New York, NY – June 21, 2004 – LAWFUEL – In keeping with its recent global expansion, the international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke LLP announced today that it has added attorneys from four of its overseas offices to the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee.
Named to the committee are Sylwester Pieckowski, international partner in the Warsaw office; Sergey Volfson, an associate in the Moscow office; Sergiy Onishchenko, an associate in the Kyiv office; and Amy McCarthy, an associate in the London office. Also named to fill two U.S. office committee vacancies were Amy Nelson in the Washington, DC office and Stacey Winograd in the New York office. The committee now has 20 partner and associate members.
The move coincides with Chadbourne’s recent expansion into Warsaw and Kyiv and with the expansion of pro bono legal services for the poor around the world. Chadbourne opened the Warsaw and Kyiv offices in January 2004.
“Chadbourne is committed to pro bono on a firmwide basis and we believe the expansion of our Pro Bono Committee will help us do even more for those around the world who cannot afford access to legal services, and for the organizations that assist those not able to afford legal services,” said Charles K. O’Neill, Chadbourne’s Managing Partner.
“There has been a significant increase in international pro bono activity and since Chadbourne now has a wider international presence, the time is good for us to expand our Pro Bono Committee to reflect that,” said Committee Chair Bernard W. McCarthy, who has led Chadbourne’s Pro Bono practice since 1996, and is the Firm’s Pro Bono Partner.
Some of Chadbourne’s pro bono work in overseas offices includes:
In Moscow, advising the Danish Refugee Council, a private humanitarian organization concerned with refugee protection, on general compliance work, contracts and labor issues; assisting Perspectiva Foundation, a Russian NGO, in obtaining educational benefits for disabled students.
In Tashkent, provided legal assistance to an advisory committee in an effort to restructure a school and accredit it with the Uzbek educational authorities so as to provide new educational opportunities in Tashkent; and assisting in obtaining registration of a Chamber of Commerce in Uzbekistan.
In Warsaw, the Firm is handling more than 50 criminal and civil matters assigned by the courts and is providing assistance to Polish Humanitarian Action in cooperation with the EU Office of Humanitarian Assistance.
In London, assisting in forming a charitable organization, Mothers Calling, dedicated to promoting dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian mothers to increase communication and understanding.
In Kyiv, registered a unit of Junior Achievement and continue to provide ongoing advice regarding various legal issues.
Working on other unique pro bono projects around the world, such as helping a fundraising arm of an environmental group active in Mongolia, and working on the creation of a bank in a developing country.
About Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Chadbourne & Parke LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York City, provides a full range of legal services, including mergers and acquisitions, securities, project finance, corporate finance, energy, telecommunications, commercial and products liability litigation, securities litigation and regulatory enforcement, white collar defense, intellectual property, antitrust, domestic and international tax, reinsurance and insurance, environmental, real estate, bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employment law and ERISA, trusts and estates and government contract matters. The Firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Moscow, Kyiv, Warsaw (through a Polish partnership), Beijing and a multinational partnership, Chadbourne & Parke, in London. For additional information, visit chadbourne.com.
