- Lawyers Alliance Names Angela Fernandez as New Executive Director
- 2025 Business Law & Leadership Gala: Celebrating Lawyers, Nonprofits, and Communities (June 23, 2025)
- Lawyers Alliance Announces 2024 Cornerstone Awards (October 28, 2024)
- Lawyers Alliance Publishes Bylaws That Work (May 18, 2023)
- Lawyers Alliance Announces Laren E. Spirer as Program and Strategy Director (October 20, 2022)
Lawyers Alliance Names Angela Fernandez as New Executive Director
New York, NY, September 4, 2025
Lawyers Alliance for New York’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Angela Fernandez has joined the organization as its new Executive Director. In her role, Ms. Fernandez will work with the staff and Board to further the Lawyers Alliance mission to provide business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. Ms. Fernandez succeeds Hedwig O’Hara, who served as Lawyers Alliance’s Interim Executive Director for the past year after more than two decades with the organization as a Senior Staff Attorney and Legal Director and will now retire.
As an attorney and long-time advocate for New York City’s underserved and immigrant populations, Ms. Fernandez has an abundance of legal, nonprofit, advocacy, and development experience. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of Safe Passage Project, an immigration legal services nonprofit. While there, Ms. Fernandez significantly expanded the organization’s budget, increased services, and streamlined internal processes.
Ms. Fernandez said, “I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead Lawyers Alliance for New York. As a former Lawyers Alliance nonprofit client, I know first-hand the vital role pro bono legal services play for nonprofits and the communities they serve. At a time when the nonprofit sector needs this support more than ever, I am excited to partner with Lawyers Alliance’s dedicated staff and broad network of volunteer attorneys to expand and enhance this critical work.”
Board Chair Marie L. Gibson said, “The Lawyers Alliance Board and staff are thrilled to welcome Angela to her new role. Angela’s legal experience and impressive work in the community make her an ideal match for Lawyers Alliance. We look forward to benefitting from her leadership as the organization enters the next stage of its bright future and continues its mission-critical work supporting New York City’s nonprofits with much needed pro bono legal services.”
About Angela Fernandez
From 2009-2019, Ms. Fernandez served as the Executive Director and Supervising Attorney of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (NMCIR), leading the creation of numerous initiatives across federal, state, and local governments that positively impacted immigrant communities. Under her leadership, NMCIR increased its capacity to provide immigration-related legal services and became a nationally recognized immigrant rights organization known for its bold policies and practices.
As the former New York State Commissioner for the Division of Human Rights, Ms. Fernandez’s work resulted in a 25 percent increase in monetary awards for New York State residents who had been discriminated against in housing or employment. Ms. Fernandez also served on the New York City Civilian Complaint Board, where she vociferously advocated for the repeal of New York Civil Rights Law § 50-a, which required concealment of police disciplinary records from the public.
Ms. Fernandez received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and a B.A. from Boston University.
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Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of pro bono business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. By connecting lawyers, nonprofits, and communities, Lawyers Alliance for New York helps nonprofits to provide housing, stimulate economic opportunity, improve urban health and education, promote community arts, and operate and advocate for vital programs that benefit low-income New Yorkers of all ages. Last year, staff attorneys at Lawyers Alliance worked with more than 2,400 volunteer attorneys to represent more than 700 nonprofit clients on almost 1,400 matters. Lawyers Alliance also coordinates Exponentum™, a national network of business law pro bono providers.
Contact: Emily Crossan, Lawyers Alliance for New York, ecrossan@lawyersalliance.org or 212-219-1800 ext. 233.
2025 Business Law & Leadership Gala: Celebrating Lawyers, Nonprofits, and Communities
Jeffrey W. Ferguson, Margarita Guzmán, and Michelle Jackson recognized for distinguished leadership
New York, NY, June 23, 2025
Lawyers Alliance for New York will hold its annual Business Law & Leadership Gala at Gotham Hall on June 24. This Gala is New York City’s premier event for business and transactional lawyers committed to pro bono legal services for nonprofits that are improving the quality of life in low-income neighborhoods.
“Lawyers Alliance is proud to honor three distinguished leaders at this year’s Gala. Jeff, Margarita, and Michelle have shown a deep commitment to make our society a better place to live and work, whether it is through working in or volunteering for the nonprofit sector, or investing in communities, and we applaud their efforts,” says Hedwig O’Hara, Lawyers Alliance’s Interim Executive Director.
The distinguished Business Law & Leadership honorees are:
Jeffrey W. Ferguson, Carlyle
Jeffrey W. Ferguson is a Managing Director and General Counsel of Carlyle, which he joined in 1999. He serves as the head of the firm’s legal and compliance functions. He is also a member of the firm’s Operating Committee. Mr. Ferguson started his career as an associate in the tax departments of two law firms, Vinson & Elkins and Latham & Watkins. In both law firms, The Carlyle Group was Mr. Ferguson’s primary client. He has extensive experience in the areas of public company governance, crisis management, global private equity fund formation and operations, asset management regulation, domestic and international litigation, and global taxation. Mr. Ferguson received a J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, and a B.A. from University of Virginia. He is a Member of the bars of the District of Columbia and Virginia.
