2019 Champion of Justice Awards

Brooklyn Legal Services’ 2019 Champion of Justice Awards will be held on Tuesday, October 29 at The Green Building, beginning at 6pm.
 
Click here to see photos from last year’s event.

Our HonoreeS

David Ehrenberg is President and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BDNYC), overseeing its diverse tenant base and ongoing expansion efforts. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of Real Estate Transaction Services at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). At NYCEDC, he managed many of the city’s priority economic development projects, including an initiative resulting in Cornell’s Roosevelt Island campus; the redevelopment of vacant land on the Lower East Side known as Seward Park; the Atlantic Yards project; and hundreds of millions of dollars of programs supporting small businesses after Hurricane Sandy. Previously, he coordinated a microenterprise program at South Brooklyn Legal Services. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University, was a Fulbright Fellow in Zimbabwe, and received dual masters from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University in Public Policy and Urban Planning.

Candis Tolliver is political director of 32BJ SEIU, where she oversees the union’s political program for the tristate area and Florida. She leads the team responsible for passing legislation to lift standards for workers and promote social justice. Prior to her tenure at 32BJ, Candis led the New York Civil Liberty Union’s (NYCLU) police reform organizing efforts and managed NYCLU’s statewide organizing portfolio as the assistant advocacy diecrotr. Before joining the NYCLU, Candis was the public affairs coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. There she helped shape the organization’s campus and grassroots-organizing projects and managed the political and legislative program. Candis earned a BA in Political Science from Norfolk State University and a MA in Urban Policy from The Milano School at the New School University. Candis serves on the board of directors of the North Star Fund and Picture the Homeless, two organizations committed to promoting racial justice as well as building a fair and just society for all people.

OUR SPONSORS

LEADER

DEFENDER

Alan and Judith Fishman
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
WilmerHale

Advocate

ABNY Foundation, Inc.
Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group
Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C.
The Walentas Foundation

Friend

BerlinRosen
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Hank and Karoly Gutman

Who We Are

Brooklyn Legal Services stops evictions, preserves affordable housing, helps people access essential public benefits, identifies and redresses discrimination in housing and mortgage lending, empowers victims of domestic violence, keeps homeowners in their homes, supports Brooklyn residents who are LGBTQ or HIV+ in gaining access to the services they need, promotes the rights of immigrants, veterans, and the disabled, protects borrowers from abusive and illegal collection tactics, and ensures proper care and housing for elderly Brooklynites.
 
Our staff of over 160 passionate, skilled, and highly trained lawyers, paralegals, and support staff represents Brooklyn residents who otherwise could not afford high-quality legal services. In the past year alone, we served more than 27,500 low-income Brooklyn residents. Our client work spans from day-to-day representations in court, to civil rights complaints in state and federal agencies, to complex litigation over many years to make sure Brooklyn’s voices are heard and the law responds to the needs of low-income Brooklynites.
 
 
All funds received will be used in a manner that is consistent with the Legal Services Corporation Act (42 USC 2996 et. seq.) and regulations (45 CFR 1600 et. seq.). A copy of our most recently filed financial report is available from the Charities Registry on the New York State Attorney General’s website (www.charitiesnys.com) or, upon request, by contacting us at 40 Worth Street, Suite 606, New York, NY 10013. You also may obtain information on charitable organizations from the New York State Office of the Attorney General at www.charitiesnys.com or (212) 416-8816.