Brooklyn VLP: Events

  1. Access Justice Brooklyn and City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse Host Homeowner Help Workshop

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    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Access Justice Brooklyn, and City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse hosted a Homeowner Help Workshop in partnership with NHS Brooklyn. The event was held at Councilwoman Narcisse’s District Office located at 5827 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn and helped homeowners address foreclosure and building violation concerns.

    Access Justice Brooklyn Supervising Attorney, Peter S. White II, spearheaded the event. Peter shared the following:

    “Many of our clients live in Eastern Brooklyn and are unable to commute downtown to obtain assistance due to work and accessibility limitations. This event marked an occasion in which we collectively saw a need in the community to provide essential housing and legal services to homeowners where they live.”

    Despite the air quality advisory in New York City that day, Access Justice Brooklyn, and our partners were able to assist nearly 20 homeowners with late-stage foreclosure and Department of Building violations and complaints.

    Thank you to Councilwoman Narcisse for hosting Access Justice Brooklyn at her district office allowing us to meet with homeowners in their community to provide free legal assistance and education where they live.

    Access Justice Brooklyn’s Homeowner Assistance program also provides weekly foreclosure intervention and prevention services at the Kings County Supreme Court to support Brooklyn homeowners through the Foreclosure Legal Assistance Group program held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the Friend of the Court program held on Thursdays. We also provide representation in the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) cases brought by the New York City Department of Buildings, helping individuals resolve or reduce the debt burden from violations.  To learn more about the services we provide through our Homeowners Assistance program, click here.

  2. Access Justice Brooklyn Partners with AXA XL on Annual Global Day of Giving

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    We are thrilled to partner once again with volunteers at AXA XL in celebration of their Annual Global Day of Giving. The AXA XL Global Day of Giving allows AXA XL staff the opportunity to donate their time and skills to organizations in the communities they work and live in.

    On June 7, 2023, Access Justice Brooklyn hosted an in-person clinic for eight AXA XL volunteers and two interns who generously donated their time in support of our Family Stabilization services. Under the mentorship of staff, volunteers assisted five of our clients to prepare and file their initial divorce papers with the Kings County Clerk.

    Thank you to Rachel Alt-Simmons, Head of Global Claims Innovation & Optimization, Claims Strategy & Transformation, Jason Atkinson, Senior Claim Specialist, Design Professional, Liesel Carvajal, General Counsel US Insurance, Kimberly Landgrover, Legal Counsel, Matthew Murabito, General Counsel, Investments, David Ralls, Associate General Counsel, Thomas Vargo, Claims Manager – Aerospace, North America,  and Lian Phua, Head of Americas, Political Risk, Credit and Bond, Jean-Gabriel Pierre, Head of Global Investment Strategy, for their participation last week.

    A special thank you to event organizer Dana Rosenbaum, Senior Legal Counsel, Investments and Pro Bono Committee Chair!

    For more information about pro bono partnership opportunities with Access Justice Brooklyn, please contact Anne O’Grady, Pro Bono Director.

    For a list of our current Pro Bono Partners, click here.

  3. Access Justice Brooklyn co-sponsors CUNY Citizenship Now! Citizenship Subway Series

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    On Saturday, May 20, 2023, Access Justice Brooklyn co-sponsored the CUNY Citizenship Now! Citizenship Subway Series hosted by our partners, CUNY Citizenship Now!, Dominicanos USA and Univision Nueva York at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. We are thrilled to report 450 people registered for the event surpassing the collective goal to assist 250 green card holders with their applications for US citizenship and fee waivers for qualifying low-income applicants.

    We are so grateful to all the volunteers who participated, including our pro bono partnering law firm Fried Frank.

    For more information about pro bono partnership opportunities with Access Justice Brooklyn, please contact Anne O’Grady, Pro Bono Director.

    For a list of our current Pro Bono Partners, click here.

  4. Access Justice Brooklyn partners with Goodwin and Bloomberg for Financial Institution Pro Bono Day

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    We are excited to once again have partnered with volunteers at Goodwin Procter LLP and Bloomberg LP for Financial Institution Pro Bono Day (FIPBD). FIPBD is an annual event that serves to spotlight the severe gap in legal services for underserved individuals and promote in-house pro bono engagement and collaboration with law firms and legal services organizations.

    On April 27, 2023, Access Justice Brooklyn hosted a virtual Pro Se Uncontested Divorce clinic for ten Goodwin and Bloomberg volunteers who generously donated their time in support of our Family Stabilization services. Under the mentorship of staff, volunteers assisted five of our clients in need of help preparing and filing for an uncontested divorce from their spouse.

