NYC Family Court Volunteer Attorney Program with JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The New York City Family Court Volunteer Attorney Program provides brief legal consultations to unrepresented litigants who come to Family Court on matters involving child support, paternity, custody, visitation and orders of protection. Since the program was launched in November 2006, it has already helped more than thirteen thousand families. Each Kramer Levin-JP Morgan team commits to spending at least one half-day session per year at either the Brooklyn or Manhattan Family Courts. The attorneys who have participated have described it as a rewarding and worthwhile experience and have received valuable guidance from the Court’s staff attorney.
Safe Passage Project with Morgan Stanley
In response to the wave of unaccompanied children fleeing from Central America to the United States, new court procedures have been established to accelerate deportation hearings for this population. Under these new procedures, children and their families could face potential deportation in a matter of months, without the vital assistance of a lawyer.
Kramer Levin teamed up with Morgan Stanley to provide pro bono assistance to help children obtain Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), an immigration classification available to certain undocumented immigrants under the age of 21 who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents. SIJS is a way for immigrant children to apply for and obtain legal permanent residence. Over 30 Kramer Levin attorneys attended the training session and have signed up to take on cases in teams of 3 and 4. Each case is projected to be about 40-50 hours.
Clemency Petition Project
Kramer Levin has signed up to volunteer with the Clemency Project 2014, a working group led by a coalition of criminal justice advocates. The Obama Administration has recently announced a sweeping clemency initiative aimed at addressing the large number of federal inmates who are serving unjust and disproportionately long sentences.
The purpose is to reduce the overall prison population as well as to ameliorate disparities in charging and sentencing that the government no longer endorses.
Kramer Levin attorneys will work in teams of 2 or 3 to identify eligible inmates based on numerous factors outlined by the Justice Department and, if determined eligible, prepare their expedited clemency petitions.
PRO BONO HIGHLIGHTS
Kramer Levin Doubles Child Support Award for Working Mother
Associate Emily Tabak, with supervision from Partner Eric Tirschwell, successfully represented her client in family court and doubled her client’s temporary child support award. This award will have a significant impact on Ms. Tabak’s client, a full-time mother, nursing student, and nursing home attendant, and on her family’s life. The case posed a problem of proof, as Ms. Diallo’s former partner is a taxi driver who claimed nearly $70,000 in annual business expenses on his tax returns, and whose income is largely cash-based and difficult to ascertain. The discovery process, court transcripts calling into question Ms. Diallo’s former partner’s credibility, and argument before the court all enabled the magistrate to impute cash tips at the same percentage as recorded credit
card tips, as well as taxi rental income received in cash from another driver, to maximize the support award. Ms. Tabak also represented her client in settlement negotiations resulting in a one-year Order of Protection, and a final Order awarding her client full custody of the parties’ two small children.
Kramer Levin Achieves Successful Settlement in §1983 Action
Associates Jade Burns and Philip Ellenbogen, with supervision from Partner Eric Tirschwell, successfully settled a §1983 action on behalf of a former high school student against the
City of New York and two School Safety Agents. The student was referred to the firm by the New York Civil Liberties Union. The student (then, 17 years-old) was arrested at his high
school in the Bronx in 2011, and spent over 30 hours in custody without ever seeing a judge or being charged with a crime. Kramer Levin filed a complaint on the student’s behalf in the Southern District of New York, seeking damages, and alleging that the student had been unlawfully arrested in violation of his constitutional rights and in violation of New York State law. After several months of discovery, the defendants agreed to settle the matter for $45,000.
Kramer Levin Land Use Department Secures Zoning Map Change for Non-Profit Organization
In May 2014, Hour Children, a Queens-based non-profit organization, held a grand opening of its Hour Children III residence, containing 18 independent family apartments and supportive services for formerly incarcerated women and their children. After release, Hour Children offers job training, counseling, mentoring, day care, and housing for 70 families. The Hour Children III
residence is constructed on the site of a former convent in a mixed-use neighborhood in Long Island City. The block had been zoned for manufacturing uses for over 50 years; new housing was not permitted. The Kramer Levin Land Use Department provided pro bono land use counsel and led Hour Children’s successful effort in 2011 to obtain the zoning change that allowed the construction of new housing on the site. The Kramer Levin team comprised Paul Selver, Marcie Kesner and Karen Mintzer.
Kramer Levin Files Brief Urging Supreme Court to Decide Marriage Equality Cases and Halt Harm to Same-Sex Couples and Their Families
Kramer Levin filed an amicus curiae brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to grant review in one or more of the marriage equality cases that were pending before it, affirm the freedom to marry
for all couples, and end the severe harm caused by marriage discrimination to same-sex couples and their families. The brief was filed on behalf of Freedom to Marry, a national leader in the campaign to win marriage equality, and several organizations focused on advocating for and empowering same-sex individuals, couples, and their families: Family Equality Council, PFLAG, COLAGE, and Equality Federation. The Kramer Levin brief was written by partner Jeffrey S. Trachtman, associates Anna Schoenfelder and Michelle Ben-David, with assistance from partner Norman C. Simon and associates Jason M. Moff and Kurt M. Denk. Kramer Levin has a long history of involvement in pro bono LGBT rights litigation, including serving as co-counsel with Lambda Legal in Hernandez v. Robles, the case seeking equal marriage rights under the New York Constitution.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Kramer Levin is Recognized as Top Benefactor of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc.
