Pro Bono Partnership Names 2012 Volunteers of the Year: BASF, McCarter & English and Eric Cohen, Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson, Brian DuPerre, Gary Ekman, and Patricia Melick

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pro Bono Partnership, a nonprofit legal assistance provider serving Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York nonprofit organizations, celebrated its 2012 Volunteers of the Year at a March 13 reception hosted by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. BASF Corporation Senior Vice President and General Counsel David Stryker and McCarter & English Firmwide Managing Partner Stephen Vajtay were presented their awards by two of the many Partnership clients BASF and McCarter attorneys have assisted: Stephen Weissner of Flat Rock Brook Nature Center (Englewood, NJ) and Ariel Hauptman of Greyston Bakery (Yonkers, NY) respectively. Individual attorneys honored for their outstanding volunteer service include: Eric I Cohen, Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Terex Corporation; Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson of Robinson & Cole; Brian DuPerre, Chief Privacy Officer & Senior Legal Counsel, UnitedHealthcare; Gary Ekman, Assistant General Counsel, JPMorgan Chase Bank; and Patricia Melick, Partner, Wiggin and Dana.

A project for St Paul’s Child Development Center in Bridgeport, CT, was also named Outstanding Nonprofit Project of 2012. Attorneys David Swerdloff of Day Pitney, Eli Salcedo formerly of Day Pitney and Aleksander Lamvol of Sikorsky Aircraft worked for two years to structure the Center as a stand-alone nonprofit, negotiate with its new landlord and keep it operating without a gap in service after its church sponsor of 25 years closed.

Pro Bono Partnership recruits more than 900 attorneys annually to provide free legal advice to its nonprofit clients. Executive Director Rick Hobish says, “The Partnership is proud to celebrate the contributions of these dedicated volunteers, each of whom has made a commitment far above and beyond the ordinary. Their gift of time and expertise has significantly strengthened a wide range of nonprofit organizations serving dozens of local communities and, often, the most vulnerable people in those communities. The Partnership is honored to recognize their outstanding community service.”