NYCLA Honors Public Sector Attorneys
On Wednesday, September 12 at 6 p.m., the New York County Lawyers’ Association (NYCLA) will hold its 22nd Annual Public Service Awards Reception. Chaired by former NYCLA President, Catherine A. Christian, and held at the Home of Law, 14 Vesey Street, New York, NY, the Awards Reception will honor public sector attorneys and will feature special remarks by Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. All are invited to R.S.V.P. for the event, open to the public.
Nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2009, as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Bharara oversees the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States in the Southern District of New York. He supervises an office of more than 220 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, who handle a high volume of cases that include domestic and international terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking, white collar crime, public corruption, gang violence, organized crime, and civil rights violations.
Since 1990, NYCLA has annually presented its Public Service Awards to honor lawyers in the public sector who have distinguished themselves as role models, innovators, and problem solvers of complex legal issues. The Awards recognize the efforts of lawyers who dedicate themselves to public service, but whose achievements are not often publicly acknowledged.
The 2012 award recipients:
• Jane Azia, Bureau Chief, Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection, Office of the New York State Attorney General
• Carolyn Coffey, Supervising Attorney, Consumer Rights Project, MFY Legal Services
•Kevin Egan, Principal Legal Adviser, Statewide Electronic Filing Program, Supreme Court, Civil Branch, New York County
• Abigail Everett, Senior Supervising Attorney, Center for Appellate Litigation
• Elie Honig, Assistant United States Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
• Jessica Rose, Director, Community and Economic Development Unit, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, Legal Services NYC
• Gail Rubin, Division Chief, Affirmative Litigation Division, New York City Law Department
Also at the Awards Reception, NYCLA’s Criminal Justice Section, chaired by Keith Schmidt and Alison Wilkey, will recognize winners of its 2012 Public Service Fellowship Essay Contest, newly admitted public sector attorneys working in the fields of criminal justice carrying more than $30,000 in educational debt. The contest winners, prosecutor and institutional defense attorneys practicing up to seven years, will be awarded cash stipends of at least $2,000 to alleviate educational debt.
“Lawyers in the public sector use their legal expertise to better others and society,” says Christian. “Through the Public Service Awards, NYCLA recognizes how wholeheartedly these individuals devote themselves to various causes to in turn better society, honoring those who have gone above and beyond.”
About the New York County Lawyers’ AssociationThe New York County Lawyers' Association (www.nycla.org) was founded in 1908 as the first major bar association in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or gender. Since its inception, it has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence and has continuously played an active role in legal developments and public policy.
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