Volunteer Lawyers Projects honors 5 at annual awards gala

May 12, 2017 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Project hosted its annual awards gala at the Brooklyn Academy of Music during which Carey R. Dunne (left), general counsel in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office; and John Siegal (right), a partner at BakerHostetler, were honored. Eagle photos by Andy Katz

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The Brooklyn Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) hosted its annual awards gala at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene on Thursday night.

This year’s gala was led by the mistress of ceremonies Melissa Russo, a TV reporter with WNBC. The top honorees were Carey R. Dunne, general counsel in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office; and John Siegal, a partner at BakerHostetler.

Sheila R. Adams, Dennis O. Cohen and Brian K. Mahanna each received the VLP’s Champion of Justice Award.

“Not only do these attorneys work their you-know-what’s off to protect and uphold the law of the land, the state, the borough, the city, but they also dedicated their time, experience and litigation know how to make sure the citizens of Brooklyn get access to legal services no matter what their socioeconomic situation is,” said Russo.

Founded in 1990, the VLP is an arm of the Brooklyn Bar Association that provides free legal advice and services to low-income Brooklynites. Its annual gala is a key component to its fundraising efforts.

“Everyone deserves access to justice, and unfortunately, there is a huge justice gap in this country,” said Heidi Henderson, the VLP’s executive director. “In New York state, 78 percent of low-income New Yorkers who need legal services do not get the help that they need.

“At VLP, we help close this justice gap by recruiting, mentoring and training volunteer attorneys. The VLP leverages the private bar to provide legal representation to our clients,” Henderson continued.

One of the speakers at Thursday’s event was Brenda Hobson, a Brooklynite who nearly lost her house to foreclosure until attorneys at the VLP stepped in to help her.

“My case was extremely difficult,” Hobson said. “I went to numerous nonprofits who attempted to help me, but none could. I had lost all hope. In six months after contacting the VLP I was granted a trial modification that saved my home. Otherwise I know I would have lost it, lost everything, lost my life. The VLP is vital to people like me who can’t afford an attorney.”

While attendees sat and enjoyed dinner, the honorees were introduced one by one with Dunne and Siegal making brief speeches. While the speeches contained the usual thank-you’s, both honorees made a pitch for more attorneys to get involved with pro bono work.

“I’ve been to enough of these events to know that you don’t want me to speak long,” Dunne joked. “Therefore, I’m going to cut to the chase and pester you all to do pro bono work. Not when you retire, not when your kid’s baseball season ends, but now. And if you can do it with the VLP, so much the better. They do great work. It will make all the difference for that person who can’t always afford their rent payment, but needs legal help.”

“The law of New York mandates that no corporation can appear in any court proceeding without legal counsel and that makes sense,” Siegal said. “But families have no similar legal protection.

Fundamental life changing legal actions affecting families — foreclosure, custody, deportation — can be ordered against people without representation. You help will make a big difference for that person who comes home to find a foreclosure note nailed to their door.”