The Racial Justice Imperative – Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration

United States:

The Racial Justice Imperative

08 March 2022

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

On May 25, 2020, our nation — and the
world — bore witness to the murder of George Floyd. His
murder made it impossible for our country to continue to
participate in a collective, deliberate “unknowing” of
the ways racism permeates our society and leads to the devaluation
and destruction of Black lives. The protests that ensued created a
shift in our consciousness, an understanding of the structural
nature of racism and of the multifaceted and interconnected ways
that Black people in the United States are impacted and
disadvantaged from birth to death.

In what is now referred to as the “post-George Floyd”
era, companies and institutions nationwide continue to proclaim
their support for Black lives, for racial justice, for equity and
for inclusion. For Kramer Levin, it was critically important to
pair our words with action, our beliefs with practice. As a result,
in June 2020, Kramer Levin established the Racial Justice
Initiative in order to maximize the firm’s ability to address
racial and social justice issues. This important initiative, which
is led by the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, pursues pro bono
opportunities focused on racial injustice and inequality, including
criminal justice reform, which has been a long-standing focus of
the firm’s pro bono work. The two primary leaders of the
initiative are partners Christopher S. Auguste and Steven S.
Sparling. The initiative concentrates its efforts in four primary
areas: litigation, transactional/corporate support, voting rights
and community outreach.

The firm’s Racial Justice Initiative is innovative because
of its size, scope and focus on work that has a definitive impact.
More than 150 volunteers — staff and attorneys — are
engaged in this work. The programs include:

1. The Veterans Assistance Project, which, in partnership with the
   City Bar Justice Center and others, helps disabled veterans, mostly
   people of color, apply for medical benefits after they have been
   denied;




2. representing LGBTQ Black and Latinx refugees fleeing
   persecution in a lawsuit to block the prior administration’s
   destructive overhaul of the asylum system;




3. collaborating with the Harlem and Morningside Heights offices
   of NYC Business Solutions to help low- and lower-income
   entrepreneurs as they restart, maintain and grow their
   businesses;




4. volunteering as nonpartisan poll monitors on Election Day on
   behalf of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund;




5. working with the Legal Aid Society to help guide individuals
   filing complaints with the Civil Complaint Review Board,
   particularly regarding police violence or bad arrests;




6. joining the Volunteers of Legal Service in advocating on behalf
   of claimants at unemployment hearings;




7. partnering with Trust Law to provide a legal “health
   check” workshop for social enterprises that serve Black and
   Latinx communities;




8. representing the new Universal Hip Hop Museum in matters
   related to the construction of museum space in the South Bronx,
   which is anticipated to be completed in 2023 and open to the public
   in 2025;




9. working with the Legal Aid Society to file Article 78
   proceedings in New York State Court, pursuant to the Freedom of
   Information Act, related to the New York Police Department’s
   Gang Database, which is 98% Black or Latinx; and




10. representing the American Civil Liberties Union and its local
    Montana chapter in filing an amicus brief supporting a Native
    American woman’s respondent superior claims against the Bureau
    of Indian Affairs for the rape committed by one of its
    officers.

Most recently, and in keeping with our commitment to racial
justice, diversity, equity and inclusion, Kramer Levin launched a
Racial Justice Initiative Scholars program for 1L law students at
select New York City law schools. Kramer Levin’s RJI Scholars
participate in monthly, limited-scope RJI clinics focused on
combating racial injustice and inequality. The RJI clinics help RJI
Scholars jumpstart their legal careers by exposing them to the
practice of law in a real-world setting where they are supervised
and supported by practicing lawyers.

Our Racial Justice Initiative will continue to evolve to address
an ever-changing world. Although the challenges are great and
longstanding, we are prepared to meet them, steadfast as we are in
our values and our commitment to racial justice.

Originally Published by Savoy

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