Margarita Guzmán, Violence Intervention Program
Born in El Paso, Texas, Margarita Guzmán is a queer Chicana and survivor of intimate partner violence. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from George Washington University School of Law. She has spent 20 plus years providing services to low-income New Yorkers and survivors of gender-based violence. She currently serves as Executive Director at Violence Intervention Program, an organization dedicated to supporting Latinx survivors of domestic and sexual violence. As a survivor and a lawyer, Ms. Guzmán has lived the limits of criminal and civil legal responses to violence and seeks to increase restorative and transformative justice practices to support survivors and change communities.
Michelle Jackson, Human Services Council
Michelle Jackson was appointed Executive Director of HSC in 2020, having previously served for many years as the Deputy Executive Director and Deputy Director. HSC advocates for the nonprofit human services organizations that provide critical services for New Yorkers such as programs for seniors, youth, those experiencing homelessness, and people with disabilities. Ms. Jackson serves on the Advisory Board of the Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services and was formerly on the Mayor and Comptroller’s Joint Taskforce to Get Nonprofits Paid on Time which helped clear a backlog of $4.2 billion in unregistered contracts. During her 16 years with HSC, Ms. Jackson has been at the forefront of efforts to streamline the relationship between nonprofits and government. Currently, she leads the #JustPay Campaign, which seeks equitable pay for human services workers; the first year of the campaign resulted in $560 million in funding to increase human services wages.
For event details, visit https://lawyersalliance.org/gala.
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Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of pro bono business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. By connecting lawyers, nonprofits, and communities, Lawyers Alliance for New York helps nonprofits to provide housing, stimulate economic opportunity, improve urban health and education, promote community arts, and operate and advocate for vital programs that benefit low-income New Yorkers of all ages. Last year, staff attorneys at Lawyers Alliance worked with more than 2,200 volunteer attorneys to represent 700 nonprofit clients on 1,400 matters. Lawyers Alliance also coordinates Exponentum™, a national network of business law pro bono providers.
Contact: Emily Crossan, Lawyers Alliance for New York, ecrossan@lawyersalliance.org or 212-219-1800
ext. 233.
Lawyers Alliance Announces 2024 Cornerstone Awards
For outstanding pro bono service to nonprofits
New York, NY, October 28, 2024
Lawyers Alliance for New York proudly announces that Cravath and Thomson Reuters will receive 2024 Institutional Cornerstone Awards. These awards, the highest business law pro bono honor in New York, recognize superior legal services to nonprofits that are improving the quality of life throughout low-income neighborhoods. The awards ceremony will be held this evening at Paramount Global.
The Cornerstone Award winners also include six talented individuals selected from more than 2,200 business and transactional lawyers who volunteered through Lawyers Alliance during the past year. A new Cornerstone Award category, Pro Bono Professional, is being introduced this year.
“The Cornerstone Awards are a wonderful opportunity to connect Lawyers Alliance’s volunteers, clients, and supporters to celebrate the vital pro bono work of our honorees,” said Hedwig O’Hara, Lawyers Alliance’s Interim Executive Director. “These attorneys have helped strengthen nonprofits across New York City and beyond. Along with all of our volunteers, they truly make a difference for nonprofits and communities.”
This year’s Institutional Cornerstone awardees are:
Cravath: Cravath has partnered with Lawyers Alliance since 2001, providing pro bono assistance to more than 60 nonprofit clients on more than 66 legal matters, including 19 new cases during the past year. The exemplary support of Cravath’s attorneys has led to the success of pro bono projects, including strategic alliances, lease agreements, privacy policies, and entity formations.
Thomson Reuters: For the past decade, Thomson Reuters has been a consistent, thoughtful, and holistic partner to Lawyers Alliance, with close to 50 volunteers handling 44 limited scope representations and 27 cases. Beyond legal assistance, Thomson Reuters has supported Lawyers Alliance through programs like AI for Justice and IMPACTathon.
This year’s Pro Bono Professional awardee is:
Christina T. Holder, Lowenstein Sandler LLP: Our inaugural Pro Bono Professional lends her transactional expertise to Lawyers Alliance clients, not only assisting them directly with legal matters, but also building the firm’s corporate pro bono engagements.
This year’s Individual Cornerstone awardees are:
David Broderdorf and Gregory Nelson, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP: This dedicated team helped a legal justice organization negotiate its first collective bargaining agreement.
Maddy Hayes, Linklaters LLP: In just the past two years, this committed employment law attorney has provided pro bono legal assistance to seven Lawyers Alliance clients on 10 matters.
