one by one - inMotion Inc.

SPRING 2006 

one by one 

MAKING WOMEN’ S V OICES HEARD IN OUR COURTS 

Letter from Catherine J. Douglass, Executive Director 

I am pleased to share here the remarks I delivered to the nearly 200 members of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association at their 

annual meeting this year. I embraced this rare opportunity to inform lawyers from all around our state about the direct representation and assistance 

inMotion provides to women in New York City and our broader reform initiatives. 

It is a high honor to join the company of outstanding judges and private 

practitioners, leaders all, who have received this award before me. I am 

touched that some of you are here today. I have been privileged to work 

with many of you and I remain in awe of your accomplishments on behalf 

of women. 

In 1992, the same year the Ruth G. Schapiro Memorial Award was established, 

I founded inMotion, a non-profit organization that assists women with 

matrimonial, family and immigration law issues. The words justice for all women 

are not just a tagline in our logo—they are our banner and call to action. 

InMotion is a service organization, primarily. We help women, one by one, 

to understand their legal rights and options. And we try our 

best to equip as many women as possible with not only 

knowledge and advice, but also lawyers to represent them for 

free when they are in family crisis. 

InMotion came about when I realized I could bring new 

resources to a seemingly intractable problem—the lack of 

representation for poor people in our courts when they need 

to protect the most important things in their lives—their own 

and their children’s health and safety. My experience on the 

board of directors of a battered women’s organization had 

impressed upon me the absolute urgency of taking action. 

I was not a litigator. I had spent the first 14 years of my legal 

career in a large corporate law firm serving institutional 

clients. But I had seen successful pro bono programs and 

thought the time was right to challenge and encourage 

corporate lawyers like myself to step up to provide pro bono representation 

to indigent women who needed orders of protection, custody, child 

support and divorce. 

In my 13 years working in the public interest sector, I have found people to 

be incredibly generous, with their time, expertise and money. InMotion 

needed experienced matrimonial and family law practitioners to mentor 

our first volunteer lawyers. We needed links to legal services agencies that 

would refer us clients from their waiting lists. Of course, we needed 

volunteer lawyers and law firms willing to support their work. We needed 

Chief Judge Judith Kaye (left), 

the first recipient of the Schapiro 

Award, congratulates Catherine on 

her many contributions to promote 

women’s access to justice in New 

York City courts. 

people at every level in the court system to teach us how the system worked. 

And we needed board members thoroughly committed to our mission. They 

were all there, from the beginning, and I wish they were all here to share this 

award with me today, for they deserve our recognition and thanks. 

The other important part of my work on behalf of women has been as a 

founder and co-chair of the Lawyers Committee Against Domestic Violence. 

This group has worked to bring about broader systemic change, always 

drawing upon our experiences representing individual women in the courts. 

In 1993, a group of about six lawyers all working in different agencies 

assisting domestic violence survivors decided to pool resources and share 

experiences in order to find new and better ways to assist victims of abuse. 

Now a dozen years later, the Lawyers Committee Against 

Domestic Violence has nearly 100 members. We work 

through subcommittees on a wide-range of projects, from 

advocating for legislative change, to meeting regularly with 

judges and court personnel to address problems for litigants 

in the courts, to organizing an annual two-day conference 

focused on developing strategies for assisting victims and 

preventing further abuse. 

I have seen that change is difficult, for people and for 

institutions. We all find every excuse for continuing along 

familiar pathways. It takes persistence and creativity to get 

people to consider new options. But I am energized every day 

by the people I am privileged to work with and by the sense 

that we are making real progress toward important goals. 

There are still thousands of litigants in our courts who cannot afford lawyers 

to represent them and who are therefore unable to access legal remedies 

that might bring them physical safety and economic security. Too many 

women struggle to feed, clothe and shelter their families. The lives of 

immigrants and domestic violence victims are especially precarious. 

The Ruth G. Schapiro Memorial Award says that the search for new ways for 

women’s voices to be heard in our courts is important. I am committed for 

the long haul to that search. 