    The Goodwin Pro Bono Team had this to share, “It was a pleasure working with Access Justice Brooklyn on a Pro Se Divorce Clinic in connection with Financial Institution Pro Bono Day. They provided a clear, structured, and thorough training prior to the client meetings, which allowed our attorneys to feel confident, well-supported, and prepared, even if they did not have prior experience or expertise with this area of law. The clinic could not have been as successful as it was without the outstanding guidance and mentorship provided by Access Justice Brooklyn.”

    A special thank you to event organizers Carolyn D. Rosenthal, Director of Pro Bono, Rena Kramer, Attorney, and Kesley Lee, Pro Bono Specialist at Goodwin Procter LLP; as well as Kim Rutan, Global Head of Legal & Compliance Pro Bono, at Bloomberg LP.

    For more information about pro bono partnership opportunities with Access Justice Brooklyn, please contact Anne O’Grady, Pro Bono Director.

    For a list of our current Pro Bono Partners, click here.

  5. Access Justice Brooklyn hosts Foreclosure Answer-a-thon at Brooklyn Borough Hall

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    On Friday, January 20, 2023, Access Justice Brooklyn hosted a Foreclosure Answer-a-thon in partnership with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Legal Services, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A (Brooklyn A), NHS Brooklyn, and New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG). The event was held at Brooklyn Borough Hall and helped homeowners facing foreclosure draft an answer to their foreclosure summons and/or complaint.

    Access Justice Brooklyn Supervising Attorney, Peter S. White II, spearheaded the event. Peter shared the following:

    “Deed fraud and foreclosure numbers are on the rise and Brooklyn homeowners are in critical need of free legal help with drafting foreclosure legal documents. By hosting the Answer-a-thon, Access Justice Brooklyn and participating partners reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that homeowners in foreclosure timely invoke every foreclosure defense available to them.”

    The lingering effects of the pandemic, rapid gentrification, and rise of housing scams continue to impact Brooklyn residents – threatening to displace homeowners and increase the burden of debt for individuals and families. Last month, Access Justice Brooklyn and our partners were able to assist 23 homeowners in danger of losing their homes. Although drafting an answer is only the first step, our neighbors can rest assured they will not lose their home due to a default judgement.

    Opportunities to partner with peer-organizations to provide free legal assistance and community education allows us to not only help far more of our neighbors than we could alone, but also offer an expansive array of services and expertise. In addition to our homeowner focused community events, Access Justice Brooklyn also provides weekly foreclosure intervention and prevention services at the Kings County Supreme Court to support Brooklyn homeowners through the Foreclosure Legal Assistance Group program held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the Friend of the Court program held on Thursdays.  Access Justice Brooklyn also provides representation in Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) cases brought by the New York City Department of Buildings, helping individuals resolve or reduce the debt burden from violations.

     To learn more about the services we provide through our Homeowners Assistance program, click here.

  6. NBC 4 New York’s Melissa Russo To Emcee Access Justice Brooklyn Gala 

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    Access Justice Brooklyn is excited to announce Melissa Russo, Political and Government Affairs Reporter for NBC 4 New York, will emcee our Gala on Thursday, December 8, 2022, at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.

    Melissa Russo is NBC 4 New York’s award-winning Political and Government Affairs Reporter and a member of the NBC 4 I-Team, the station’s investigative unit. An expert in local policy and politics with unmatched sources, Melissa is often the first to break major stories on her beat.

    Known for delivering thoughtful, in-depth coverage of issues not ordinarily tackled on local television news, Russo has achieved unprecedented, extended access inside New York’s homeless shelter system, juvenile jails and family courts. Her work has generated significant government policy changes and have been recognized with two of New York Emmys, in the categories of journalistic enterprise and societal concerns reporting.

    The Access Justice Brooklyn Gala celebrates and honors the work of extraordinary individuals who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving the public good and equal justice. This year, we are delighted to honor Dedication to Justice awardee Janice Mac Avoy, Partner at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP and Lifetime Achievement awardee Charles John O’Byrne, Executive Vice President for Policy at Related Companies. The evening’s program will also feature the presentation of the Champion of Justice Award to the Paramount Global Law Department.

