LISA M. SCHWEITZER, Chair, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Lisa supports MFJ’s mission to provide critical legal services to low income New Yorkers to help them protect their fundamental rights, and is proud to serve on MFJ’s board since 2014.
STEPHANIE SOWELL, 1st Vice Chair, Johnson & Johnson
JAMIE MOSER, Secretary, Joele Frank, Wilkinson, Brimmer, Katcher
Jamie Moser is a partner at Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, a strategic communications firm that works with clients across a range of investor and public relations needs. She joined the MFJ Board in 2018, following the merger of Partnership for Children’s Rights (PFCR) into MFJ. Her grandfather founded PFCR in 1999 to protect the rights of New York City’s disadvantaged and disabled children and she is honored to be part of an organization committed to advancing this important work and so much more.
BRUCE L. STEIN, Treasurer
RAMZI ABOUTAAM, Pfizer Inc.
KATHLYN CARD BECKLES, Verisk
Kathy is the Chief Legal Officer of Verisk Analytics. She has been a board member since 2018 after seeing firsthand how effective MFJ was in providing representation to parents of students with disabilities seeking appropriate special education services and school placements from the New York City Department of Education. As an advocate for a loved one with a disability, she knows how crucial special education services can be to the life outcomes of these children and their parents.
FRANCESCA E. BRODY, Sidley Austin LLP
DAVID CHATTERJEE
LISA E. CLEARY, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
Lisa E. Cleary is a senior litigation partner and former co-chair and managing partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, where her practice covers a broad range of employment litigation, counseling and compliance issues. She has been recognized over many decades for her pro bono contributions, most recently at the 2023 New York Lawyers for the Public Interest’s Annual Law & Society Awards Luncheon. Ms. Cleary has also been recognized on multiple occasions by Mobilization for Justice for her contributions to MFJ on behalf of clients with mental disabilities.
MARTIN J. CRISP, Ropes & Gray LLP
MARC DE LEEUW, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Marc De Leeuw is a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, with a practice in a range of commercial litigation. He joined the MFJ Board in 2012. Growing up in Washington Heights made him particularly focused on the legal needs of the low-income New Yorkers who MFJ serves.
PETER DOYLE, Proskauer Rose LLP
THOMAS E. DUNN, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
WILLIAM EDWARDS, Tikehau Capital
MELISSA R. GOLD, BNY Mellon
Melissa Gold is an attorney at BNY Mellon who manages the Americas Employment Legal team. She joined the MFJ Board in 2012. Melissa is proud to be part of MFJ and was drawn to its mission of providing the highest quality legal services to low income New Yorkers.
ELAINE P. GOLIN, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Elaine Golin is a partner in the litigation department at Wachtell Lipton. Elaine believes that inequality is the single biggest problem in America today, and joined the MFJ Board in 2019 in order to help support MFJ’s invaluable work in providing low-income New Yorkers access to the justice system and quality representation.
LUBBIE HARPER III, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Lubbie Harper is an attorney at JPMorgan Chase Bank. He joined the board in 2022. A long-time resident of Harlem, Lubbie is particularly sensitive to the needs of the clients who MFJ serves.
ROBERT I. HARWOOD, Glancy, Prongay & Murray LLP
SHAIMAA M. HUSSEIN, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Shaimaa is a litigation partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, and a proud New Yorker. Her family immigrated to Harlem when she was very young, and that is where she continues to live today. Shaimaa was an extern at MFJ several years ago, and has since been a strong supporter of the critically important work that MFJ does to represent New York’s most vulnerable populations.
DEIRDRE N. HYKAL, TIAA
DAVID W. ICHEL, X-Dispute LLC
ENID D. JEAN-CLAUDE, MUFG Bank Ltd.
Enid Jean-Claude is a deputy general counsel and managing director at MUFG Bank Ltd. As a first generation Haitian American, she understands that navigating the legal system is often daunting and overwhelming for the newcomer immigrant community, and culture and language barriers often make asserting your legal rights a nearly impossible task. Enid is proud and honored to serve an organization committed to making the legal system more accessible and equitable for low-income New Yorkers.
BRUCE E. KAYLE, Fundamental Advisors, LP
Bruce Kayle is General Counsel of Fundamental Advisors LP, an investment advisory firm. Previously, he was a partner and Chair of the Tax Department at Milbank LLP, where he organized a robust pro bono practice representing low income taxpayers, and published this article to help others get involved.
Bruce’s own pro bono work was recognized on multiple occasions by The Legal Aid Society and Legal Services NYC, and he sees MFJ’s work as an essential part of what the legal profession can do to make the law work more equitably than it otherwise would.
DAVID G. KEYKO, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
MAXIM MAYER-CESIANO, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
JOSEPH M. MCLAUGHLIN, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
CHRISTOPHER J. MEADE, BlackRock
PAUL MISHKIN, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
DAVID MOY
As both a tenant activist and MFJ client, I have seen at first hand the tremendous help provided by MFJ to ordinary people who were unfairly disadvantaged by circumstance.
MAEVE O’CONNOR, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
DOLORES PEREZ-HARVIN
Eric Roth is of counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he served as a litigation partner for over 30 years. He joined the MFJ board in 1998 and is currently an emeritus director and co-chairs the board’s Development Committee. Eric proudly supports MFJ’s mission of providing high quality civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers.
JACQUELINE P. RUBIN, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
JEFFREY S. SABIN, Venable LLP
STEPHEN SAXL, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Stephen Saxl is a shareholder in the litigation department at Greenberg Traurig and Co-Chair of the firm’s national class action practice group. A lifelong New Yorker, Stephen is committed to making high quality legal services and justice available to all New Yorkers. He joined the MFJ Board in 2021, influenced heavily by the memory of his close friend and mentor, former MFJ Board Chair Alan Mansfield.
MARK E. SEGALL, JAMS
I first learned of the great work that MFJ does through Matt Leonard, who served on the MFJ board when we worked together at JPMorgan and arranged an internship there for my son Michael, who worked at MFJ in the summer when he was in college. Subsequently, Matt perished on September 11, and the pro bono award at MFJ is named after Matt. When I was asked to join the Board a year or two later, I was thrilled to say yes and trust that I have made contributions to the organization throughout my tenure on the Board.
ALAN J. SINSHEIMER, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
ARNOLD STEPHENS
ARIANA J. TADLER, Tadler Law LLP
Ariana is the Founding and Managing Partner of Tadler Law LLP, a WBENC-certified women-owned litigation boutique. [She] actively speaks and publishes on a variety of topics, including professional development and women leadership and empowerment. Ariana is a New York native, originally from Queens and now Long Island, and a proud and active member of the Board for Mobilization for Justice – she has served for more than 20 years, is a previous Chair of the Board, and a repeat Co-Chair of various MFJ fundraising benefits, including the upcoming 60th Anniversary Celebration.
Ron Weiss is a retired partner from Skadden Arps whose practice focused on Surrogate’s Court issues and estate planning. He joined MFJ’s Board in 2013. He has received several awards for his more than 40 years of pro bono legal services. Ron is honored to be a member of MFJ’s Board and looks forward to continuing to serve the needs of working and low income New Yorkers.