the principle that stakeholders should be at the table, and that that mean real improvements in people’s our job is to support their bid for empowerment and opportunity. daily lives. NYLPI plays an essential role NYLPI is implementing the community lawyering model across in the struggle for garbage equity and all program areas. We support community organizing, with an environmental justice.” eye toward coalition building and networking; offer legal assis- tance to community-based campaigns; and provide intake and advocacy services directly to clients. Believing that litigation is —Elena Conte, Sustainable South Bronx, one of many tools for advocacy, we take a holistic approach. For a member group of the Organization of example, we provide assistance in the development of media Waterfront Neighborhoods strategies and policy initiatives; we also represent clients in mediation and negotiation. organizations to define problems, bridge boundaries between The community lawyering approach was first pioneered in communities, build successful campaigns, and foster leadership. NYLPI’s Environmental Justice and Community Development We work with different stakeholders to build alliances and facil- Project, where we work directly with neighborhood residents and itate democratic processes that allow everyone to have a voice and a stake in the effort. Our staff attorneys look to community “NYLPI's ‘community lawyering’ groups for direction in their representation, strategizing, and advocacy. approach has the dual effect of respecting community leadership in local A community’s ability to advocate successfully on its own behalf and in its own voice is another fundamental principle. campaigns, while placing legal and Community lawyering is meant to facilitate and organize the voic- organizing tools at their disposal. The es and ideas of individual community activists into broader col- foundation of this approach is the belief lectives that reflect the values and priorities of the participants. that every community has power, whether NYLPI strives to coordinate and elevate those voices and ideas, neither supplanting nor diluting their power. Once a group hones latent or overt. A community's quest for its community organizing skills, its members are much better empowerment is a quest on how to ‘mine’ able to participate in the civic life of their community as active, and apply that power.” informed participants, with the likelihood of long-term results. NYLPI applied this model in its work with the Organization of —Eddie Bautista, Former Director of Waterfront Neighborhoods (OWN) and Communities United for Community Planning, NYLPI Responsible Energy (CURE), two citywide coalitions of environ- mental justice organizations co-founded by NYLPI to stop the proliferation of waste transfer stations and power plants in low- income communities of color. The key to OWN’s and CURE’s successes lay in convincing communities that their best chance

8 for success lay with working together. Communities that had long thousands of phone calls each year from people with disabilities been victimized by environmental hazards and attacks had to and their families, and we provide a range of information and learn to trust activists in other neighborhoods not to “sell them referral services to callers, including assistance in mediation to out.” On that basis, coalitions could form, united by a newfound parents fighting for special education services for their children. commitment to equity and sustainability. The approach has rede- NYLPI also helped organize and provides substantial support to fined environmental justice organizing in New York City and is a Parents for Inclusive Education (PIE), a group of parents, educa- model for movements nationwide, making neighborhood solidari- ty for low-income communities of color the new maxim. “People who are committed to In recent years, NYLPI’s Access to Health Care program inclusion need to advocate for it. launched several campaigns guided by the principles of commu- nity lawyering. In Brooklyn, NYLPI staff worked with communi- Through its assistance to Parents for ty-based organizations to compel three Brooklyn hospitals to pro- Inclusive Education, NYLPI helps parents, vide vital translation services in the delivery of medical services. educators, and advocacy professionals We also linked activists from Staten Island, Queens, and work through systemic problems and Brooklyn in a collaboration to stop the closure of needed health achieve results, large and small, in care facilities and encourage the development of health care infrastructure in their communities. NYLPI also works with classrooms all over New York City.” coalitions of clergy and community activists from medically underserved neighborhoods in Central Brooklyn and South East —Mellen O'Keefe, Queens to stem disinvestment and support needed hospitals and Parents for Inclusive Education clinics.

“NYLPI helped us get newspaper tors, and advocates who focus on increasing and improving coverage, coordinated a community opportunities for inclusion of children with special needs in the forum where residents got answers from New York City public schools. The advocacy has led to changes such as the implementation of orientation sessions in each of the hospital administrators, submitted a legal system's ten regions for parents of children with special needs brief explaining our views to the bank- entering kindergarten. ruptcy court, and are continuing to testify in Albany. NYLPI has truly worked hard to see that Mary Immaculate Hospital remains in our community.”

—Irving Hicks, South East Queens in Support of Health Services

Involving stakeholders is also at the heart of our work on behalf of people with disabilities. The lawyers and community organiz- ers in NYLPI’s Disability Law Center conduct outreach and pro- vide trainings, develop educational materials, and participate in coalitional activities. Our intake and advocacy staff receives

