Equal Justice Works Receives Cy Pres Funds Thanks to Jim Sturdevant and Monique Olivier of The Sturdevant Law Firm.

Jim Sturdevant and Monique Olivier of The Sturdevant Law Firm recently recommended Equal Justice Works as a recipient of a cy pres award in Canieva Hood et al vs Santa Barbara Bank & Trust et al. Thanks to Mr. Sturdevant and Ms. Olivier, we received funds totaling $50,000 in support for our work to mobilize law students and new lawyers to work on behalf of underserved communities and causes!

Equal Justice Works Receives Cy Pres Funds Thanks to Robert Skirnick, Leonard Simon, Allen Black, Arthur Kaplan, George Bauer III and Christopher Lovell.

Robert Skirnick of Meredith Cohen Greenfogel & Skirnick, P.C., Leonard Simon of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, Allen Black and Arthur Kaplan of Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C., George A. Bauer III of Milberg LLP, and Christopher Lovell of Lovell Stewart Halebian recommended Equal Justice Works as a recipient of a cy pres award in In Re NASDAQ Market-Makers Antitrust Litigation. As a result, Equal Justice Works received nearly $250,000 in support for our work to mobilize law students and new lawyers to work on behalf of underserved communities and causes!

Equal Justice Works Receives Cy Pres Funds Thanks to Robert Kaplan

Robert Kaplan of Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, a firm specializing in complex litigation cases, recently recommended Equal Justice Works as a recipient of cy pres awards for the following cases: John Lalor and John Heck, et al. v. Omtool, Ltd., et al., Civil Action No. 1:99-CV-469-M (Dist. N.H.) and In Re NBR Antitrust Litig., Civil Action No. 03-1898 (W.D.Pa.). Thanks to Mr. Kaplan, we received funds totaling more than $11,000 in support for our work to mobilize law students and new lawyers to work on behalf of underserved communities and causes!

Equal Justice Works, which leads the nation in creating and supporting public service opportunities for law students and new lawyers, has a long history of receiving cy pres awards.

The term cy pres refers to a court-ordered award to a charitable organization of the excess, unallocated, unclaimed or undeliverable funds in a class-action judgment or settlement, or actions in which funds set aside for reimbursement cannot be distributed due to manageability concerns.

Equal Justice Works, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, is an appropriate recipient for cy pres awards. Equal Justice Works programs are designed to have a substantial impact on the communities they serve. They improve access to justice for the poor and disenfranchised providing services and creating programs and resources that did not exist before, or developing model approaches that can be replicated elsewhere.

Cy pres revenue has varied from year to year. In 1991, Equal Justice Works received $3.1 million from two cy pres awards.

Use of Cy Pres Awards A substantial cy pres award in 1991 played a key role in launching Equal Justice Works Fellowships, now the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program in the United States, awarding 50 or more two-year fellowships each year. Other awards had geographic or issue-area restrictions. Some were totally unrestricted.

Impact on the Community Equal Justice Works brings justice to thousands of people who might otherwise be denied their rights, not only significantly bridging the justice gap for low-income clients whose legal needs are addressed, but instilling in our program participants a lifelong commitment to volunteerism and community service.

For more information, contact David Stern, Executive Director, at (202) 466-3686 ext. 118.