    As our premier fundraising event, funds raised for the Gala strengthen our critical work and impact throughout the borough. Confirm your support today at: www.accessjusticebrooklyn.org/gala

  7. Access Justice Brooklyn Celebrates Pro Bono with Paramount Global and Blank Rome LLP

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    On October 27, 2022, Access Justice Brooklyn hosted a virtual clinic for Paramount Global and Blank Rome LLP volunteers who generously donated their time in support of our Family Stabilization services in celebration of National Pro Bono Week.

    During our Pro Se Uncontested Divorce Clinic, thirty-three attorneys and staff were trained on the uncontested divorce process. Twenty-one Paramount and Blank Rome volunteers later assisted eight of our clients with drafting divorce pleadings and explaining how to commence the divorce action with the court. 

    Thank you to everyone for their participation last week and a special thank you to event organizers Tricia Mecklembourg, Joe Richburg, Andrew Hughes, and Andrew Wong, co-chairs of the Paramount Global Pro Bono Committee and Kathy Ochroch, Partner and Director of Pro Bono and Community Impact, and Krystal Kane, Pro Bono Attorney, from Blank Rome.

    For more information about pro bono partnership opportunities with Access Justice Brooklyn, please contact Anne O’Grady, Pro Bono Director.

    For a list of our current Pro Bono Partners, click here.

    Upcoming CLE:

    Introduction to Consumer Bankruptcy, Tuesday, December 6, 2022 from 3:00–5:0PM

    Representing Homeowners in Administrative Hearings, Wednesday, December 7, from 3:00–5:0PM

  8. Access Justice Brooklyn at the 2022 NYSBA Partner Conference

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    On October 19, 2022, Access Justice Brooklyn Director of Legal Services, Sidney Cherubin, served on a panel with New York State Bar Association president, Sherry Levin Wallach, alongside Edwina Martin, Rebecca Shapiro, and John Sullivan for a Plenary Session on Invisible Disabilities at the 2022 NYSBA Partnership Conference in Albany, NY.

    Invisible Disabilities Week takes place on October 16-22, 2022. In the United States, 96% of people with chronic medical conditions show no outward signs of their illness, and 10% experience symptoms that are considered disabling. Attendees explored ways to identify invisible disabilities an discuss tools and resources available to attorney and clients.

    NYSBA’s Partnership Conference is the premier civil legal services educational and networking conference attended by leaders of civil legal service organizations and private law firms from across New York State.  

    Upcoming CLE:

    Cultural Competence CLE, Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 3:00–4:30PM

    For more information upcoming CLE events and volunteering with Access Justice Brooklyn, please email Anne O’Grady, Pro Bono Director.

  9. NYS Senator Roxanne J. Persaud presents Senate District 19 Senior Resource Day 2022

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    Thank you to Senator Roxanne Persaud for organizing and inviting us to participate in the Senate District 19 Senior Resource Day 2022 on Thursday, September 8, 2022!

    This event provided seniors with information about health care, mental health and wellness resources, City and State agencies, community organizations and much more. Access Justice Brooklyn Supervising Attorney, Peter S. White II and Pro Bono Coordinator, Eloy Ruiz, were available to answer questions, hand out legal resources, and provide more information about our programs and services.

    If you didn’t get a chance to visit our table, you can always learn more about available programming, access legal resources, and view additional upcoming events on our website!

  10. Access Justice Brooklyn Launch Party hosted by Board Member Jeffrey B. Gewirtz, BSE Global

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    Arnold and Clara Gewirtz with Jeffrey Gewirtz
    Access Justice Brooklyn Board of Directors
    Access Justice Brooklyn Staff

    On July 13, 2022, we celebrated Access Justice Brooklyn and the launch of our new name, new brand, and renewed mission. The celebration took place at the Crown Club at Barclays Center and was hosted by Access Justice Brooklyn Board Member Jeffrey B. Gewirtz, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, BSE Global.

    Founded in 1990 to help close the gap in legal resources and representation in the borough, we have been a pioneer of contemporary pro bono models and a progressive force in the community. We believe that broad, sustainable systems change requires a holistic approach, and our new brand is a more accurate reflection of who we are today and our vision for the future. Read the press release here.

    Thank you to Jeff Gewirtz for his leadership, support and generosity and for providing us with a night to remember at the Barclays Center.

    A special thank you to Access Justice Brooklyn Board Members, Young Professionals Board Members, and our dedicated staff without whom this rebrand, and launch would not be possible!

    For more photos of the evening, visit our Instagram and Facebook page.

    —
    Photography by Reuben Kleiner.