November 2007 (Downloadable PDF file)

The Legal Project

Pro Bono Corner
Lisa A. Frisch, Executive Director

By the time this goes to print, our 12th Annual Pro Bono Reception will be a wonderful memory. We are very proud of the accomplishments of The Legal Project over the past dozen years (can it be that long?) and know that much of what we have achieved has been due to the volunteer efforts of so many attorneys in the Capital District as well as the support of businesses, law firms and corporations. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported us in whatever manner over the years. This includes our many community partners who we successfully collaborate with and together, we really make a difference in the lives of so many in this region. We struggle over the awards decision every year, only because choosing can be so difficult when there are so many that give hours of their time to our clients. But the awardees that we do choose, while representing all of our pro bono panel, also stand out in terms of their time and effort, and we extend our congratulations and deep gratitude to them: David Levy, Laura Egner, Cheryl Hogan, The Law Firm of Anne Reynolds Copps and Smith Barney, Inc.

We also could not do what we do without financial support, and the list of underwriters for our Reception indicates a wide range of support for our work. We want to thank them with all of our hearts.

Our matching gift program is nearing its end as well, with a $50,000 matching grant provided by the following donors: Liza’s Legacy Foundation, The Barry and Sherry Gold Donor Advised Fund of the Community Foundation, the Sidney & Beatrice Albert Foundation and the Law Firm of Martin, Harding & Mazzotti. All of the funds donated in 2007 through our Appeals will be matched, doubling the donation, and ending December 31, 2007. All of you who have donated toward this match—thank you so much! And we are still accepting donations toward the match up until December 31, 2007 if you can help.

Many of you also sold for us, or purchased, raffle tickets for the 2 year luxury car lease from Keeler Motor Car Company, the 50 inch flat screen television from Symmetry, or the $500 gift certificate for Stuyvesant Plaza. The winners will have been announced at the Pro Bono Reception so we’ll know by now who the lucky ones are, but thank you to the donors for this wonderful raffle, and for all of you who took a chance and supported our domestic violence program. P.S. we will have a special prize for the person who sells the most raffle tickets and to date, Paul Harding of Martin, Harding & Mazzotti is in the lead at 50 tickets and counting! Thank you, Paul!

We hope that you enjoyed perusing, and hopefully, bidding on the Silent Auction—both online and at the event. We are thankful for the generosity of so many local businesses and artists for their donations. Please make sure that you frequent those businesses that have helped us throughout the year, and feel free to tell them that you appreciate that they donated to our auction.

Through all of this support, The Legal Project is able to help more than 700 victims of domestic violence each year and close to 1500 people overall who need information, assistance or representation in civil legal issues. We could not do this without you!

Thank you for Volunteering in September!

Liza’s Legacy Foundation

On Saturday, October 13, 2007, I attended a very special fundraiser dinner for Liza’s Legacy Foundation. Many of you will recall that Liza Warner was shot and killed by her estranged husband on October 1, 2004. Her family and friends immediately knew that they needed to do something to find good from this tragedy and started the Foundation. In the short time that Liza’s Legacy Foundation began, they have done much to educate the community and reach out to both victims of abuse, and those in the community that work to help them. They have provided financial grants to one of our partner organizations, the Mechanicville Community Center Domestic Violence Program, and this year, $20,000 toward our matching grant. Their donation has made a tremendous difference in supporting our efforts to help meet this ever-growing need in this region. I was honored to be at their event and honored for The Legal Project to be chosen as one of the programs they are supporting. Thank you so much. Please also keep an eye out for very touching public service announcements on Fox 23 that highlights Liza’s life and the efforts of the Foundation. More information on the Foundation can be found on the web at www.lizaslegacy.org.

The Legal Project Awarded Nonprofit Organization Award from the Tech Valley Business Council

On November 14th, we will receive the Non-Profit Organization Award (1-74 employees) from the Tech Valley Business Council of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon at the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia. The award recognizes an organization that effectively collaborates and/or partners with various sectors and/or other non-profit organizations in the community. The organization consistently demonstrates ethical management practices including transparency to donors and effective service impact evaluation, creating a work environment that is family friendly and empowering for employees. We are delighted to receive this wonderful award that recognizes the core ideals and philosophy of the work of The Legal Project!

Thank you to the ZONTA Club of Albany!

We were thrilled to receive news that the ZONTA Club of Albany has awarded The Legal Project a grant of $5000 for a stipend for an Albany Law School student to work at our program over the summer months. This is wonderful news, as we often have fabulous students during the school year who simply can’t afford to stay over the summer but who now can continue gaining their experience for several additional months. Thank you, ZONTA!