Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project adds two new board members

August 16, 2019 Rob Abruzzese

Adam Gilbert, a partner at Nixon Peabody, joins the VLP’s board of directors. Photos courtesy of the Volunteer Lawyers Project

Share this:

The Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) announced on Thursday that it has added two new members to its board of directors after they were elected at the August board meeting.

Adam Gilbert, a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, and Alexander Kaplan, a partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, will join the board after they were voted in on Tuesday. Both were thrilled with the news.

“I am proud and delighted by my appointment to the VLP’s board of directors and eager to participate meaningfully in the advancement of the organization, helping to close the justice gap for thousands of Brooklynites,” Gilbert said.

“I am truly excited and honored to join the board of this fantastic, Brooklyn-centric organization and look forward to contributing all I can toward the VLP’s goal of providing critical legal services to those most in need,” Kaplan said.

Members of the board voted in the new members because, they said, they felt that the new additions would improve the organization’s presence in Brooklyn and across the city.

“We are thrilled to welcome both Adam and Alex to the VLP’s Board of Directors,” said Stephen Williamson, a board member chair of the VLP’s nominating committee. “Their enthusiasm, creativity, and expertise will not only help strengthen our capacity to serve our community, but also contribute greatly to the organization’s expanding profile and growth.”

The VLP was created in 1990 and aims to help provide access to justice for the indigent population of Brooklyn. It does this by providing free training to attorneys in exchange for them taking on pro bono cases, and it heavily relies on the networking and fundraising of its board members.

In 2018, the VLP assisted over 19,000 Brooklynites with their legal matters, and more than 500 lawyers donated more than 12,000 hours of their time on a pro bono basis. The association estimates the value of this time to be over $3 million.

The other board members include VLP President Lynn Judell, vice president Lawrence DiGiovanna, treasurer Gregory Messer, Stephen Williamson, Rachel Blumenfeld, Caroline Conway, Jeffrey Gewirtz, Sean Mikala Gray, Colin Kelly, Mark Lande, Michael Leahy, Manas Mohaptra, Martin Needelman, Adam Shepherd, Michael Watson and Steven Zelkowitz.