Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP will donate over $27,000 "Chow for Charity" dollars to New York pro bono organizations. "Chow for Charity," part of the law firm’s summer associate program, was inspired by a Meals-On-Wheels initiative.
Lawyers and summer associates going outside of the office for lunch are given an alternative to dining at one of the city’s finer restaurants. If they choose to have a more informal meal at a moderately priced restaurant, the Firm donates $45 per person to one of four organizations, selected by the summer associates.
"Simpson Thacher has a strong pro bono tradition. This program is another way for us to support groups providing legal services to the poor that has become more popular with our summer associates every year," according to partner Todd Crider, a member of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee. This past summer was the third year that the Firm made the charity lunch option available. In the two previous years, the Firm donated a total of over $40,000 to charities as a result of this program.
This year’s Chow for Charity beneficiaries are The Legal Aid Society, Human Rights First, the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, and inMotion, Inc., all of which have well-developed relationships with the Firm. Catherine Douglass, Executive Director of inMotion, says, "We are delighted to receive this additional financial assistance from Simpson Thacher, as well as to work with summer associates there who participate in our Family Court and Uncontested Divorce Summer Associate Projects."
InMotion provides legal services to low-income women and children, many of whom suffer from domestic violence. Human Rights First is a human rights advocacy organization based in New York City and Washington, D.C. The Vance Center for International Justice is dedicated to promoting social responsibility in the legal profession with a focus on Latin America and Southern Africa. It is associated with the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and was named in honor of Cyrus R. Vance, the former Secretary of State and peace negotiator and long-time partner at Simpson Thacher. The Legal Aid Society is the nation’s oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent, providing a full range of civil legal services, as well as criminal defense work, and juvenile representation in Family Court.