Legal Aid Society Honors Alston & Bird Partner Nelson Boxer

Alston & Bird partner Nelson Boxer has been recognized by the New York Legal Aid Society for his outstanding service to the non-profit organization and its clients. The Honorable Jonathan Lippman, chief judge of the State of New York, commended Mr. Boxer’s outstanding contributions to providing life-changing pro bono legal assistance at the annual Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Publico Awards and Law Firm Recognition ceremony last night in Manhattan. Alston & Bird was one of 48 law firms and three corporations honored on the 2009 Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Honor Roll.

 

“For 133 years the Legal Aid Society has protected and defended people’s rights by providing them a legal voice. Nelson Boxer personifies the Society’s mission through his leadership and commitment to providing an opportunity for equal justice to the people of New York,” said Jamie Hutchinson, partner-in-charge of Alston & Bird’s New York office. “Alston & Bird is proud to offer pro bono services on behalf of the Legal Aid Society as part of our long-standing commitment to the communities we serve.”

 

The New York Legal Aid Society recognized Mr. Boxer for his work protecting the rights of Society staff attorneys who represent immigrant adults and children. Mr. Boxer was nominated by the attorneys from the Society’s Immigration Law Unit, whom he represented in a protracted law suit filed against supervisors and employees of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons who secretly audiotaped privileged attorney-client conferences between Society attorneys and immigration detainees incarcerated after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

 

The Legal Aid Society is the nation’s oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent. It provides free legal assistance to New Yorkers who live at or below the poverty line and cannot afford to hire a lawyer when needed. The Legal Aid Society’s 2009 Pro Bono Publico Awards symbolize the outstanding commitment of major New York City law firms and attorneys who provide such assistance.

 

The full list of recipients of the 2009 Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Publico Awards can be found at www.legal-aid.org.