The Brooklyn Bar Association hosted its annual dinner at El Caribe in Mill Basin on Monday, Dec. 2, drawing over 500 attendees in what was easily the largest gathering since 2019. The evening celebrated the accomplishments of distinguished legal professionals and paid tribute to retiring judges.

This year’s honorees included Jeh Johnson, recipient of the President’s Award; Judge Keshia Espinal, who received the Distinguished Judicial Service Award; and Aimee L. Richter, honored with the Vivian H. Agress Trailblazer Award. 

The association also recognized the retirement of Judges Del Guidice, Debra Silber and Larry D. Martin, while paying tribute to the late Judge Martin Schneier and Justice Dawn Jimenez-Salta, who both passed away this year.

Jeh Johnson, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and former Secretary of Homeland Security, was presented with the President’s Award. Johnson’s illustrious career includes service as General Counsel for both the Department of Defense and the Air Force and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. Since returning to private practice in 2017, Johnson co-chairs his firm’s cybersecurity and data protection practice, advises on national security and litigation matters, and serves on the boards of U.S. Steel, MetLife and Columbia University. His dedication to public service and legal excellence continues with leadership roles in initiatives focused on restoring trust in American democracy and advancing cybersecurity.

Judge Keshia Espinal, supervising judge of Kings County Criminal Court, received the Distinguished Judicial Service Award. Espinal, a graduate of St. Joseph’s College and Western New England University School of Law, spent 16 years in the Queens District Attorney’s Office, including as supervising assistant district attorney in the Domestic Violence Bureau. Since her appointment to the bench in 2017, Espinal has made history as the first woman and person of color to serve as supervising judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court, earning widespread respect for her leadership and dedication to justice.

Aimee L. Richter, a partner at Lee Anav Chung White Kim Ruger & Richter LLP, was honored with the Vivian H. Agress Trailblazer Award. Co-chair of her firm’s matrimonial and family law practice, Richter has been a trailblazer in family law, serving as a special master for appellate mediation, co-chair of the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Family Law Section, and a member of the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates. Her contributions include mentoring, lecturing, and leading pro bono initiatives to improve access to justice in matrimonial cases.

The association also recognized the retirements of Judges Del Guidice, Debra Silber and Larry D. Martin, whose service has left an indelible impact on Brooklyn’s judiciary. In addition, the legal community paid tribute to the late Judge (JHO) Martin Schneier and Justice Dawn Jimenez-Salta, who passed away this year, with a moment of silence.