9 Environmental Justice Photo by Metin Oner

YLPI was instrumental this year in successfully advo- Mayor Bloomberg’s plan adopts OWN’s original proposal to con- cating for a historic solid waste management plan, vert city-owned marine transfer stations, formerly used to barge Nwhich provides for more equitable distribution of solid waste to the Fresh Kills landfill, to compact and containerize waste across the boroughs and neighborhoods of New York City. waste for export to landfills. NYLPI also convinced the NYLPI’s advocacy demonstrates that, by banding together, com- Department of Sanitation to adopt stringent siting and operational munities that have historically borne the burden of environmen- regulations for land-based waste transfer stations, bringing clo- tal hazards can achieve more equitable policies. sure to NYLPI’s long-running litigation over the city’s failure to adopt siting regulations. Because the plan has yet to be fully Advocating for an Equitable Waste Policy implemented, NYLPI continues to provide OWN with legal Over the past decade, NYLPI’s Environmental Justice and analysis, and assist with public testimony, organizing, and the Community Development Project has worked with the development of media strategy. Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods (OWN), a citywide Partnering with Communities to Ensure Safe Schools coalition, to compel the city to adopt a more equitable and sus- tainable waste management plan. NYLPI has provided technical In September 2004, the new Bronx Academy High School opened and legal assistance to OWN, representing its members in litiga- its doors to students in the community of Soundview, where the tion, working to develop the coalition’s platform and strategies, population is approximately 90 percent African American and and providing assistance in regula- Latino. The high school is located on a large brownfields site in tory review processes. NYLPI’s a building that once housed an electronics factory for Loral contribution was recognized by the Electronics Systems, a military defense contractor, before it was Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a abandoned in the 1970s. In 2000, the city stored Anvil, a pesti- Changing World Program in cide used in its campaign against the West Nile virus, in the October 2003. building. Medical waste trucks were also parked on the site until neighborhood residents protested. NYLPI was approached by a In October 2004, Mayor Michael local group called the Concerned Residents Organization (CRO) Bloomberg unveiled a new solid to ensure that the site was carefully tested and cleaned up to a waste management plan for the level safe for a school. next twenty years—a plan that would radically restructure solid waste management by switching from an exclusively truck-based Working with CRO, NYLPI raised questions about possible con- export system to a more equitably sited barge/rail system. The tamination and successfully called attention to the history of pol- proposed system will rely on city-owned and operated marine lutants on the site. Together with CRO, NYLPI pushed the city’s transfer stations throughout the five boroughs and on contracts School Construction Authority and Department of Education to with three to five privately owned barge and/or rail-based trans- address concerns about safety and negotiated an agreement to fer stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Further, the institute a maintenance and monitoring program. The city is also plan envisions expanded recycling of paper, metal, glass and conducting additional testing on contamination levels. plastic at a new private facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with NYLPI’s efforts on behalf of CRO are part of our larger recyclable materials from other boroughs transported by barge. Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative, which provides legal The plan also calls for significant waste reduction over the next advice and transactional assistance to low-income neighborhoods twenty years. and communities of color throughout New York City as they par- The proposed redistribution of waste handling from truck to ticipate in the redevelopment of brownfields sites. NYLPI barge/rail export will finally offer OWN’s communities the envi- achieved a significant victory when, after years of advocacy, a ronmental justice they’ve long sought, through the eventual brownfields law was finally passed by New York State in phase-out of land-based waste transfer stations. The plan projects September 2003. NYLPI monitors the implementation of the law a reduction of three million miles traveled by the diesel-burning and provides technical assistance to community-based organiza- trucks that today rumble through neighborhoods with some of the tions striving to have a say in the future of their neighborhoods. highest asthma rates in the nation.

NYLPI Senior Staff Attorney Veronica Eady (right) with Mary McKinney and Tom Middleton of the Concerned Residents Organization 10

Access to Health Care

YLPI and our partners forged agreements with health developmental disability, was turned away from a practice in care providers and made great strides in the campaign Queens because the physician refused to provide services for a Nto ensure access to health care in languages that scheduled appointment without first seeing a passport, which patients can understand. We also successfully settled a case on neither Murtaza nor his father carried at the time. NYLPI suc- behalf of a Pakistani American patient who was denied care on cessfully negotiated a settlement specifing that the medical prac- the basis of his national origin, and worked with community tice would no longer insist upon the presentation of a passport stakeholders accross New York City, creatively developing new and would accept any form of government-issued photo identifi- approaches to address the loss of critical health care services in cation. Additionally, the doctor’s office agreed to pay $10,000 to medically underserved areas. Mr. Yousaf as compensation for the violation of his civil rights. NYLPI also provides technical assistance to organizations such Ensuring Linguistic Access to Health Care as Bronx Health REACH, a consortium of community and church Despite federal, state, and local laws requiring that non-English groups seeking to eliminate racial disparities in the delivery of speakers receive care in their own languages, recent immigrants health care services. to the United States face a pro- found shortage of doctors and Stemming the Loss of Neighborhood Health Services facilities that provide services in Many health care institutions in New York’s low-income commu- languages other than English. In nities of color have closed in recent years, and scant new September 2004, a partnership resources have been made available to ensure continued access involving NYLPI, Make the Road to care. NYLPI and its community partners have responded by by Walking, and Fort Greene holding community forums, fostering relationships with health Strategic Neighborhood Action care providers, engaging in negotiations, and, when necessary, Partnership signed a landmark bringing claims in state and federal court. agreement with Brooklyn Hospital NYLPI helped to convene the Community Alliance to Retain to ensure language access for people categorized as Limited Equitable Services (CARES), a coalition of community-based English Proficient. Under the terms of the agreement, inter- groups in Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn that fought to preters who speak Spanish will be available at all times, and keep needed health services in their neighborhoods. CARES translations of documents and signs will be available in Spanish, campaigned to stop St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center from Creole, and Polish. Services will also be provided for people who closing hospitals without ensuring the continued availability of are deaf and hearing impaired. The agreement follows similar services. NYLPI also facilitated the creation of the Committee to NYLPI success with Woodhull and Wyckoff Hospitals. Save Our Healthcare, a coalition of clergy, community organiza- Also this year, NYLPI collaborated with the New York tions, and health care advocates in medically underserved Immigration Coalition and other partners in a successful cam- Central Brooklyn. NYLPI worked with neighborhood residents to paign to expand language access services at New York- ensure the survival of critical services during the closure of St. Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. We also filed Joseph’s Hospital in Queens and St. Mary’s Hospital in Central a complaint with the New York State Attorney General against Brooklyn. Medisys, a network of hospitals (including Jamaica, Brookdale, NYLPI continues to provide technical assistance to community and Flushing Hospitals), which led to an agreement to provide efforts to stem disinvestment in crucial health care services. language access at Medisys sites. More broadly, NYLPI provides Most recently, NYLPI helped to organize Southeast Queens in technical assistance on language access to community-based Support of Health Services (SQUISH), a coalition of local groups groups across New York City and was involved in drafting historic and health care consumers striving to improve health services in new state regulations now governing interpretation services at southeast Queens. hospitals throughout the state.