THE NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION HONORS CATHERINE J. DOUGLASS 

On January 27th, Catherine Douglass received the Ruth G. Schapiro Memorial Award 

from the New York State Bar Association, an award established in 1992 in memory of 

the first Chair of the Association’s Committee on Women in the Law. This award 

honors an individual who has made noteworthy contributions to advance the 

concerns of women in our justice system. 

Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum (left), 

sister of the late Ruth Schapiro, and 

A. Vincent Buzzard (right), president, 

New York State Bar Association, present the 

Ruth G. Schapiro Memorial Award to inMotion 

executive director, Catherine J. Douglass.

commitment to justice 

2005 AWARDS CEREMONY 

The spectacular Dahesh Museum of Art in midtown was the venue for our 7th Annual Commitment to Justice 

Awards ceremony on November 29th. We proudly honored the hundreds of volunteers who provided outstanding 

pro bono services to inMotion and our clients in 2005. Zachary W. Carter, partner, Dorsey & Whitney, spoke 

movingly about his personal encounters, as a former prosecutor and Criminal Court Judge, with domestic 

abusers. He praised the courage of inMotion’s clients and the extraordinary 

outcomes our volunteers have achieved for thousands of women and children. 

Heidi Lee Henderson, inMotion director, legal 

services, presents the Law Firm Award to 

Stephen Saxl, partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP. 

Bernadette Smith (left) accepts the Solo 

Practitioner Award from inMotion staff 

attorney Libby Vázquez. 

2005 COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AWARD RECIPIENTS 

Zachary W. Carter, partner, Dorsey & 

Whitney, delivers the keynote address. 

Photos by Lynn Borowitz Photography/ 

lynnborowitz@mac.com 

“I’ve prosecuted major drug dealers, 

armed bank robbers and organized 

crime figures, and I’ve never actually 

been, ever, in fear of my safety. 

When I sat in Criminal Court in 

Queens, after having made a 

decision to grant a temporary order 

of protection against a man who was 

brought before me, accused of 

having battered his spouse or 

girlfriend, and I looked into the eyes 

of that man and saw his absolute 

rage that I had the unmitigated gall 

to interfere with his proprietary right 

and his dominion and control over 

this woman—I felt danger.” 

Zachary W. Carter 

LAW FIRM AWARD 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP, honoring the firm’s outstanding commitment to 

pro bono services and ongoing support of inMotion. We also recognized 

the firm for its focus on educating corporations nationwide about domestic 

violence, while serving as a role model for all employers on protecting 

their employees from domestic abuse. 

SPECIAL TEAM AWARD 

White & Case LLP Externs—2002–2005: Meghan M. Beakman, Justin M. Brown, 

Sheryl L. Dickey, Paul E. Godinez, Averie K. Hason, Melonie S. Jurgens, 

Sharan E. Lieberman, Meghan McCurdy, Grace M. McSorley, Victoria L. Oswald, 

Ally Rich, Louis S. Silvestri, Philip B. Sineneng, Gregory M. Starner, recognizing 

14 extraordinary lawyers, each of whom worked full-time for a three-month 

rotation in our offices on especially complicated and demanding cases. 

Their intelligence, persistence and compassion have brought positive 

change to more than 200 families in our City. 

ASSOCIATE AWARDS 

Joshua A. Brook—Arnold & Porter LLP, for his skillful and successful 

representation of numerous clients on difficult matters. His unrelenting 

and vigorous advocacy brought about the return of two young children to 

their mother’s custody after they were removed, without any notice or 

legal basis, from her care. 

William F. Clarke, Jr.—Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, for 

his superior work assisting three clients in obtaining divorces, custody of 

their children and significant child support awards. 

Jeffrey J. Federman and Christopher K. Kiplok—Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, 

for their determined and sustained efforts to achieve justice for one client, 

a recent immigrant from Poland, whom they continue to represent in 

multiple matters in Family and Supreme Court. 

