Winston & Strawn Recognized at Legal Aid Society’s 2018 Pro Bono Publico Awards

On October 16, Winston & Strawn was recognized at The Legal Aid Society’s 2018 Pro Bono Publico Awards. Winston’s Co-Executive Chairman Jeffrey Kessler accepted the award on behalf of the firm which recognized Winston’s outstanding advocacy in defense of the accused.

In addition to this law firm recognition, The Legal Aid Society awarded 16 individual attorneys from the New York office with the Pro Bono Publico Award for their committed efforts on Legal Aid Society initiatives, including the Case Closed Project. The New York State Conviction Sealing Law, which took effect in October 2017, helps people avoid negative civil consequences of old convictions. The Case Closed Project utilizes volunteers to represent clients with sentences over ten years old. The volunteers then gather supporting affidavits and prepare written motions seeking the sealing of nonviolent convictions. The project, with Winston pro bono volunteers leading the way as the first law firm to formally participate, has been extremely successful in its first year by helping clients pursue opportunities previously denied because of a remote criminal record.