For the second year in a row, Lowenstein Sandler has been named a recipient of a Beacon of Justice Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). This year’s award recognizes the firm’s pro bono efforts, through the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest, to address systemic racial disparities in the areas of housing; criminal and juvenile justice; immigration; and nonprofits, small businesses, and low-income entrepreneurs.

For more than a century, NLADA has spearheaded the movement to increase access to legal assistance for low-income communities. Currently, the organization is leading a national response to racial injustice and COVID-19.

Catherine Weiss, partner and Chair of the center, says, “Lowenstein Sandler has historically been committed to advancing racial equity and dismantling barriers to justice in the communities we serve. This year, along with others around the nation, we engaged in a long-overdue reckoning with our country’s history of racial oppression, leading us to approach our pro bono matters with a more explicit and conscious racial justice lens that examined the distinct impact on people of color of the injustices we fought.” She adds, “The Beacon of Justice Award will help raise awareness and inspire further action among our lawyers, staff, and friends, as we all work together to provide essential services and solutions to underserved populations doubly impacted by racial injustice and COVID-19.”

In bestowing the award, NLADA honors Lowenstein’s strong commitment to intentionally and positively promoting racial equity through such initiatives as:

  • Dedicating almost 1,300 hours to helping low-income communities manage housing instability by spearheading a coalition of housing advocates working to safeguard due process and prevent mass eviction in the wake of the pandemic
  • Drafting and championing a bill (now a law) in New Jersey that significantly reformed the juvenile parole and sentencing scheme by reducing unjustified incarceration, modernizing and improving the parole process, and eliminating burdensome fines that can compromise a young person’s future
  • Representing numerous individuals with criminal convictions by seeking to prove their innocence, appeal their convictions, petition for pardons or sentence commutations, or expunge low-level criminal records
  • Devoting more than 4,000 hours to helping immigrants seek safety in the United States and working with 16 legal service organizations to advocate in the courts and administrative agencies on behalf of immigrant children
  • Helping more than 200 nonprofits and Black- and minority-owned small businesses obtain federal funding to keep them in operation during the pandemic; and repeatedly advocating with Congress to ensure that stimulus funds would actually reach minority-owned microbusinesses and nonprofits serving communities of color

All 2021 Beacon of Justice awardees will be honored at a 2021 Exemplar Awards Virtual Gala, Redefining Justice: Celebrating Tenacious Heroes, on Wednesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. NLADA’s annual award celebration brings together leadership from the corporate, law firm, civil legal aid, and public defense communities to pay tribute and support NLADA’s national leadership uniting the civil, client, and defender communities in using creative solutions to scale access to justice to 100 percent.

About the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest
From its founding, Lowenstein Sandler has been committed to advancing the public interest and serving communities in need. The Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest embodies this commitment, directing the firm’s strong pro bono program and other forms of civic and philanthropic engagement. Through these efforts, the center addresses significant social problems and offers meaningful assistance to low-income and other marginalized people, along with the organizations that advocate for and support them. This work engages the full range of the firm’s talents and reflects the core values that imbue all of the firm’s efforts: to perform work of the highest quality in a manner that maximizes results for our clients and causes.

About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler is a national law firm with over 350 lawyers based in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents leaders in virtually every sector of the global economy, with particular emphasis on investment funds, life sciences, and technology. Recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit and high standard of client service, the firm is committed to the interests of its clients, colleagues, and communities.