NYLPI’s Twenty Second Law & Society Award Luncheon was held on February 17, 2015 at the Waldorf Astoria. More than 700 people, including lawyers, judges, public officials, and community partners, braved the snow to honor Carey Dunne and Don Liu, two attorneys of the highest distinction who have devoted significant efforts to pro bono and public service.
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(L-R) Former NYLPI board chair John Siffert of Lankler Siffert & Wohl, NYLPI executive director McGregor Smyth, and 2013 honoree Steve Reiss of Weil, Gotshal & Manges at the 2015 Law & Society Award Luncheon. | (L-R) McGregor Smyth, 2015 honorees Don Liu of Xerox Corporation and Carey Dunne of Davis Polk & Wardwell, and NYLPI board chair Lawrence Gresser of Cohen & Gresser. | NYLPI’s director of pro bono programs, Marnie Berk with NYLPI board member Alan Neuwirth of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. |
Meet Our Honorees

Please click here to view Mr. Dunne’s remarks from the luncheon.
Don H. Liu is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Xerox Corporation, where he oversees the company’s legal affairs including litigation and patent acquisition. He also manages governance and regulatory compliance for the board of directors and is responsible for corporate security, Xerox’s ethics program, the Xerox Foundation, government affairs, and public policy activities on domestic and international affairs. Prior to joining Xerox, Mr. Liu was Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Toll Brothers, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for IKON Office Solutions and Vice President and Deputy Chief Legal Officer for Aetna U.S. Healthcare. He served as a Law Clerk to Justice Stewart G. Pollock at the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Mr. Liu is much admired for his staunch commitment to diversity and social justice. His passion for promoting diversity in the practice of law is reflected in his affiliations with professional and nonprofit organizations including the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He also serves as the vice chairman of the Asian American Diversity Advisory Council for Comcast Corporation. He is the recipient of the Legacy Diversity Award by the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education Opportunity, MCCA/America Lawyer Media Diversity Award, the Justice in Action Award from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the ICON Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Achievement Award from Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey, and the Business Leadership Award from the Korean American Coalition. Mr. Liu received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and his B.A. from Haverford College.
Please click here to view Mr. Liu’s remarks from the luncheon.
2015 Co-Chairs
Lauren E. Aguiar
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
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Matthew D. Ingber
Mayer Brown LLP
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Thomas C. Rice
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
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John K. Carroll
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
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Brad S. Karp
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
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Scott F. Roybal
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
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Evan R. Chesler
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
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Andrew J. Levander
Dechert LLP
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John F. Savarese
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
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Mark Costello
Xerox Corporation
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Mitchell A. Lowenthal
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
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Dana M. Seshens
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
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Stephen M. Cutler
JPMorgan Chase &Co.
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Gary G. Lynch
Bank of America
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Samuel W. Seymour
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
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Hector Gonzalez
Dechert LLP
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Denis J. McInerney
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
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John S. Siffert
Lankler Siffert & Wohl LLP
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Lawrence T. Gresser
Cohen & Gresser LLP
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Gary P. Naftalis
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
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Charles A. Stillman
Ballard Spahr Stillman & Friedman LLP
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Kimberley D. Harris
NBCUniversal Inc.
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Bettina B. Plevan
Proskauer Rose LLP
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Robert L. Wallan
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
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James D. Herschlein
Kaye Scholer LLP
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Steven A. Reiss
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
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Debra Wong Yang
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
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Stories of Justice: NYLPI’s Work in 2014
Images from the 2015 Luncheon
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For images and video from the 2014 Law & Society Award Luncheon, please click here.