Richard J. Lee, Crowell & Moring LLP: This skillful corporate attorney helped demystify financing for nonprofits serving low-income communities.
Gavin Orman, Getty Realty Corp.: This adept and patient in-house attorney provided real estate law expertise to nonprofits working in affordable housing and community services.
Marcus T. Strong, Brown Rudnick LLP: This expert attorney shared his intellectual property knowledge with a special focus on nonprofit arts groups.
For additional details, visit www.lawyersalliance.org/volunteer-recognition.
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Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. By connecting lawyers, nonprofits, and communities, Lawyers Alliance for New York helps nonprofits to provide housing, stimulate economic opportunity, improve urban health and education, promote community arts, and operate and advocate for vital programs that benefit low-income New Yorkers of all ages. During the past year, staff attorneys at Lawyers Alliance worked with more than 2,200 volunteer attorneys to represent more than 700 nonprofit clients.
Contact: Emily Crossan, Lawyers Alliance for New York, ecrossan@lawyersalliance.org or 212-219-1800
ext. 233.
Lawyers Alliance Publishes Bylaws That Work
Updated Third Edition
New York, NY, May 18, 2023
Lawyers Alliance for New York is pleased to announce the release of the third edition of Bylaws That Work: A Manual for New York Nonprofits. The 147-page publication is updated and expanded to include bylaws information for organizations incorporated under New York or Delaware law, as well as best practices for Boards operating in-person or virtually.
Bylaws That Work is designed to help New York not-for-profit corporations, their Board members, and attorneys to prepare new or revised bylaws, the set of rules and procedures that govern a nonprofit organization’s internal operations. Bylaws That Work contains a legal overview of topics commonly covered in bylaws, questionnaires to assist those developing and amending bylaws, and sample documents for not-for-profit corporations with and without members.
Elizabeth M. Guggenheimer, Lawyers Alliance’s Executive Director, says, “The charitable sector is working hard to address significant economic, public health, human services, and equity issues. Strong governance practices, including legally compliant bylaws, make nonprofits stronger and help them manage challenges. Now is an opportune time to review bylaws not only for legal compliance but also to ensure that they make sense for current and planned goals and operations.”
Bylaws That Work is available for purchase as a bound printed copy ($100) and as both an Individual Use ($100) and Site License ($200) PDF. The electronic versions include linked table of contents and websites. Please visit Lawyers Alliance’s website at https://lawyersalliance.org/publications/list for more information or to order.
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Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of pro bono business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. By connecting lawyers, nonprofits, and communities, Lawyers Alliance helps nonprofits to provide housing, stimulate economic opportunity, improve urban health and education, promote community arts, and operate and advocate for vital programs that benefit low-income New Yorkers of all ages.
Contact: Emily Crossan, Lawyers Alliance for New York, ecrossan@lawyersalliance.org or 212-219-1800
ext. 233.
Lawyers Alliance Announces Laren E. Spirer as Program and Strategy Director
New York, NY, October 20, 2022
Lawyers Alliance for New York is pleased to announce that Laren E. Spirer has joined its staff as Program and Strategy Director. Ms. Spirer is a member of Lawyers Alliance’s management team.
As Program and Strategy Director, Ms. Spirer has several program and organizational responsibilities, including oversight of Lawyers Alliance’s pro bono legal services program, planning and evaluation, and coordination of Lawyers Alliance’s program innovations and national role as a leader of Exponentum®. She works closely with the staff, Board, and stakeholders to advance Lawyers Alliance’s mission.
She has longstanding ties to the pro bono community, consulting in the pro bono space through InSpirer Consulting, serving as the inaugural Director of Pro Bono Programs at Columbia Law School, where she also co-taught the Externship on Pro Bono and Access to Justice as a Lecturer in Law, and as the Pro Bono Manager at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Prior to that she worked at Pro Bono Net, including on the rollout of Lawyers Alliance’s Community Development and Nonprofit Law section, and was a litigator in private practice in New York City.
“We are thrilled that Laren has joined Lawyers Alliance in this important senior role. Her strong connections within the pro bono community, longstanding commitment to leveraging technology for the public interest, and depth of experience will strengthen our ability to serve nonprofit clients and pro bono attorneys,” said Elizabeth M. Guggenheimer, Lawyers Alliance’s Executive Director.
Ms. Spirer graduated from New York University School of Law in 1997 and earned a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Women’s Studies from Tufts University in 1992.
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Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. By connecting lawyers, nonprofits, and communities, Lawyers Alliance for New York helps organizations to provide housing, stimulate economic opportunity, improve urban health and education, promote community arts, and operate and advocate for vital programs that benefit low-income New Yorkers of all ages.
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Contact: Emily Crossan, Marketing and Communications Director, (212) 219-1800, ext. 233, ecrossan@lawyersalliance.org