{"id":215300,"date":"2026-04-30T12:36:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/215300\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T12:36:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:36:29","slug":"amnewyork-law-on-the-docket-profiles-of-people-and-firms-making-moves-april-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/215300\/","title":{"rendered":"amNewYork Law On the Docket: Profiles of people and firms making moves, April 30"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Docket, amNewYork Law\u2019<\/a>s weekly column focused on the movers and shakers in New York\u2019s legal community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Menin to deliver NY Law School commencement address<\/p>\n

City Council Speaker Julie Menin<\/a> will have the honor of speaking to the graduating class of 2026 and their families at the New York Law School\u2019<\/a>s 134th commencement ceremony next month.<\/p>\n

Menin will address the graduates during the ceremony scheduled to take place on May 18 at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. The New York Law School is graduating 316 total candidates this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to join New York Law School\u2019s commencement and celebrate a new generation of graduates who are ready to lead,\u201d said Menin. \u201cNew York has always been shaped by those willing to step up and serve, and I look forward to encouraging these students to bring their talents and values to the work of strengthening our city and our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recognition of her accomplishments and becoming the City Council\u2019s highest-ranking official, Menin will receive an honorary doctorate from the New York Law School, which has through the years seen its graduates go on to serve in elected posts around the city, including several mayors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are honored that City Council Speaker Julie Menin will join \u2018New York\u2019s\u2019 law school and speak to our graduates,\u201d said Anthony W. Crowell, dean and president of the New York Law School. \u201cFrom helping rebuild our school\u2019s lower Manhattan and Tribeca neighborhood after 9\/11, to directing the City\u2019s 2020 census efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading two City agencies and now leading the City Council, she has an inspiring story and unmatched set of experiences to share with our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, NYLS commencement speakers have included Gov. Kathy Hochul, TV Icon Judge Judy Sheindlin \u201965, then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, the Emmy Award-winning co-creator of \u201cMaking a Murderer\u201d Laura Ricciardi \u201996, former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), and the late Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Robert A. Katzmann.<\/p>\n

Several NYC lawyers to receive NYS Bar awards for pro bono service
\n\"AmongAmong the NYC winners of the Pro Bono Awards is Jeffrey Xu, Manhattan, a partner in Morrison Foerster\u2019s finance group.<\/p>\n

A number of New York City lawyers will be feted this Friday in Albany as the New York Bar Association<\/a> presents its 35th annual Pro Bono Service Awards on Law Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The awards recognize barristers \u201cwho have made an exceptional commitment to serving the public,\u201d according to the association. The group particularly recognizes attorneys who volunteer their time and expertise to serve people in need, such as survivors of domestic violence, tenants trying to remain in their homes, and immigrants facing deportation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Law Day theme this year is \u2018The Rule of Law and the American Dream,\u2019 which speaks to our core mission to promote equal justice,\u201d said New York State Bar Association President Kathleen Sweet. \u201cOn Law Day we recognize attorneys who take on cases for the neediest clients. Lawyers from Buffalo to Albany and the North Country to New York City are contributing countless pro bono hours to New Yorkers in need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the NYC winners of the Pro Bono Awards is Jeffrey Xu, Manhattan, a partner in Morrison Foerster\u2019s finance group advising financial institutions and other companies on a broad range of financing transactions. In addition to his practice, Xu assists elderly and low-income New Yorkers in preparing essential life-planning documents.<\/p>\n

Mark Reinharz of the Bronx will also receive a Pro Bono Award. He practiced labor and employment law for 40 years on behalf of management and local governments. In retirement, he volunteers with Mobilization for Justice, counseling individuals on all aspects of labor law, including wage discrimination, paid leave, and unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n

Charles DeStefano of Staten Island is being recognized for his pro bono work in preparing Last Wills and Testaments for terminally ill patients and staffing the Legal Help Desks set up at community events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matthew Chachere will receive the Senior Attorney Pro Bono Award. He currently serves as a volunteer emeritus attorney with Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation Legal Services in Washington Heights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Daniel Bugingo, a third-year law student at Columbia School of Law, will receive the Pro Bono Award for Law Student. He is using his background in computer science and math to build new computerized workflows for uncontested divorces in the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more information, visit nysba.org<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

Veteran prosecutor joins AWKO firm helping domestic violence survivors
\n\"\"Kathleen Devlin previously served more than 12 years at the Rockland County District Attorney\u2019s office<\/p>\n

A veteran prosecutor recently joined AWK Survivor Advocate Attorneys (AWKO)<\/a> to help victims of domestic violence and trauma achieve justice.<\/p>\n

Kathleen Devlin previously served more than 12 years at the Rockland County District Attorney\u2019s office, where she led up its Special Victims Unit. In that role, she supervised attorneys, trained law enforcement and victim advocates on trauma-informed interviewing, and helped establish an Internet Crimes Against Children Unit in partnership with the New York State Police.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Devlin obtained her Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law in 2013 and her Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Northeastern University in 2009. She is currently a member of the New York State Bar Association, as well as the Women\u2019s Bar Associations of Westchester and Rockland Counties.<\/p>\n

Attention legal eagles! Have you promoted a new partner? Are you giving back in your communities? We want to know about it! Send us your good news by emailing robb@amny.com<\/a> and you may be featured in our Docket every week. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to The Docket, amNewYork Law\u2019s weekly column focused on the movers and shakers in New York\u2019s legal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[81793,81794,5108,81795,81796,81797,81798,81799,81800,81801,81802,81803,9,24,55,54,81804,57300,56,81805],"class_list":["post-215300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-akiva-shapiro","tag-coney-island-prep","tag-constitutional-law","tag-continuing-legal-education","tag-executive-director-appointment","tag-fox-rothschild","tag-holtzman-vogel","tag-kathy-suchocki","tag-law-firm-news","tag-legal-community-outreach","tag-legal-industry-leadership","tag-legal-careers","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-new-york-law-firms","tag-new-york-state-bar-association","tag-ny","tag-regulatory-litigation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}