NYLPI’s annual Law & Society Award Luncheon is one of the New York City legal community’s premier events. The proceeds of the luncheon support NYLPI’s efforts to provide low-income communities with increased access to legal assistance. The event honors two prominent members of the private bar for their exemplary commitment to public service.
Over the last twenty one years, our luncheon has played host to sell-out crowds consisting of partners from New York City’s major law firms, federal judges, and prominent members of the City’s corporate law departments. This event, which includes a cocktail reception and seated luncheon, provides sponsors with numerous recognition and networking opportunities.
This year is the Law and Society Award Luncheon’s twenty second anniversary and we are proud to honor Carey R. Dunne, Partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Don H. Liu, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Xerox Corporation.
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| (L-R) NYLPI executive director McGregor Smyth, 2014 honorees Peter Beshar of Marsh & McLennan and Andy Levander of Dechert, and NYLPI immediate past board chair Hector Gonzalez of Dechert. | Over 800 guests gathered in the grand ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria to celebrate Peter Beshar and Andy Levander’s commitment to social justice at the 2014 Law & Society Award Luncheon. | (L-R) Immediate past chair Hector Gonzalez of Dechert, NYLPI board chair Lawrence Gresser of Cohen & Gresser, and past board chair John Siffert of Lanker Siffert & Wohl. |
Meet Our Honorees
Carey R. Dunne is a Partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Chair of the firm’s White Collar Criminal Defense Group. He is widely respected for his legal acumen as a top adviser and defense counsel, his distinguished career in public service, and his dedication to pro bono. Mr. Dunne has practiced at Davis Polk for the last 27 years, after starting his career as a prosecutor in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. In addition to his client work, Mr. Dunne served for nine years on Davis Polk’s three-person global Management Committee. He is also a past President of the New York City Bar Association, the largest such organization in the city, with 23,000 members. He has a long history of service to the legal profession and the New York State Courts, including his appointment in 2007 by then-Chief Judge Judith Kaye as Chair of the Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts. His pro bono successes include, as lead trial counsel, a jury verdict of acquittal in the 2007 murder trial of Lonnie Jones, who was cleared of all charges and released from prison where he had been wrongly held for more than five years. Mr. Dunne has received broad recognition for his professional accomplishments. In 2008, he was presented by the Fund for Modern Courts with the John J. McCloy Award for outstanding contributions to the administration of justice in New York State. Under his leadership, Davis Polk’s White Collar Criminal Defense Group was named a “White Collar Group of the Year” by Law360 for 2012 and Mr. Dunne was named “Regulatory Enforcement Lawyer of the Year” in New York City by Best Lawyers 2014. Mr. Dunne received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from Oberlin College.
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
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For images and video from the 2014 Law & Society Award Luncheon, please click here.