Office of the President
Dear Lucas:
I write in my capacity as the President of the New York State Bar Association to tell you about the Empire State Counsel® Program - a purely voluntary initiative to recognize those who perform significant pro bono service.
The Empire State Counsel® Program recognizes NYSBA members who, during the calendar year, performed 50 hours or more of free legal assistance either through direct legal representation of a low-income individual; or by donating free legal services to an organization whose services are designed primarily to address the legal and other basic needs of persons of limited financial means; or by providing free legal services to an organization dedicated to increasing the availability of legal services to vulnerable and/or low-income populations.
To date, more than 5000 Association members, located in virtually every state in the United States, as well as in Europe, Indonesia, Africa, Canada and India, have received this distinction. Since the program was launched in 2006, by then President Mark Alcott, Empire State Counsel® members have donated close to 700,000 hours of free legal services to individuals and families. Our members' pro bono contributions have provided critical legal assistance in the areas of mortgage foreclosure, landlord-tenant issues, bankruptcy, immigration, asylum, domestic violence, child custody, and vital government benefits.
In recognition of the significant contributions our members make to pro bono through their law firms, the Association plans to award a plaque to the law firms enrolling the largest number of Empire State Counsel® during 2011. An award also will be presented to the individual attorney(s) who donated the most volunteer hours during 2011. Award recipients will be selected based on data reported on or before December 30, 2011.
Individual honorees will receive a certificate suitable for framing and the signature Empire State Counsel® lapel pin. Honorees also may use this honorific designation as a credential on their resume. The names of the individual honorees will be published in a variety of Association publications. Empire State Counsel® honorees will be recognized during the Association's Annual Meeting at the complimentary Justice for All Luncheon which will be held on Thursday, January 26th at the Hilton New York, from 12:30 to 2:00pm.
Kindly share this letter with your colleagues who are actively involved in pro bono. Hopefully they will find the program worthwhile and wish to register. Enrollment is open now through the end of February 2012. The 2011 Verification Form can be downloaded from www.nysba.org/2011ESCVF and submitted directly to the Department of Pro Bono Affairs for processing. Any questions about the program may be directed to Gloria Herron Arthur, Director, Department of Pro Bono Affairs, at probono@nysba.org or by telephone at (518) 487-5640.
Thank you for your kind consideration of this program.
Warm regards,
Vincent E. Doyle III, President