Challenging Race Discrimination In early 2002, only six months after September 11, 22-year-old Murtaza Yousaf, who is of Pakistani national origin and has a

NYLPI General Counsel Marianne Engelman Lado (second from right) 12 with members of the Committee to Save Our Healthcare

Disability Law Center

n keeping with our community lawyering approach, the People with mobility impairments and other disabilities face Disability Law Center (DLC) is staffed by advocates, attor- numerous barriers to accessibility in New York City. Efforts by Ineys, and a community organizer, who work together to pro- NYLPI on their behalf include advocacy outside court and in vide legal and non-legal assistance to clients, communicate with some circumstances litigation on issues such as access to taxis, the media, and conduct policy research and advocacy. The DLC ferries, and subways; access to polling sites; and access to hous- has been at the forefront of litigation to remove barriers to the ing. Recently, we have focused on the implementation of the Help accessibility of goods and services for people with physical America Vote Act (HAVA), which guarantees access to polling impairments, while also working behind the scenes to negotiate sites and voting machines for people with disabilities. After important changes without having to resort to litigation. receiving a number of complaints about the failure of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to provide Removing Barriers to Accessibility sign language interpreters for parents who are deaf and involved NYLPI and co-counsel Ropes & Gray LLP negotiated an agree- in the foster care system, NYLPI and a pro bono attorney from ment on a broad range of measures to ensure accessibility at the Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP began advocating for approximately 250 Duane Reade pharmacies in New York City, changes within ACS. In response, ACS agreed to establish new settling litigation brought on behalf of Disabled in Action and mechanisms to ensure that individuals who are deaf receive sign several individuals. The parties entered into a consent decree— language interpretation or other accommodations to ensure effec- the culmination of five years of negotiation and litigation brought tive communication. under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other accessibili- ty laws. Duane Reade will take a Fighting Institutionalization and Substandard Conditions number of concrete steps to Every day, people with developmental disabilities or mental ill- ensure that its stores are accessi- ness are institutionalized rather than provided with community- ble to people with mobility based services. Whether in locked wards at nursing homes, with impairments, including modifying little if any freedom of movement, living in substandard condi- counter heights and entryways; tions in adult homes, or isolated in their homes due to lack of ser- placing temporary displays of vices, these individuals are cut off from the outside world. The products in a manner that keeps Disability Law Center works to ensure that these individuals are the aisles clear; quickly shelving not arbitrarily institutionalized. merchandise following delivery so as to minimize the time that In 1998, NYLPI threatened to sue the State of New York for fail- aisles are blocked; and training employees on issues of accessi- ing to provide residential services to thousands of people with bility. developmental disabilities, many of whom had been sitting on NYLPI also advocates to ensure access to health care for people waiting lists for decades. The State responded with its NYS with hearing impairments or who are deaf. In Posner v. Parkway CARES program, an ambitious initiative to develop residential Hospital, the DLC and co-counsel White & Case LLP success- opportunities for all people with developmental disabilities who fully settled a suit challenging a Queens hospital’s failure to pro- need them. Since then, NYLPI staff have worked closely with vide a sign language interpreter to a man who is deaf while his state officials to monitor the program and make improvements wife was a patient. As a result, the facility now provides inter- where needed. Thousands of individuals have received residen- pretation services. NYLPI also brought suit in federal court on tial opportunities under the NYS CARES program. behalf of Jane Doe, who was hospitalized for nine days for psy- Other NYLPI projects have helped to improve policies and prac- chiatric treatment at another hospital. Jane Doe and her husband tices regarding the placement of individuals with developmental are deaf; they repeatedly requested, and were denied, sign lan- disabilities in nursing homes, often without having to resort to lit- guage interpretation during her stay. The lack of interpretation igation: severely compromised her psychiatric treatment and denied her ■ husband the opportunity to participate in and understand his New ACS foster care policy. Prompted by NYLPI’s com- wife’s medical care. plaints about the inappropriate placement of foster children in nursing homes, the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) drafted a new policy to restrict placements of foster children in skilled nursing facilities.

14 ■ Help for Bayview residents. Following NYLPI’s advocacy, mental disabilities reside with Rutland’s geriatric population. the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental NYLPI is advocating to ensure that children and adults receive Disabilities is making community placements available to res- appropriate programming and access to fresh air, and that fam- idents of Bayview Skilled Nursing Facility and has actively ily members and residents receive information about commu- reached out to family members to inform them of available ser- nity-based residential options. vices. NYLPI has achieved significant progress through investigation, ■ Options for Coler/Goldwater residents. NYLPI has advocacy, and negotiation, yet litigation remains a crucial tool for worked to ensure that all residents with developmental dis- tackling the most stubborn problems. For example, after years of abilities at the New York City Health and Hospital investigating incidents of abuse and neglect, NYLPI filed a suit, Corporation’s Coler/Goldwater Facility get appropriate evalua- West v. Whitehead, with the intention of encouraging the state to tions and information about services and residential options. develop more accountable systems for supervising residential We also advocate for better policies, such as access to fresh air facilities and handling incidents of abusive behavior by employ- for all residents and services to help the families of residents ees. In that case, NYLPI raised claims regarding an employee in learn about the rights and opportunities available to their rela- a residential facility who beat a resident with a hanger but was tives. NYLPI’s work on behalf of individuals has also been not fired; instead, the resident was moved to another house for effective: for example, we were able to secure placement for safety. three adult residents in an outside day program and helped In two other significant pieces of litigation, NYLPI is challenging another resident return to his own home with round-the-clock the failure of New York State to provide community-based place- support provided by a state agency. ments for people with mental illness. First, in partnership with ■ Appropriate programming at Rutland. NYLPI is working Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP Disability on behalf of residents of Rutland Nursing Home, part of Advocates, Inc. (DAI), and other mental health advocacy organi- Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn. The facility’s zations, NYLPI filed suit in federal court against state officials to pediatric unit houses approximately 20 children with develop- address the unlawful segregation of people with mental illness in mental disabilities, and approximately 15 adults with develop- adult homes. Filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act

