Disability Cases. For the 20th year, Kramer Levin summer associates represented low-income Social Security disability claimants in administrative proceedings before the Social Security Administration (“SSA”), working with CeDAR. Then-summer associates Daniel Brown, Madelyn Dorman, Emily Bussigel, Teddy Hertzberg, and Michael Melin, supervised by Kramer Levin lawyers John Bessonette, Jennifer Diana, Jessica Glass, James Grayer, Dana Post, Jodi Rosensaft, and Robert Wollin represented several claimants in their requests for reconsideration of the denial of their claim for Social Security disability benefits. Each summer associate represented a claimant in a hearing before an administrative law judge, winning benefits in most cases. Associates Robert Wollin and Jennifer Diana also continued work on a matter originated in 2005.

Jeff Trachtman and Jessica Glass have also worked with CeDAR to challenge the SSA’s policy of failing to consider the combined impact of all of a claimant’s impairments in evaluating children’s SSI claims. Kramer Levin helped CeDAR brief the merits of the issue in connection with two different cases pending before Southern District judges and also briefed a class action certification motion in one of the cases. The Second Circuit rejected our appeal in one of these cases in May 2003, in a decision that nevertheless established important principles and expressly invited further litigation. Taking up the Second Circuit’s suggestion, the Kramer Levin team worked with CeDAR to launch a new class action challenging the agency’s ongoing illegal practice. The District Court again denied our challenge, and the matter is now on appeal to the Second Circuit.

Family Law. Kramer Levin’s long-standing relationships with inMotion and New York Legal Assistance Group continued in 2007 as the firm’s lawyers assisted clients with a range of family law needs.

Adina Levine and Eric Tirschwell continue to represent a woman seeking divorce from her husband on grounds of cruelty. In addition to verbal abuse and physical intimidation, the husband has used techniques learned during his law enforcement career to terrorize our client. Adina and Eric have deposed the husband and obtained a temporary child support order, and are continuing to trial to seek full custody of the four children.

Zoe Leibowitz represented a woman in a separation agreement conversion divorce, which is the sole method of “no-fault” divorce under New York’s Domestic Relations Law. Zoe had previously drafted and negotiated the separation agreement for the client.

Alexandra Alberstadt continues to represent a woman seeking a divorce on grounds of cruelty. Our client’s extreme fear of her husband required Kramer Levin to obtain confidential treatment of our client’s address, and Kramer Levin is receiving service of all papers on our client’s behalf.

Alex also represents a woman seeking a divorce from her husband, who is incarcerated for killing their child. Alex successfully defeated the incarcerated father’s petition for equitable distribution and joint custody, represented our client at a telephonic preliminary conference, and is negotiating a settlement of the matrimonial action.

Erin Walter, with the assistance of then-summer associates Sarah Schindler-Williams and Amy Martella, represented a woman in Bronx Family Court, allowing her to retain custody, obtain child support from the long-absent father, and restrict the father’s visitation to supervised visits at the cost of the father and the State.

Amy Weiner and Jennifer Diana, assisted by Tom Moreland, represent a woman in an ongoing harassment case with the father of her son. In addition to successfully opposing visitation by the father (who has been incarcerated since before the child’s birth), in response to threats and harassment, they obtained an order of protection and helped their client obtain secure, protective housing.

Carol Archer, supported by then-summer associate Eileen Patt, helped an indigent client obtain an uncontested divorce from her husband on grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment. Managing Attorney Michael Feuer and Managing Clerk Liliya Suris provided creative assistance in handling service of process issues, and the case was brought and resolved within six months.

Ryan Lozar assisted in obtaining a child support award and collecting child support arrears for an indigent client who was abandoned by her husband after a 30-year marriage. Ryan is also assisting our client in protecting her rights to continued medical insurance coverage and access to information about her husband’s pension rights.

Marc Melzer assisted his former domestic relations client in finalizing her estate planning arrangements. In 2006, Marc obtained a divorce for his client on grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment.

Individual Counseling. During 2007, Kramer Levin attorneys assisted more than a dozen low-income senior citizens referred through the VOLS Elderly Project with estate planning issues, under the supervision of Gordon Stone. Sasha Coffiner, Aaron Frankel, Jonathan Fried, Sara Gleit, Geoffrey Hu, Dana Katz, Marissa Leung, Howard Neuthaler, Jennifer Pastarnack, Brooke Pollak, Rebecca Porath, Mae Rogers, Ashley Roberts, Abe Safdie, Seth Schinfeld, Arielle Warshall Katz, and then-summer associates Emily Bussigel, Ezra Greenberg, Michael Kreiner, and Gariel Nahoum represented several individuals in the preparation of a Will, Health-Care Proxy/Living Will, and Durable Power of Attorney.

Gordon Stone participated in a pro bono life-planning symposium, advising clients of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Melissa Blades assisted a low-income taxpayer referred by the Legal Aid Society in communicating with the IRS regarding a personal income tax matter.

Jessica Glass represented a low-income patient at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, who was referred through the New York City Bar Cancer Advocacy Project, with estate planning issues, including the preparation of a Will, Health-Care Proxy/Living Will, and Durable Power of Attorney.

Adam Price represented several Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (“VLA”) clients on different matters. Adam counseled a small dance company on negotiations with a professional choreographer for the provision of his services for a ballet production. Adam also counseled a record producer in his negotiations with a European musical group with respect to several joint collaborations, and counseled a New York based playwright in his negotiations with an established British television writer/producer in attempting to bring a well-known television series and character to the Broadway stage.

Leslie Nguyen and Matthew Abbott counseled a local musician in contractual matters concerning production of his album.

Paul Connuck, Matthew Abbott, and then-summer associate Jacqueline Grant assisted a Brooklyn-based cultural arts center in drafting a privacy policy for its website.

Marc Melzer and Alex Kaufman counseled a jazz musician and recording artist regarding her royalty rights to a studio album.

Erica Klein, Sasha Coffiner, and then-summer associate Adam Taub counseled a sculptor and performance artist regarding enforcement of copyrights in her work against unauthorized videos of such work posted on the Internet. Erica and Sasha also provided general copyright counseling to, and drafted a contract for, the organizer of a weekly collaborative podcast which featured the unpublished works of composers, instrumentalists, and sound artists.

Abe Safdie, Carole Klinger, Erica Klein, and Heather Chase represented The Real Live Show, a hip hop band, in corporate matters regarding the internal partnership structure of the band and certain trademark and copyright issues, including license agreements.

Natan Hamerman helped a low-income client on SSI disability protect her one asset, a cooperative apartment, when a sublet tenant failed to apply for board approval or to pay rent.

Aid to Microentrepreneurs. The Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union provides loans to low-income individuals starting or acquiring small businesses in Brooklyn who otherwise might not be eligible to receive loans. Kramer Levin provides free legal assistance to those small businesses that request legal help. In 2007, Alyssa Katz and Abe Safdie represented a purchaser of a children’s clothing store in Carroll Gardens and Becky Porath and Abe Safdie represented a purchaser of a pizzeria in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Home: 2007 Pro Bono Report