One example of the firm’s pro bono efforts that we are especially proud of is our service for over a decade as counsel to Turnaround for Children, Inc. We have assisted with real estate, employment, and general corporate matters. For all these years, one of our partners has served on the Board and numerous Board committees, and the firm has given additional financial support to this worthwhile non-profit that is succeeding in a big way in making progress on a great current societal challenge. “Turnaround strives to fulfill the promise of public education by helping high-poverty, low-performing public schools create positive learning environments that foster healthy intellectual, social, and emotional growth in every student.”
Other examples are the intellectual property and other advice our lawyers have provided to the following non-profit organizations:
- Community Healing Network, a nonprofit organization “working to spark the creation of a national and international grassroots network of self-help groups focused on emotional emancipation, healing, and wellness for Black people.”
- Independent Diplomat, a non-profit group that “provides confidential advice and practical assistance in diplomatic strategy and technique to governments, political groups, international organizations and NGOs” that may lack the resources to be effectively heard without that assistance.
- The Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey Foundation, which owns the choreographic works of Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey and “is committed to maintaining their legacy by licensing their works, educating dancers and students, and encouraging the talents of young choreographers.”
GEABP joins Seated.com and CohnReznick in Assisting Restaurants with Support Hotline
The global coronavirus outbreak resulted in mandatory shut downs and severe limitations for restaurants nationwide. In response, the restaurant reservation and rewards platform, Seated.com, launched a hotline for restaurant operators to get advice from a team of industry professionals, including Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe – a leading law firm in the hospitality sector. At the time the hotline was launched, GEABP Chairman, Andy Peskoe explained: “We have been juggling inquiries from clients since this crisis began. The concerns start with labor and employment, but then run the gamut of real estate, equity finance, reorganization and even intellectual property. Decisions had to be made in a matter of hours. Now, the calls are more about strategic and execution challenges, both near-term and immediate. We have, for a very long time, been a practical source for trends and best practices in the industry, but I cannot ever remember it being so valuable a resource as it is in this crisis.”
Turnaround for Children
Turnaround for Children distills scientific knowledge about how children develop and learn into integrated tools, resources and strategies for educators, school leaders and school systems—all designed to establish the equitable conditions and adult practices that drive healthy development, learning, and thriving. The organization was founded in 2002 around the insight that the daily experiences in children’s lives have profound effects on their development and learning.
Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP actively supports the mission of Turnaround by providing pro bono legal services and contributions. Our Chairman has served on the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee of Turnaround since 2003.
Partner David Rubin Recognized by City Bar Justice Center for His Pro Bono Service on the Foreclosure Project
David M. Rubin was honored by the City Bar Justice Center’s 2010 Jeremy G. Epstein Awards for Pro Bono Service, for his work on the Foreclosure Project. This project of the City Bar provided legal assistance to low- and moderate-income homeowners facing foreclosure, with the goal of keeping people in their homes whenever possible. Rubin was selected as an outstanding volunteer for that project based upon the quality and volume of his legal work, his leadership in support of pro bono, his demonstrated commitment to the project and his clients, and his willingness to take on challenging assignments.
More recently, Rubin was reappointed as Panel Chair and Member of the Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the First Judicial Department.
GEABP Successfully Secures Judgement and Punitive Damages for Pro Bono Client
Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe won a pro bono bench trial in which it secured a judgment and punitive damages for its Brooklyn-based client, who lost her home in a mortgage fraud scam.
The client, who lived in her Brooklyn home since 1978 and was caring for an ill family member, wanted to refinance her mortgage to a lower monthly payment. In 2008, while seeking assistance in refinancing, she unknowing got caught up in an elaborate mortgage fraud scam involving the sale of her home to a straw buyer who took out a larger mortgage on her home in his name and transferred the title of the property back her. Unable to make the new mortgage payments, she was forced out of her home through foreclosure proceeding in July 2015 and had been homeless ever since.
The case took five years to get to trial. One of the defendants was a former attorney who was disbarred for similar conduct in other cases. The Judge adopted all of the GEABP team’s findings of facts and conclusions of law, and issued a judgment and punitive damages totaling over $400,000.
Building Homes for Heroes – An Appreciation of Our Work
Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe serves as outside general counsel for Building Homes for Heroes, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization serving our nation’s military veterans. In recognition of the substantial support we provide to that organization, GEABP recently received the following note from BHH, along with a link to a video.
To show our deepest appreciation for all you do for our nation’s injured veterans and their families, we’d like to send you videos that highlight the amazing success stories we’ve been experiencing with our veteran home recipients. What we’ve been seeing more and more is that the gift of a mortgage-free home has helped set our veterans down a path towards a hopeful future while building a foundation for their family to reach a level of success that they may have never thought possible.
The video we’d like to share is the story of Army MSG George Vera, a home gift for a Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star recipient and Special Forces veteran who, tragically, is paralyzed and in a wheelchair due to the injuries he suffered. His home was customized for him and his needs, as you will clearly see in this very emotional video. George wanted to personally thank Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP for all the amazing support.
Kimberly Vesey, Vice President
Building Homes for Heroes
A link to the initiative can be found here.