Disabled in Action members Ramon Santos and Doris Seligman at a press conference announcing a settlement compelling Duane Reade Inc. to make its stores more accessible 15 (ADA) and other statutes, D.A.I. v. Pataki aims to compel the disorder who had received special education services since early state to give people with mental illness housing options that are childhood. The boy thrived in a collaborative team teaching less segregated from the community. Second, in Edwin T. v. class, but, upon entering the fifth grade, his parents moved from Carpinello, NYLPI and co-counsel Schiff Hardin LLP, DAI, and one school district to another, and the new district placed him in Mental Hygiene Legal Services sued state officials for unlawful- a small, self-contained class. That placement proved unsuccess- ly discharging many hundreds and perhaps thousands of individ- ful and, before they understood what was at stake, his parents uals with mental illness who do not require nursing home care signed an authorization for their son to attend a private school for from state psychiatric hospitals to nursing homes, often in loca- children with severe emotional disorders. The boy became tions out of state and far from their loved ones and support. severely depressed and lost all desire to go to school. As a result Together with Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and the Urban Justice of NYLPI’s advocacy, he was once again provided with the oppor- Center, NYLPI has also been engaged in enforcing the terms of tunity to attend a collaborative team teaching class in a neigh- the settlement in Brad H. v. City of New York, a class action to borhood school. compel the City of New York to provide adequate discharge plan- The education staff also uses an array of strategies to press for ning so inmates with mental illness can continue their treatment systemic reform. For example, NYLPI was handling a growing on release. number of cases involving young children who had been sent by their schools to hospital emergency rooms for psychiatric evalua- Helping Children Learn tion without parental consent. In most instances, hospital staff NYLPI has a long history of advocating for inclusive educational found no psychiatric emergency and sent the children home. opportunities for children with disabilities within the public NYLPI led a coalition of advocates in proposing to the school system. Our educational advocacy includes services to Department of Education a number of initiatives to improve the individual clients, efforts to reform policy, training programs for a educational support available for students with behavioral or wide range of individuals and communities, development and dis- emotional needs. Efforts by NYLPI to draw media attention to tribution of reports and manuals, involvement in coalitions, sup- the problem resulted in coverage by the New York Times, Channel port for student and parent groups, and litigation, when needed. 7, and The Daily News. Each year, NYLPI lawyers and advocates provide direct services NYLPI serves as counsel and provides organizing support to to scores of individual clients on a range of education-related Parents for Inclusive Education (PIE), a group of parents, educa- issues. In one case, NYLPI assisted Athena S., a 15-year-old girl tors and advocates working together to make inclusive education with cerebral palsy, with her request for a scribe or other form of a more viable option for children with disabilities in New York writing assistance to enable her to complete her homework. City's public schools. In November 2004, as a direct result of Athena attends a regular education high school, where she is PIE's advocacy, the New York City Department of Education included in all general education classes and receives high began providing orientation sessions and public school tours in grades. As a result of her disability, Athena uses a wheelchair each of the system's ten regions for parents of children with spe- and has limited use of her hands. During the school day, she cial needs entering kindergarten in 2005. PIE worked collabo- receives the services of a paraprofessional to help with various ratively with DOE officials to refine and perpetuate the program. tasks, such as note taking, yet the Department of Education NYLPI’s unique collaboration with pro bono partners is especial- refused to provide assistance after school. NYLPI helped ly valuable in the educational program, where staff often call upon Athena’s family file for a special education administrative hear- firms associated with NYLPI’s Pro Bono Clearinghouse to take ing and was successful in compelling the DOE to reimburse cases to administrative hearings. Our education team has expand- Athena’s mother for the cost of the note-taking service she had ed its caseload by working closely with pro bono attorneys, train- hired for Athena. Following the hearing, NYLPI followed up to ing them and providing ongoing mentoring. We also collaborate ensure that Athena received the service again during the 2005- with New York Law School through an intensive clinical course in 2006 school year. special education advocacy. After a series of classes taught by In another case, NYLPI advocated on behalf of a 12-year-old boy NYLPI staff on special education law and practice, the students with significant learning disabilities and obsessive compulsive handle real cases, with guidance from NYLPI’s attorneys.

