Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye will speak at The Legal Aid Society's 2008 Pro Bono Awards Ceremony and present awards to individual lawyers, law firms, corporations and community representatives in recognition of their outstanding pro bono service on October 7, 2008, at The Association of the Bar of the City of New York. The ceremony begins promptly at 5 p.m. followed by a reception.
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Katherine (Cait) Mullen, a staff attorney in the Brooklyn Office of the Juvenile Rights Practice, is credited as the central figure in the fight for the rights of sexually exploited children through the Safe Harbor Act. Cait's 2004 appellate brief on behalf of a 12-year-old Bronx girl charged with prostitution articulated the new legal standard that became the Safe Harbor Act, signed into law last Friday (September 26, 2008) by Governor David A. Paterson. Cait is in Arlington, VA, leading the legislation roundtable discussion of the Canada-U.S. Consultation in Preparation for the United Nations World Congress III Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents.
Governor David Paterson signed into law two major pieces of legislation that benefit Legal Aid clients who are abused, sexually exploited children and disabled individuals and senior citizens. The Safe Harbor Act and Exempt Income Protection Bill were signed into law.
The Legal Aid Society celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a gala celebration at the Bronx Borough Hall. Two dance troupes from the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx presented amazing performances that produced two standing ovations from the audience which included elected officials, judges and members of the Society's staff.
Steven Banks, Attorney-in-Chief of The Legal Aid Society, testified before the New York City Council's Committee on General Welfare concerning the status of various City efforts to alleviate homelessness in New York City. The settlement with the City and State in the McCain litigation and related cases on behalf of homeless children and their families was widely reported in the media last week. "We are hopeful that this new enforceable legal framework will alleviate the problems in the family shelter system that children and families have experienced," Banks said.