As lawyers we know how challenging it can be to provide the standard of representation that our clients deserve and demand. Nevertheless, New York lawyers consistently rise to meet the challenges of both their professional and personal obligations, including giving back to the community in the form of pro bono services to our poor and most vulnerable citizens.
Last year, under Mark Alcott’s leadership the Association created the Empire State Counsel Award to honor attorneys who donate 50 hours of pro bono service in a single year to individuals in need. That program has been a resounding success with more than 460 award winning lawyers donating 23,000 hours of work. This is a remarkable achievement that has many rewards. The Empire State Counsel Award can be used as a credential and award winners are recognized by the Association in a variety of ways, including at our annual meeting, mention in press releases touting their service and on the Associations’ website.
This year we are expanding the program to honor lawyers who donate legal services not only to individuals in need, but those who donate to organizations that serve the less fortunate, such as non-profits, legal aid societies, etc. By escalating this program to recognize attorneys that provide pro bono work to community advocacy organizations, we can honor additional and deserving attorneys who generously donate their time and efforts. Whether it is helping victims of flood damage in the Southern Tier, providing legal care to a single mother in need, or helping a family in need, voluntary service is contagious and we are proud to recognize these good deeds
As New York attorneys we have a time honored tradition of generously donating our expertise to assist others, but in spite of that, we still cover only a fraction of the need, especially in civil matters. The expanded version of this program will honor those lawyers who are working to meet this need, and serve as a reminder to other attorneys that there are many pro bono opportunities which they can explore. Please click here to find out more about the Empire State Counsel Award. And always, I’d like to know what is on your mind, so please feel free to write a response to this or any of the messages on the Presidential Blog.