(November 2, 2009, Weil Gotshal News)
NEW YORK, November 2, 2009 – Weil Gotshal attorneys were recognized for their pro bono efforts on behalf of the Sanctuary for Families at the annual “Above & Beyond” benefit held today in New York. The annual “Above & Beyond” benefit celebrates Sanctuary’s Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services and honors members of the legal community who have gone “above and beyond” by providing outstanding pro bono representation and advocacy to domestic violence victims. Recipients of this year’s awards for “Excellence in Pro Bono Advocacy” included Weil Gotshal partners Guillermo Aguilar-Alvarez and Jacqueline Marcus and associates Jose Alcantar and Andrea Saavedra.
Weil’s Jacqueline Marcus commented, “It is immensely rewarding to be able to make a positive impact on people’s lives. We are honored to be recognized by the Sanctuary for Families for our ongoing efforts on behalf of domestic violence victims and for the firm’s steadfast dedication to pro bono service.”
About Sanctuary for Families
Sanctuary for Families is the largest nonprofit in New York State dedicated exclusively to serving domestic violence victims and their children. Each year, Sanctuary helps thousands of victims and their children build safe lives by offering a range of high quality services to meet their complex needs. These services include clinical, legal, shelter, children’s and economic stability services. Sanctuary also works to end domestic violence and its far-reaching impact through outreach, education, and advocacy. Sanctuary for Families’ Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services (the Legal Center) is the largest provider of legal services exclusively for victims of domestic violence in the country.
Weil Gotshal a Recognized Leader in Pro Bono:
Weil, Gotshal & Manges is widely recognized for its ongoing dedication to providing pro bono services. The cornerstone of our pro bono practice is the firm’s ground-breaking pro bono policy. Implemented in 2005, the policy includes the goal that every lawyer perform 50 hours of pro bono work each year; the expectation that every partner work on a pro bono matter every year; and the requirement that every new attorney – from first-year associate to lateral partner – take on a pro bono matter within his or her first two years at the firm.
The firm and its lawyers have received numerous honors, including the American Bar Association’s (ABA) 2009 Pro Bono Publico Award for outstanding public service and the Pro Bono Institute’s Pickering Award granted to the firm in November 2008. No other firm has been privileged with both of these prestigious awards in the same year. The firm is among the top 5 percent of law firms in pro bono participation, diversity and associate satisfaction, according to the 2009 American Lawyer AmLaw 200 Survey. Weil Gotshal’s pro bono projects include civil, human and voting rights; political asylum; and community and economic development.