On April 19, 2022, Goodwin Director of Pro Bono Carolyn Rosenthal and Discovery Attorney & Pro Bono Liaison Rena Kramer received the Pro Bono Leadership Award from the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (“VLP”). They were recognized for helping to lead the growth of Brooklyn VLP’s Pro Se Uncontested Divorce Clinic, which assists low-income women, many of whom are survivors of domestic violence, file for divorce despite challenging socioeconomic and emotional obstacles. Rosenthal and Kramer launched an in-person clinic at Goodwin’s New York office in 2019 and a virtual clinic in 2021. The firm is currently planning its next clinic, in partnership with the VLP and Bloomberg, on April 28, 2022 as part of Financial Institutions Pro Bono Day.
Rosenthal has led the firm’s Pro Bono Initiative since 1999, is a member of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel, and also currently serves on the Boston Bar Foundation Grantee Selection Committee. She previously received the Boston University School of Law Pro Bono Alumni Award.
Kramer has been involved with Goodwin’s Pro Bono Initiative since 2008, and has been especially instrumental in helping the firm facilitate pro bono initiatives that involve coordinating a large number of volunteers.
Established in 1990, the VLP provides high-quality, pro bono legal services and community education to neighbors in need. Using the collective talents of dedicated staff and volunteers, the VLP helps ensure a more accessible legal system and equitable Brooklyn. Its primary areas of focus are family stabilization, advanced life planning and senior assistance, consumer debt and bankruptcy, homeowner assistance, and immigration.