NYLPI Disability Rights Advocate Michelle Kraus with client Marc Sterngass 16

Special Projects

National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights Improving Police Interactions

he National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights (NCRCR) is YLPI has developed a multifaceted approach to help a nationwide coalition of lawyers, academics, students, and improve police interactions with underrepresented Tcommunity activists who have joined together in response Ncommunities, including people with disabilities. Our to recent Supreme Court decisions that have eroded civil rights activities include litigation, support for collaborative approaches, protections. At NYLPI, we see our support for the campaign as and initiatives to provide representation and monitor account- consistent with our commitment to provide information to com- ability systems. munity partners, constituencies, and clients about the status of NYLPI’s work in the area of disability rights has shown that indi- the law and opportunities for shaping the future of their rights. viduals with mental illness face serious, systemic problems when The campaign has held litigation strategy sessions and conduct- interacting with the police. Some of those problems may be ed extensive national, state, and local outreach. It also collabo- rated with the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights to convene two regional meetings, in Louisiana and Ohio, which brought “It is wonderful to work on such an important project that has tangible benefits for victims of police miscon- together a cross section of regional activists and leaders on a wide duct. Through working with clients I have gained a range of social justice issues. The groups discussed how the roll- much greater understanding of the policing issues many back of civil rights in the courts is affecting their efforts and what communities of color and low-income communities face can be done to address the bench’s increasing extremism. in New York City. I have also learned a great deal The campaign convened about how to be an effective advocate, from represent- a Message and Media ing clients at CCRB interviews to addressing policing Retreat at the University issues on a more systematic level. I feel proud to be working on this issue, and am very thankful to COPP for of the District of providing me with this opportunity.” Columbia School of Law to develop strategies for NATIONAL —Bridget Kennedy communicating more Columbia Law School/COPP Intern CAMPAIGN TO effectively about the roll- back of civil rights, and RESTORE has created a range of caused by a lack of suitable police training. NYLPI helped to CIVIL RIGHTS informational materials, facilitate the New York City Policing Roundtable (NYCPR), a including a book, coalition of civil rights and public interest litigators, community Awakening from the Dream: Civil Rights Under Siege and the organizers and advocates, researchers and analysts, and people New Struggle for Equal Justice, published in December 2005 by affected by police misconduct that seeks to foster collaboration Carolina Academic Press. The campaign’s website is a clearing- among its members. NYCPR and NYLPI cofounded the house for information about the rollback of civil rights in the Community Oversight of Policing Project (COPP), which trains courts and includes educational tools and materials, a calendar of students from Columbia Law School and other law schools to rep- events, news articles, links to other websites, and resources. The resent victims of police misconduct before the Civilian Complaint website can be found at http://www.rollbackcampaign.org. Review Board. More information about NYCPR can be found at www.nycpr.org. NYLPI is also representing the mother of Kevin Cerbelli, a young man with schizophrenia who in 1998 entered the 110th Precinct house in Queens, where he was surrounded and fatally shot by police officers. Kevin’s mother has filed suit against the City of New York with the hope of changing police practices and policies that too often lead to tragic results.

NYLPI Senior Staff Attorney Amanda Masters (center) with Columbia Law 18 School volunteers from the Civilian Oversight of Policing Project (COPP)

Financial Statement

May 31, 2006 and 2005

Assets 2006 2005 Sources of Operating Support Current assets: for Fiscal Year 2005–2006 Cash and cash equivalents$ 736,672$ 813,523 Investment 8,862 Government grants receivable 135,450 95,657 Miscellaneous & Contributions receivable 226,000 405,685 Investment Income Attorney fee awards receivable, net of allowance of Attorneys’ Fees 4% 3% $14,328 and $22,222 for 2006 and 2005, respectively 15,952 32,904 Corporations 8% Prepaid expenses 64,431 48,632 Government Total current assets 1,178,505 1,405,263 Individuals 19% Property and equipment: 5% Furniture and fixtures 22,664 22,664 Office equipment 289,388 254,141 Leasehold improvements 345,437 335,443

657,489 612,248 Less accumulated depreciation 437,982 382,263 Property and equipment, net 219,507 229,985

Other assets: Cash and cash equivalents – endowments 328,000 328,000 Contributions receivable, net of current portion 34,000 Attorney fee awards receivable, net of current portion 17,270 18,947 Security deposits 31,976 31,976

Total other assets 377,246 412,923

Total Assets $ 1,775,258$ 2,048,171

Law Firms 37% Foundations 24% Liabilities and Net Assets

Current liabilities: Expenses by Function 2005–2006 Accounts payable and accrued expenses$ 166,473$ 163,026 Obligations under capital leases 3,700 Management Subtenant security deposits 17,719 13,219 and General 7% Deferred income 15,225 4,366 Deferred income – attorney fee awards 86,921 125,000 Other current liabilities 361 1,068 Fundraising 8%

Total current liabilities 286,699 310,379

Long-term liabilities: Deferred income – attorney fee awards 65,757

Total long-term liabilities 65,757

Total liabilities 286,699 376,136

Net assets: Unrestricted 836,559 862,449 Temporarily restricted 324,000 481,586 Permanently restricted 328,000 328,000

Total net assets 1,488,559 1,672,035

Total liabilities and net assets $ 1,775,258$ 2,048,171 Program Services 85%

20 NYLPI Members/2004–2006

Pro Bono Champions Chadbourne & Parke LLP Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Shearman & Sterling LLP

Pro Bono Benefactors Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP Cohen & Gresser LLP Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP Davis Polk & Wardwell Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Heller Ehrman LLP Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Lankler Siffert & Wohl LLP White & Case LLP Latham & Watkins LLP

Pro Bono Leaders Avon Products, Inc. Kaye Scholer LLP Bingham McCutchen LLP Kelley Drye & Warren LLP Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP Linklaters Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Morrison & Foerster LLP Constantine Cannon, P.C. The News Corporation Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP Credit Suisse Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP Deutsche Bank Pfizer Inc. Dewey Ballantine LLP Sidley Austin LLP DLA Piper US LLP Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP Entwistle & Cappucci LLP Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Hogan & Hartson LLP Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Pro Bono Donors

