Kramer Levin Congratulates the 4th Annual Marvin Frankel Pro Bono Award Winners and Thanks Pro Bono Challenge Participants

Kramer Levin congratulates the winners of its 4^th Annual Marvin Frankel Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Contributions:

Litigation associate Samuel B. Shepson for obtaining asylum for a woman from Honduras who was persecuted for nearly a decade by her domestic partner. Violence against women is endemic in Honduras, and the Honduran government frequently fails to provide adequate protection for women who are subject to gender-based brutality and degradation. Notwithstanding compelling testimony from our client in her first hearing, the government and immigration judge required our client to obtain additional evidence to corroborate her claim. Following extensive outreach and communication with witnesses in Honduras and the production of further documentation to support the client’s application, the government withdrew its opposition and the judge granted asylum. Longtime pro bono partner Human Rights First referred the client to Kramer Levin. Sam was assisted by Anya Cwiecek, head paralegal of the firm’s asylum program.

The Bail Project Team for their work with Brooklyn Defender Services in challenging excessive money bail set in felony cases in Brooklyn criminal court. Attorneys who are part of the Bail Project represent indigent defendants in challenging onerous bail determinations at both the trial and appellate levels and at every stage of the pre-trial criminal process, from first appearance through incarceration. Judges almost always set bail in only two forms – insurance company bail bond or cash – and in an amount that most defendants who are indigent cannot pay. Thus, indigent defendants often end up in pretrial detention, not because they are a flight risk, but because they are poor. The New York bail statute is quite fulsome and give judges a range of options other than insurance bond or cash bail to assure a defendant’s appearance, including, for example, an unsecured appearance bond, which is a type of bond where no cash needs to be posted up front. Judges are often not considering those options and are instead reflexively imposing high cash bail. The Bail Project seeks to change that by selecting cases where the argument for low bail or non-cash bail is strong, and concentrating resources on challenging bail orders and trying to create precedent in those cases in the Kings County Supreme Court and in the Appellate Division. The Kramer Levin team consists of Litigation partner Darren LaVerne, associates Daniel Ketani, Jennifer M. Klein, Alejandro G. Ortega and Reyhan Watson, and paralegal Hannah Shlaferman.

Former Litigation associate, Elliot Smith for securing a victory on behalf of The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA) when the Superior Court of New Jersey granted summary judgment dismissing all claims filed against ORA by David Kestler, who had refused to give his ex-wife a “get.” ORA is a not-for-profit organization devoted to eliminating get-refusal by, among other things, assisting agunot in obtaining a get, a bill of Jewish divorce necessary to terminate a marriage in accordance with Jewish law and without which, according to Jewish law, a wife cannot remarry. Get-refusal occurs when a husband withholds the get after the marriage is over; agunot are the ex-wives from whom the get is withheld. In 2015, plaintiff Jute David Kestler filed suit against ORA, alleging defamation and other claims arising from ORA’s publicity for a peaceful rally protesting Mr. Kestler’s get-refusal. Mr. Kestler also alleged that ORA was liable for defamation and other misconduct because the organization features information concerning his get-refusal on its website. By Order dated March 27, 2017, the Superior Court granted summary judgment in favor of ORA on all claims. Elliot was supervised by Jonathan Wagner.

The firm will donate $5,000 on behalf of Sam to Human Rights First; $5,000 on behalf of the Bail Project Team to Brooklyn Defender Services; and $5,000 on behalf of Elliot to the City Bar Justice Center.

The firm would also like to thank those who rose to meet the firm’s Pro Bono Challenge milestones for 100+, 50+ and 20+ hours of pro bono and community service, including board service.