Loeb & Loeb LLP announced that it is serving as special pro bono counsel to The Children’s Aid Society, working with the Office of Public Policy & Client Advocacy on projects related to housing, special education and other issues. The first project involves assisting East Harlem residents fighting slumlords who refuse to make habitable their rat- and insect-infested apartments and who are illegally trying to raise tenants’ rents mid-lease.
This initiative is part of Loeb & Loeb’s ongoing child advocacy program. The firm has a long history of providing pro bono legal services, and represents children and child-serving organizations across the country. Earlier this year, Loeb & Loeb established a Child Advocacy Fellowship at Lawyers For Children, Inc. It also represents the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA), whose president, Eliot Green, is a partner in the firm’s corporate section. Mr. Green’s practice concentrates on representing tax-exempt organizations like Children’s Aid.
“I am very thankful for Loeb & Loeb’s commitment to our children and families,” said Children’s Aid Society Chief Executive Officer Philip Coltoff. “Our families are often in need of legal assistance, and now our social workers have an important legal ally to help them. We are delighted to have a law firm of Loeb’s caliber helping us carry out our mission.”
“We are delighted to be working with The Children’s Aid Society and have a team of dedicated and enthusiastic partners, associates and paralegals assisting it in its worthwhile endeavors,” said Ronald L. Israel, Senior Counsel at Loeb & Loeb and coordinator of the firm’s work on behalf of Children’s Aid.
“Pro bono commitment is a core value at our firm, and there is no better way to express that commitment than on behalf of children,” said Loeb & Loeb Co-Chairman Jerry Levine.
The Children’s Aid Society was founded in 1853. It is a voluntary, non-sectarian agency serving 150,000 of New York City’s neediest children and their families with a network of services, including community schools, neighborhood centers, camps, adoption and foster care services, teen pregnancy prevention, education, health and recreation.
