Under a brilliant blue sky in the elegant Palm House of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, more than 200 guests gathered on June 15th to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, which honored Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye (Ret.) with the organization’s 2010 Building Bridges Leadership Award for “exceptional commitment to the public good and justice for all.”
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- New York State Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye (Ret.), recipient of the VLP’s 2010 Building Bridges Leadership Award, pictured with VLP Board President James P. Slattery.
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- VLP Board President James P. Slattery, Hon. Judith S. Kaye, and VLP Gala Benefit Co-Chairs and Board Members Terri Letica and Lawrence F. DiGiovanna
VLP Board President James P. Slattery, Hon. Judith S. Kaye, and VLP Gala Benefit Co-Chairs and Board Members Terri Letica and Lawrence F. DiGiovanna
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- From left: 2008 Building Bridges Leadership Award recipient William F. Kuntz II, Hon. Judith S. Kaye, BBA Trustee David Chidekel and BBA Second Vice President Andrew Fallek
From left: 2008 Building Bridges Leadership Award recipient William F. Kuntz II, Hon. Judith S. Kaye, BBA Trustee David Chidekel and BBA Second Vice President Andrew Fallek
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- Gala guests enjoyed a rousing performance by members of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Gala guests enjoyed a rousing performance by members of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
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- BBA President Andrea Bonina and Kings County Administrative Judge for Civil Matters Sylvia Hinds-Radix
BBA President Andrea Bonina and Kings County Administrative Judge for Civil Matters Sylvia Hinds-Radix
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- VLP Supervising Attorney Sidney Cherubin delivered remarks.
VLP Supervising Attorney Sidney Cherubin delivered remarks.
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- Event sponsor Robert P. Santoriella (second from left) of law firm Robert P. Santoriella P.C., with guests Lisa Harris, Kathy Murphy, Paul Sagiv, Chad Kaser, Philip Santoriella, Annette Norris, Geraldine Santoriella, Barbara Barrett and Brian Barrett.
Event sponsor Robert P. Santoriella (second from left) of law firm Robert P. Santoriella P.C., with guests Lisa Harris, Kathy Murphy, Paul Sagiv, Chad Kaser, Philip Santoriella, Annette Norris, Geraldine Santoriella, Barbara Barrett and Brian Barrett.
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- Kings County Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters Barry Kamins presented the Leadership Award to Judge Kaye.
Kings County Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters Barry Kamins presented the Leadership Award to Judge Kaye.
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- The elegant Palm House of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens was the setting for the VLP’s 20th anniversary celebration.
The elegant Palm House of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens was the setting for the VLP’s 20th anniversary celebration.
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- Judge Kaye with New York Court of Appeals Judge Theodore T. Jones
Judge Kaye with New York Court of Appeals Judge Theodore T. Jones
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- Among the attendees were several who have been involved with the VLP from its inception, including (from left) VLP Board Members Chip Gray, Marty Needelman and Terri Letica, and BBA Executive Director Avery Okin (far right); pictured with Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Miriam Cyrulnik and Judge Kaye.
Among the attendees were several who have been involved with the VLP from its inception, including (from left) VLP Board Members Chip Gray, Marty Needelman and Terri Letica, and BBA Executive Director Avery Okin (far right); pictured with Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Miriam Cyrulnik and Judge Kaye.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for the honor you bestow on me, but overwhelmingly for the honor you bestow on our legal profession through the Volunteer Lawyers Project,” Judge Kaye told the crowd of volunteer lawyers and supporters at the June 15, 2010 event.
“I could not thank you more for all the things you have done,” Judge Kaye continued. “I have studied the statistics and reviewed your work and the brilliance and the genius of your comprehensive array of services. You need to have a comprehensive approach, and you know that and you do that and you do it with joy and compassion and love and I could not thank you more.”
“One of the hallmarks of Judge Kaye’s tenure as New York’s Chief Judge was her passionate commitment to improving and broadening access to justice for every New Yorker,” Jeannie Costello, executive director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project, wrote in the gala journal. “The enduring value of her commitment has left its imprint on every facet of our judicial system, from jury service to community-based problem solving courts to pro bono representation. It is a most eminent tribute to Judge Kaye to present her with the 2010 Building Bridges Leadership Award for her ‘exceptional commitment to the public good and justice for all.’ ”
In 2009, Volunteer Lawyers Project attorneys donated 6,114 hours of pro bono legal assistance to the most underserved residents of Brooklyn, and directly served 5,400 individuals. In the first five months of 2010, in which the borough felt the impact of the recession and tragedies that directly touched the diverse Brooklyn community, the organization’s pro bono attorneys have already provided vital civil legal services in 987 matters ensuring equal access to people who are struggling to obtain or protect the most basic necessities of life, roofs over their heads, family well-being, baseline financial stability. These services include assistance with bankruptcies; CLARO, the court house clinic for unrepresented debtors; and the Pro Bono Foreclosure Intervention Program, which is now handling over 160 active settlement conferences.
Most recently, in an immediate and critical pro bono response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Volunteer Lawyers Project is co-sponsoring HILAP (Haitian Immigration Legal Assistance Program), a series of ongoing clinics staffed by volunteer lawyers throughout Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing civil legal assistance to those Brooklyn residents who need it most. One of the only legal services organizations that operates borough-wide in Brooklyn, the VLP recruits, trains and supports volunteer attorneys from the private bar and matches them up with programs designed to meet critical legal needs in our community.