The Association of Pro Bono Counsel Elects 2017 Officers and Board of Directors

February 1 2017 – The Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo) announced that it has elected its 2017 officers and board members.

APBCo elected Kevin Curnin, Partner and Director of the Public Service Project at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, to serve as President.

“The need to provide pro bono legal services for the growing number of Americans living in poverty and for protection of basic liberties and for the health of the planet is always urgent, but perhaps in no year as acute as it will be in 2017,” Curnin said. “I am honored to serve APBCo in its mission to maximize access to justice through pro bono legal services.”

In addition to Curnin, the following APBCo board members were elected to leadership positions:

  • President-Elect: Allegra Nethery, Pro Bono & Philanthropy Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Vice President: Brenna DeVaney, Pro Bono Counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
  • Secretary: Dorothy Fernandez, Pro Bono Counsel, Morrison & Foerster LLP
  • Treasurer: Katie Niejadlik, Pro Bono Manager, Fish & Richardson P.C.
  • Immediate Past President: Benjamin Weinberg, Pro Bono Partner, Dentons

The APBCo Board of Directors include:

  • Hilarie Atkisson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility / Pro Bono Counsel, Fenwick & West LLP
  • Fiona Brett, Pro Bono Counsel, Akin Gump
  • Jennifer Colyer, Special Counsel, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
  • Susan Hoffman, Public Service Partner, Crowell & Moring
  • Ellyn Josef, Pro Bono Counsel, Vinson & Elkins LLP
  • Harlene Katzman, Pro Bono Counsel & Director, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
  • Jennifer Kroman, Director of Pro Bono Practice, Cleary Gottlieb
  • Heidi Naasko, Pro Bono and Diversity Counsel, Dykema Gossett
  • Rosalyn Nasdor, Director of Pro Bono Legal Services, Ropes & Gray
  • Joe Sullivan, Special Counsel and Director of Pro Bono Programs, Pepper Hamilton LLP
  • Pamela Wandzel, Director of Pro Bono & Community Service, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

About APBCo
APBCo is a membership organization of over 180 attorneys and practice group managers who run pro bono practices in over 100 of the world’s largest law firms.

Together these firms contribute millions of hours of pro bono legal services every, much of that to poor persons and under-served communities.  Over its 10-year history, APBCo and its member firms have contributed greatly to a rapid professionalization and optimization of law firm pro bono practice.  APBCo firms have enormous breadth of experience in high-needs areas and are often called upon as experts on issues of great importance nationally and globally. APBCo attorneys are frequently commentators on a range of legal-social issues and are deeply involved in ongoing work from immigration and healthcare to education and domestic violence to community economic development and civil rights.

APBCo’s mission is to maximize access to justice through the delivery of pro bono legal services by:

  • Advancing the model of the full-time law firm pro bono counsel
  • Supporting and enhancing the professional development of pro bono counsel
  • Serving as the voice of the law firm pro bono community

APBCo-2017-Board-of-Directors-Press-Release