Pryor Cashman attorney Jason Pachter, a member of the firm's Corporate Group, is a recipient of the 2022 Pro Bono Publico Award from The Legal Aid Society (LAS).
LAS is honoring Jason for his dedication to pro bono work in New York, including his work related to the Case Closed Project, which helps people convicted of certain crimes in New York to seal their criminal records. Pursuant to a law enacted in 2017, people who have not committed a crime in 10 years and who have no more than two total convictions in New York, including one felony, can apply to have their record sealed in New York.
"Most of the clients I have worked with were convicted of minor drug offenses," said Jason. "These are people who admit they made mistakes, but the consequences have gone way past criminal punishment—the record comes up when they apply for housing and certain work, for example. And even without a tangible effect, people lose sleep over it and, because they assume an application will be rejected because of the record, they never even bother to apply for housing or a new job."
Jason has worked with LAS on the Case Closed Project for four years, with approximately 10 successful applications on behalf of his pro bono clients; he is also currently working on the program's first felony drug case, using a separate statute to seal a felony record for a client. In addition to his work on Case Closed matters, Jason regularly does pro bono work with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
The Pro Bono Publico Awards recognize "the outstanding work of volunteer lawyers, law firms, corporations, and other professionals who have volunteered their time and talent to provide exceptional legal services to low-income New Yorkers." Jason and this year's other winners were honored at an event on October 25 in New York City.
Learn more about the 2022 Pro Bono Publico Awards and the Case Closed Project using the links below.
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