Bragging rights and other motivators

“I think it was a mix of both the competitive nature of the challenge as well as the clarity that it provided to the Campaign for Justice that motivated so many new attorneys to donate this year,” Hanok George, employment litigator at Littler Mendelson PC said.

Jimmy Paulino, Goldberg Segalla litigator, who was also a key player in the recent Law Firm Challenge component of the Campaign for Justice, added: “While folks were interested in the possibility of ‘bragging rights’ and the event at Cure, almost everyone had already donated before we finalized the details, so I know it was not their motivation.”

Paulino should know. He was instrumental in getting AppealTech as a sponsor for the Law Firm Challenge Recognition Social at Cure – where more than 50 young donors gathered to celebrate a terrific campaign.

“This inaugural philanthropic competition was a great success by all measurements,” acknowledged VLSP Executive Director Sheila Gaddis. “I asked Jeremy [Cooney] to help increase participation by the ‘under-40’ attorneys, and he delivered.”

By the numbers, the Law Firm Challenge:

· raised more than $10,000 towards the $250,000 campaign goal
· engaged over 100 new young donors to the campaign
· 80% of the gifts from attorneys under age 40 were new this year
· all within a 3-week deadline to keep the energy high

A special “hats off” to the firms that reached 100% participation from their under-40-attorneys, and a most grateful thank you to all participating law firms and government offices.


Written by Nora A. Jones

Dedicated volunteers work on telephone fundraising

With a Campaign for Justice goal of $275,000, a variety of tactics are used to raise funds for
programs at the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, Legal Assistance of Western New York and Volunteer Legal Services Project.

Phone calls to attorneys -- from attorneys -- has been a traditional approach to kick-start the annual fundraiser that typically runs November-March.

Using a studio at WXXI on the morning of December 4, local attorneys secured over $17,000 in pledges in the span of 3 hours.

VLSP Board President M. Aileen Shinaman (general counsel at University of Rochester) reminded herself to tally the pledges she secured as she set an example for the dedicated Campaign for Justice volunteers.

In a little over one hour, she had $1,000, and was awaiting several call-backs.

Other phone-line volunteers included past VLSP President Frank Novak (Harter Secrest & Emery), VLSP board members Anthony Piazza (Hiscock & Barclay), Fernando Santiago (Santiago Burger Annechino), Maureen Mulholland (Monro Muffler Brake), and Tom Richards (former Rochester mayor).

“There’s a bit of trepidation in making the calls,” joked Santiago, “but it’s a lot of fun and for such a great cause.”

Scott Forsyth (Forsyth & Forsyth), Phil Spellane (Harris Beach), Mike Schnittman (retired, Lacy Katzen) and Katherine McGuire (Woods Oviatt) were also on the early morning shift, with Legal Aid Society president and CEO Carla Palumbo on hand to answer questions for volunteers.

“From the perspective of a legal service provider, I am so grateful that this community ‘gets it.’ The need for civil legal representation continues to grow,” Palumbo stated. “At the end of the day, these are the funds that allow us to represent the people we do.”

The campaign continues through March 31, 2015. Donations can be made online at www.vlsprochester.org/campaign-for-justice.html

-Written by Nora A. Jones