Kramer Levin was recognized at the Ailey Spirit Gala on June 11, 2014 for its continued support of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. Kramer Levin is among the top ten benefactors of the dance company because of the significant pro bono legal assistance that it provides to the Foundation. Kramer Levin’s Land Use attorneys, Elise Wagner, Marcie Kesner, and Jeff Mulligan, are working with Ailey on a plan to provide additional studio space, classrooms and offices that are needed for its educational programs. The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation is a modern dance company founded by choreographer, dancer, and activist, Alvin Ailey. In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world,” one that celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.
Jason Moff Named to The National LGBT Bar Association’s “Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 – Class of 2014”
Litigation associate Jason Moff was named to The National LGBT Bar Association’s “Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 – Class of 2014.” Each year, the LGBT Bar recognizes 40 LGBT legal professionals (practicing lawyers, law professors, corporate counsel, members of the judiciary, politicians, etc.) under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and have demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBT equality. Mr. Moff has represented numerous clients to advance the rights of LGBT individuals. His clients have included amici religious groups in support of plaintiff same-sex couples in the U.S. Supreme Court cases Windsor and Perry; hundreds of amici faith leaders and groups who support civil marriage equality in a growing number of federal circuits; a Mississippi teen denied her right to take her girlfriend to the prom; same-sex couples in various New York lawsuits seeking recognition of their out-of-state marriages prior to the passage of that state’s marriage-equality statute; a high school student in a First Amendment challenge to her school’s requirement that all females wear drapes in their yearbook photos; and the National Association of Social Workers as amicus in a child custody case involving a separated same-sex couple.
Jennifer Batterton, Laura Milano and Benjamin Wolf Named Among Top 30 Pro Bono Attorneys of 2014
Legal Services NYC recognized associates Jennifer Batterton, Laura Milano and Ben Wolf as Top 30 Pro Bono Attorneys for 2014 at the Legal Services NYC Pro Bono Volunteer Reception on October 23, 2014. Jennifer, Laura and Ben were also named to the 2014 Honor Roll, as were Jason M. Moff, Kurt M. Denk and Nolan Robinson. Kramer Levin was named a Pro Bono Leader, one of only 15 firms. Honorees were recognized for their contributions and extraordinary service on behalf Legal Services NYC’s clients in the past year. Jennifer, Laura and Ben served earlier this year as externs at the Housing Unit of Legal Services NYC’s downtown Brooklyn office, taking on a full caseload of low-income tenants against whom their landlords have initiated eviction proceedings in Housing Court. Jason, Kurt and Nolan were recognized for their preparation of a comprehensive guide for LS-NYC lawyers and other practitioners who are litigating antidiscrimination claims on behalf of low-income clients.
The Legal Aid Society Honors Kramer Levin, Jennifer Danzo and Rebecca Talbott with the 2014 Pro Bono Publico Award
Kramer Levin and associates Jennifer Raiola Danzo and Rebecca Talbott were among the honorees at The Legal Aid Society’s 2014 Pro Bono Publico Awards, presented on October 8,
2014 by the Honorable Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge of the State of New York. Each year, the Pro Bono Publico Awards are given in recognition of the law firms, corporate law departments and individuals in New York City that have made a sustained commitment to serving the needs of low-income individuals. Rebecca Talbott was recognized for her service as an extern with The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Division in Manhattan, where she represented low-income clients facing misdemeanor charges in criminal court. Jennifer Raiola Danzo was recognized for her advice on immigration law matters and also for securing employment visas for Legal Aid attorneys so they could continue to help those in need.
Kramer Levin's Jeffrey S. Trachtman Receives the NYC Bar Association Award for Service to the LGBT Community
Jeffrey S. Trachtman was presented with the Arthur S. Leonard Award for distinguished service on behalf of the LGBT Community at the City Bar Association’s annual reception celebrating LGBT Pride Month on June 24. The Award, named for the distinguished law professor and scholar of LGBT rights, is given annually to two members of the bar selected by the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights. Trachtman was honored for nearly 20 years of pro bono work for LGBT rights, most notably including serving as co-counsel with Lambda Legal Defense in Hernandez v. Robles, the historic 2006 case seeking equal marriage rights under the New York constitution, and a series of cases establishing recognition under New York law for the valid out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples. Trachtman also led Kramer Levin teams filing amicus briefs in Dale v. Boy Scouts of America, Lawrence v. Texas, Hollingsworth v. Perry, and United States v. Windsor, as well as several of the recent marriage equality cases following Windsor. Earlier, he represented the surviving lesbian partner of
a September 11 victim in obtaining a fair share of the Victims’ Compensation Fund award.
Congratulations and Welcome to the New Pro Bono Committee Members!
Katrina Baker, Employment Law, Class of 2008
Jacqueline Edwards, Financial Services, Class of 2000
Laura Milano, Litigation, Class of 2009
Jonathan Vessey, Corporate, Class of 1999
Yekaterina Chernyak, Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy, Class of 2006