Allen & Overy LLP Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP Arnold & Porter LLP Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P. Clifford Chance US LLP Morgan Stanley Cooley Godward & Kronish LLP Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Goodwin Procter LLP Proskauer Rose LLP Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP Pryor Cashman Sherman & Flynn LLP Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP Ropes & Gray LLP Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP King & Spalding LLP Seward & Kissel LLP Kirkland & Ellis LLP Tor ys LLP Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, LLP Troutman Sanders LLP

Pro Bono Friends

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. Alston & Bird LLP Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Iason, Anello & Bohrer, P.C. Baker & Hostetler LLP Nixon Peabody LLP Bryan Cave LLP Phillips Lytle LLP Colgate-Palmolive Company Seyfarth Shaw LLP Covington & Burling Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz, P.C. Goldfarb & Fleece Zwerling, Schachter & Zwerling, LLP McDermott Will & Emery

Additional Supporters Dechert LLP Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto Greenfield Stein & Senior, LLP Holland & Knight LLP Katsky Korins LLP Orans, Elsen & Lupert LLP Stillman, Friedman & Shechtman, P.C. 21 NYLPI Major Supporters & Patrons/2004–2006

Foundation & Government Support The Ambrose Monell Foundation Mertz Gilmore Foundation The Atlantic Philanthropies The New York Bar Foundation The Baisley Powell Elebash Fund The New York Community Trust Booth Ferris Foundation New York State Commission on Quality of Care The Ford Foundation The New York State Interest on Lawyer Account Fund (IOLA) Fund for the City of New York Open Society Institute Henry and Lucy Moses Fund The Public Interest Law Foundation (Columbia University) Herman Goldman Foundation The Rhodebeck Charitable Trust The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Saul Z. and Amy S. Cohen Foundation Independence Community Foundation The Scherman Foundation The JPMorgan Chase Foundation The Spingold Foundation, Inc. Leadership for a Changing World Taconic Foundation M&T Charitable Foundation Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock

Patrons of the Public Interest

Corporations Individuals

Leaders Champions Leaders Westlaw David M. Brodsky Karen M. Asner Martin Flumenbaum Thomas E. Bezanson Donors Hector Gonzalez David H. Braff FTI Consulting Robert I. Kleinberg Cynthia G. Cobden Navigant Consulting, Inc. Gilbert L. Klemann, II Jan F. Constantine Ogden N. Lewis Joseph M. Drayton Friends Mitchell A. Lowenthal Austin T. Fragomen, Jr. Carlin|Collins Consulting Patricia A. Martone Angela G. Garcia KPMG Forensic David M. Murphy Stuart & Rivian Glickman Bettina B. Plevan Stephen & Eleanor Hammerman Advocates John S. Siffert Conrad K. Harper City National Bank Mindy J. Spector James E. Hough Daylight Forensic & Advisory LLC Kent T. Stauffer Christopher K. Hu DecisionQuest Debra L. Brown Steinberg Kathy H. Rocklen & Debi E. Karlinsky InfoGraphics Trial Support Sharon Katz Kroll Ontrack Benefactors Louanne Kennedy LexisNexis Sharon Y. Bowen Allison M. King Karen B. Dine Daniel J. Kramer Defenders Marc E. Elovtiz Kenneth M. Kramer LegaLink Manhattan Joseph G. Finnerty III Douglas M. Kraus Mellon William V. Fogg Jennifer L. Kroman Sovereign Bank Cliff H. Fonstein Holly K. Kulka Joseph S. Genova William F. Kuntz, II Supporters Robert M. Kaufman Erin J. Law Acro Photo Print David J. Lender Jane Lee Aldan Troy Group – Legal Staffing Robert Lewin Jamie A. Levitt Citigate Sard Verbinnen Loretta E. Lynch Edward F. Maluf Citigroup Private Bank Robert C. Mason Janis M. Meyer Court TV J. Huntley Palmer Elizabeth W. Millard Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP James W. Rayhill Thomas Moore Eco-Stat LLC Sarah L. Reid Alan J. Neuwirth Hudson Reporting & Video, Inc. Christopher P. Reynolds Bernard W. Nussbaum NERA Economic Consulting John P. Schmitt Gerald A. Rosenberg Stofsky & Schiller Legal Search Amy W. Schulman Michael E. Salzman TSG Reporting, Inc. Christopher K. Tahbaz Theodore P. Shen Phoebe A. Wilkinson Arthur M. Siskind Alexander R. Sussman Mary Jo White Linda A. Willett 22 Additional Supporters/2004–2006

