New York, NY (September 25, 2020) – Venable LLP is pleased to announce that it has received the 2020 City Bar Justice Award for its leadership and dedication to pro bono and public service. The award was presented during the City Bar Justice Center's 15th Annual Gala on September 24. The gala supports the Justice Center's work protecting the rights of more than 26,000 low-income New Yorkers annually through pro bono legal assistance, community outreach, and education, and the largest free civil legal hotline in New York.
Venable's commitment to pro bono and public service has been constant throughout its 120-year history. The firm works closely with the Justice Center to help people who are fleeing persecution overseas seek safety and status in the United States. Since 2010, Venable attorneys have taken on nearly 60 immigration matters through the Justice Center's Immigrant Justice Project, including seven new matters in the past year. Roughly half of Venable's 13 open immigration cases have been pending for nearly five years.
Edmund M. O'Toole, a partner in Venable's Commercial Litigation Practice in the New York office who accepted the award on behalf of the firm, said, "These matters are both humbling and enriching for our lawyers, expanding our understanding of the world and the impact of the service that we can offer here and now. We are honored to assist the City Bar Justice Center in this important work on behalf of asylum seekers, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration for many years to come."
The City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, increases access to justice by leveraging the resources of the New York City legal community. The Justice Center operates the city's busiest legal hotline and annually provides direct legal representation, community education, and advocacy to more than 26,000 New Yorkers in such areas as immigration, homelessness, veterans assistance, housing, elder law, cancer advocacy, and entrepreneurship.
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Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and other individuals. With more than 850 professionals across the country, including California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients' objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary, advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit https://www.venable.com/.