Attorney Emeritus Program Advisory Council

The New York State Attorney Emeritus Program (AEP) Advisory Council is chaired by Professor John D. Feerick (former Dean of Fordham Law School).

The Advisory Council confers with the AEP team and leadership on ways to ensure that volunteers provide high-quality legal services, to make the volunteer experience as satisfying and desirable as possible, and to help guide outreach, recruitment and recognition strategies. The AEP is staffed by court personnel, a team at the Feerick Center and Legal Assistance of Western New York, including three AmeriCorps VISTA members.

The Council also serves as a bridge to the bar, the legal services community, and the nonprofit sector.

Ex Officio

  • Helaine M. Barnett, Chair, Permanent Commission on Access to Justice
  • Edwina G. Richardson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, Office for Justice Initiatives, New York State Unified Court System
  • Michelle Smith, Chief of Staff, Office for Justice Initiatives, New York State Unified Court System

Chair

  • John D. Feerick, Founder and Senior Counsel, Feerick Center for Social Justice, Fordham Law School

Council Members

  • Robert Abrams, Former Attorney General of New York State
  • Jacqueline Adorno, Supervising Attorney, Mobilization for Justice
  • Akua Akyea, Associate Dean for Career Development, Cornell Law School
  • Lauren Axelrod, General Counsel, New York City Bar Association
  • Kathy Hirata Chin, Retired Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP
  • Catherine A. Christian, Partner, Liston Abramson LLP
  • Christine M. Fecko, General Counsel, The IOLA Fund of the State of New York
  • Fern A. Fisher, Special Assistant to the Dean on Social Justice Initiatives, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and Executive Director, Legal Hand, Inc.
  • Sheila A. Gaddis, Partner, Barclay Damon LLP
  • Natalie M. Gomez-Velez, Professor of Law, The City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law
  • Stephen W. Greiner, Retired Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
  • Heidi Lee Henderson, President & Chief Executive Officer
  • Adriene L. Holder, Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice, The Legal Aid Society
  • Caprice R. Jenerson, President and Attorney-in-Charge, Office of the Appellate Defender
  • Peter Kempner, Legal Director, Volunteers of Legal Service
  • Glenn Lau-Kee, Partner, Lau-Kee Law Group PLLC
  • Tanisha S. McKnight, Chief Operating Officer, United Way of New York City
  • Kelly McGovern, Director of Pro Bono Affairs, Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.
  • Christopher B. O’Malley, Executive Director, The IOLA Fund of the State of New York
  • Catherine Richardson, Retired Member, Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC
  • Alan Rothstein, Retired General Counsel, New York City Bar Association
  • William T. Russell Jr., Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
  • Arlene Sanders, Managing Attorney of Pro-Bono Programs, Legal Aid Society of Mid-NY, Inc.
  • Cynthia Schrock Seeley, Attorney, Law Office of Cynthia Schrock Seeley
  • Robert C. Sheehan, Retired Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
  • Kenneth G. Standard, Of Counsel, Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
  • Keisha Williams, Executive Director, Western New York Law Center