Donors Stuart W. Gold Henry A. Freedman Michael A. Ross Nancy E. Barton Barbara Goldman Loren Gesinsky Eleanore Rothenberg Miriam Buhl Matthew & Tita Greene Stephen Gillers Stanley Rothenberg William Carlin The Honorable Alan L. Gropper Howard A. Glickstein Ira Roxland Mark G. Cunha Alice H. Henkin Mark H. Goldberg Robert Safron Evan A. Davis Lisa Herz Jack & Fredrica S. Goodman Peter C. Salerno Beatrices S. & Lloyd Frank Richard A. Inz Norman Goodman Arthur Savage Susan R. Galligan Robert J. Jossen Sarah Gorham Michael Scher Michael A. Rothenberg & Zerline L. Frederick C. Kneip Stephen L. Green H. Richard Schumacher Goodman Bennette Deacy Kramer Daniel Greenberg Lawrence J. Sconzo, Jr. John H. Hall Michele C. Lamberti Anthony M. Harvin Mary Haskins & Harry Shulman John Lewis Alex Lau Nancy Raybin & Kim Hawkins John D. Shyer Carl H. Loewenson, Jr. Jill R. & Martin Lebwohl Vilia B. Hayes Joan Siffert Albert Shemmy Mishaan John D.B. Lewis Andrew L. Herz Abby & Mark Silvan Eric Moser William J. McCabe Richard R. Howe David Sive Ellen R. Nadler Joseph F. McDonald Melissa Gold Jelinek Emily O'Neill Slater David & Bobbi Oliner David E. Nachman Olivier Sultan & Birgitte Jensen Seth & Lisa Slotkin Wayne N. Outten Matthew R. Nicely Susan J. Kohlmann Ann Doyle & Tim Smalls Vincent Pitta Barbara Berger Opotowsky Gary W. Kubek Ira Lee Sorkin Susan E. Quinn Stuart I. Parker Michael Kuh Moshe Steinberg Timothy G. Rogers Joshua Pepper Jim Ladden Thomas F. Swift Marc & Marcelle Rothenberg Susan Rai Alan A. Lascher Mindy Tarlow Sandra L. Sheldon Marion E. Ringel Richard L. Levine & Jill A. LaZare Richard Teiman Scott R. Shepard Richard A. Rothman David G. Lehmann Windsor Thekiso Jonathan & Cornelia Small William & Holly Russell David J. Lender Joseph S. Towbin Laurance T. Sorkin Philippine Schuyt-Dodd Charles Nathan & Alissa Levin Naz Vahid William J. vanden Heuvel Steven Schwartz Jill S. Levy John M. Vassos Joan Vermeulen Brad D. Scott Jordan Lippner Margaret A. Vining Naomi Wolfensohn Elizabeth Serebransky Linda Silberstein & Larry M. Loeb Damore Viola David Yamada Ann Doyle & Tim Smalls Tyson M. Lomazow Allen P. Waxman Joshua A. Sohn Brian G. Lustbader Robert C. Weisz Friends The Honorable Sidney H. Stein Robert MacCrate John Williams John Adams David Stern Lori Marino Benjamin Wolff David B. Anders Marisa Tomei Lenor C. Marquis Menachem O. Zelmanovitz Daniel Ezra & Elizabeth Asher Maria Vullo Andrea Masley Robert Zimmerman William B. Beekman Gaydell Young David C. McGrail Paul B. Bergman Caryn Miller Supporters Adele & Walter Berk Advocates David S. Miller Guy Petrillo & Leanore Barth David Birdsell Abby B. Adams Rick Moranis Sarah Loomis Cave David Blabey, Jr. Martin B. Adelman Ximena Naranjo Terry Eder-Kaufman Merryl & Monte Brown Jonathan Barnett Chayim D. Neubort Anne M. Emerman Elizabeth Butler Edwin M. Baum The Honorable Juanita Bing James Robert Farnsworth Michael A. Cardozo Stephen C. Bell Newton Linda B. Feldman Zachary W. Carter Norwood & Miriam Beveridge Robert Osborne Miriam Gold Mark Cheffo Peter & Elizabeth Elfenbein Blatchford Glenn A. Ousterhout Lori Greendorfer Anne L. Clark Fiona Brett Joanne Page Scott Hendler Merrell E. Clark, Jr. Paulette Caldwell Lynn Perrone Gina M. Higgins Rachel B. Coan Bill & Tria Case Mark Alan Picard Charlotte Ann Hitchcock Joel Cohen Jill H. Chaifetz Hope Plasha Amy D. Hundert Al & Diane Collins Ellen P. Chapnick Bruce Pollack Richard C. Komson Michael A. Cooper Kevin Curnin Violet Pollack G. Oliver Koppell Sheldon P. Rothenberg & Maria P. Matthew D'Amore Bruce Rabb Cynthia Yuan Lee da Costa Jonathan Darnell Anthony M. Radice Ilene D. Miner George A. Davidson Jonathan R. Donnellan Beth A. Rasin Chris & Becky O'Brien Donald L. Deming Norman Dorsen Martin F. Richman Deborah Rand Samuel Goldwitz & Nancy Dreishpoon T.J. Duane Mark D. Risk Dr. Allan M. Rothenberg Melvin Epstein Kael Goodman & Alyssa Epstein Sonia Rivera-Arango Barry Salkin Haliburton Fales, 2nd Kenneth R. Epstein Mordecai Rochlin Michael Scherl Lawrence E. Fenster John D. Feerick Anne Roosevelt Lewis Schwartz Sarah Flanagan Ira Feinberg Sidney S. Rosdeitcher Ronald J. Tabak Jennifer L. Franklin Carolyn Foley Neal H. Rosenberg Melissa Tidwell Alicia & Daniel Glen-Rayner Michael Fox Jeremy S. Rosof Zara Watkins 23 Board of Directors and Pro Bono Advisory Council

John S. Siffert, Esq. Sharon Y. Bowen, Esq. Kathy H. Rocklen, Esq. Lankler Siffert & Wohl LLP Latham & Watkins LLP Proskauer Rose LLP Chair Vice Chair for Board Development Vice Chair for Finance & Investment J. Huntley Palmer, Esq. Robert I. Kleinberg, Esq. Christopher K. Tahbaz, Esq. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Consultant, Financial Services Industry Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Treasurer Vice Chair for Development Vice Chair for Litigation & Program Hector Gonzalez, Esq. Jamie A. Levitt, Esq. Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP Morrison & Foerster LLP Secretary Vice Chair for Membership

Karen M. Asner, Esq. Sharon Katz, Esq. Sarah L. Reid, Esq. Directors Emeritus White & Case LLP Davis Polk & Wardwell Kelley Drye & Warren LLP Thomas E. Bezanson, Esq. Carmine D. Boccuzzi, Jr., Esq. Alison M. King, Esq. Michael E. Salzman, Esq. Chadbourne & Parke LLP Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Kaye Scholer LLP Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP David M. Brodsky, Esq. Hamilton LLP Gilbert L. Klemann, II, Esq. John P. Schmitt, Esq. Latham & Watkins LLP David H. Braff, Esq. Avon Products, Inc. Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP Adrian W. DeWind, Esq. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Holly K. Kulka, Esq. Richard F. Schwed, Esq. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, Jan F. Constantine, Esq. Heller Ehrman LLP Shearman & Sterling LLP & Garrison LLP Constantine Cannon, P.C. William F. Kuntz, II, Esq. Kent T. Stauffer, Esq. Stuart W. Gold, Esq. Karen B. Dine, Esq. Baker & Hostetler LLP American International Group, Inc. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Jo Backer Laird, Esq. Alexander R. Sussman, Esq. Conrad K. Harper, Esq. Shelley J. Dropkin, Esq. Christie’s Inc. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Citigroup Inc. Jane Lee, Esq. & Jacobson LLP Robert M. Kaufman, Esq. Marc E. Elovitz, Esq. Pfizer Inc. Phoebe A. Wilkinson, Esq. Proskauer Rose LLP Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP David J. Lender, Esq. Chadbourne & Parke LLP Daniel L. Kurtz, Esq. Joseph G. Finnerty III, Esq. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Linda A. Willett, Esq. Holland & Knight LLP DLA Piper US LLP Robert Lewin, Esq. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Ogden N. Lewis, Esq. Martin Flumenbaum, Esq. Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Davis Polk & Wardwell Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton Loretta E. Lynch, Esq. Directors Ex-Officio Mitchell A. Lowenthal, Esq. & Garrison LLP Hogan & Hartson LLP Barry M. Kamins, Esq. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & William V. Fogg, Esq. Edward F. Maluf, Esq. New York City Bar Hamilton LLP Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Bingham McCutchen LLP Barbara Berger Opotowsky, Esq. Patricia A. Martone, Esq. Cliff H. Fonstein, Esq. Robert C. Mason, Esq. New York City Bar Ropes & Gray LLP Sidley Austin LLP Arnold & Porter LLP Joseph F. McDonald, Esq. Angela G. Garcia, Esq. Alan J. Neuwirth, Esq. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Joseph T. McLaughlin, Esq. & Flom LLP James W. Rayhill, Esq. Heller Ehrman LLP Christopher K. Hu, Esq. Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP Joan Vermeulen, Esq. Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P. Vance Center for International Justice Initiatives Pro Bono Advisory Council

The Pro Bono Advisory Council is a group of public spirited associates and counsel dedicated to supporting and enhancing the public service commitment of their peers.

Aarthi K. Belani, Esq. Gail C. Gove, Esq. Lenor C. Marquis, Esq. Sandra L. Sheldon, Esq. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Hogan & Hartson LLP Heller Ehrman LLP Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP David Blabey, Jr., Esq. Matthew D. Ingber, Esq. Susan E. Quinn, Esq. Dewey Ballantine LLP Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP Morrison & Foerster LLP Olga Fuentes Skinner, Esq. Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Kim F. Bridges, Esq. Michael J. Kuh, Esq. Christine Raglan, Esq. Friedman LLP Hogan & Hartson LLP Latham & Watkins LLP Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Emily O’Neill Slater, Esq. James C. Clark, Esq. Michele C. Lamberti, Esq. Marion E. Ringel, Esq. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Joshua A. Sohn, Esq. Joseph M. Drayton, Esq. Erin J. Law, Esq. Jarett H. Schultz, Esq. DLA Piper US LLP Kaye Scholer LLP Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Shearman & Sterling LLP Margaret A. Vining, Esq. Lisa L. George, Esq. Sarah D. Leber, Esq. Philippine Schuyt-Dodd, Esq. Davis Polk & Wardwell Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Baker & Hostetler LLP Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP & Flom LLP Nancy E. Lynch, Esq. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP 24 NYLPI Staff

Michael Rothenberg Genevieve Gazòn Isabel Ochoa Executive Director Executive Assistant to the General Counsel Director of Development Marianne Engelman Lado John Gresham Kevin Olson General Counsel Senior Litigation Counsel Staff Attorney Chris Johnson David Palmer Nisha Agarwal Community Organizer Equal Justice Works Fellow/ Skadden Fellow/Staff Attorney Stephen Kang Staff Attorney Cristòbal Joshua Alex Program Associate Lourdes Rivera-Putz Campaign Coordinator, National Campaign to Advocacy Specialist Restore Civil Rights Gavin Kearney Staff Attorney Jessica Rosero Jaclyn Okin Barney Disability Rights Advocate Staff Attorney Michelle Kraus Disability Rights Advocate/Intake and Daryl Samuel Meaghan Baron Advocacy Coordinator Office Administrator Program Associate Jin Hee Lee Tanya Silas Rebecca Bauer Staff Attorney Development Associate Technology Manager/Web Producer, National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights Barbara Malament Kim Sweet Executive Assistant to the Executive Director Associate General Counsel/ Marnie Berk Coordinator, Education Program Director of Pro Bono Programs Amanda Masters Senior Staff Attorney/Coordinator, Access to Aprill Turner Paola Martinez Boone Health Care Program Media Coordinator, National Campaign to Community Organizer Suhali Mendez Restore Civil Rights Dennis Boyd Legal Assistant Pauline Yoo Senior Staff Attorney/ Senior Staff Attorney/Training Coordinator Coordinator, Access & Opportunity Program Roberta Mueller Senior Staff Attorney/Coordinator, Ajamu Brown Deinstitutionalization Program Community Organizer Robin Naismith Veronica Eady Assistant Director of Development Senior Staff Attorney/Coordinator, Environmental Justice & Community Development Project

25 New York Lawyers For The Public Interest

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