Margo G. Ferrandino—Kaye Scholer LLP, for her fearless advocacy on 

a complicated custody and visitation case that pitted her client against 

several other parties. Her client ultimately retained custody of her child, 

while the other parties involved were denied visitation. 

JOHN K. GEIGER AWARD 

Wendy B. Reilly—Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, for demonstrating committed 

and caring leadership in building inMotion’s pro bono program at 

her firm. Playing a key role since summer 2003, Wendy has offered 

supervision, support, mentoring and trouble-shooting on 27 Debevoise 

& Plimpton matters. 

SOLO PRACTITIONER AWARDS 

Jose L. Massas, an active member of our Bronx-based pro bono attorney 

panel since 2001, for assisting many women, especially Spanish-speakers, 

in securing divorces from their batterers, allowing them to free themselves 

and their children from abusive situations. 

Andrea L. Rodriguez, for willingly accepting a full array of pro bono 

matters, including divorce, order of protection and immigration cases 

and for demonstrating extraordinary sensitivity to each client’s situation. 

Karen Eagan Shelton—Burger & Yagerman, LLP, for zealous and caring 

advocacy that brought safety and freedom from fear to a woman who was 

married for 15 years to a physically abusive drug user. 

Bernadette A. Smith, for representing survivors of domestic violence 

in complicated divorce and custody proceedings, securing favorable 

judgments and custody awards for many inMotion clients. 

I N-HOUSE VOLUNTEER AWARDS 

Lynn Czaporowski, who, as an incredibly loyal volunteer at our monthly 

walk-in clinic in the Bronx, has assisted more than 60 women over the 

past two years. Lynn is especially sensitive to clients with mental health 

issues that may impair their ability to proceed with their legal cases. 

Anna Glodek, an invaluable resource for our Polish clients. Since 

September 2004, Anna has volunteered two to three full days a week 

at inMotion, carrying a caseload of 10–15 uncontested divorce cases. 

SPECIAL AWARDS 

Jae H. Song, a psychology graduate student at NYU, whose sophisticated 

statistical analyses provided the basis for upgrading our operational 

systems and supported critical foundation funding requests. 

Carol Lynn “Cookie” Vazquez—C.L.V. Art Services, who has generously 

donated her time and talents to our annual photography auction, matting 

the photographs to be auctioned each year to the highest bidder. 

2

a visionary partner 

In 1993, with $75,000 in seed money from the firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher 

and many of her former partners, and sage, strategic advice from the leadership 

of her former firm, Cathy Douglass founded the organization now known as 

inMotion. Willkie partners Leslie Mazza and Duncan Stewart served on the 

organization’s first board of directors; the firm was inMotion’s first Corporate 

Partner, with Myron Trepper, Willkie co-chairman, as its representative. 

Demonstrating their commitment to serving the neediest in our City—and their 

faith in Cathy’s vision—the firm’s leaders encouraged lawyers to provide pro 

bono representation to inMotion’s clients in divorce and family law matters, 

a ground-breaking new area of practice for this and other corporate law firms. 

Pictured are just some of the key partners of the firm who have earned a special place 

in the heart and history of inMotion. Seated (left to right): Marty Klotz, Rick Posen, 

Myron Trepper, Shelley Chapman, Peter Jakes, John D'Alimonte. Standing: Gene Pinover, 

Leslie Mazza, Larry Kamin, Joe Baio, Kelly Hnatt, Roger Netzer and David McCabe. 

The firm, under the committed leadership of 

then pro bono partner Larry Kamin, willingly 

volunteered in an untested new pro bono 

program, recognizing that thousands of fellow 

New Yorkers could not afford lawyers at times of 

enormous family crisis. Willkie’s support 

extended to hosting all volunteer training 

sessions that first year and most of the 

organization’s board meetings. Emotional 

support, encouragement, constructive feedback 

and a willingness to speak with other firms about 

working with inMotion all helped this fledgling 

organization rapidly gain a strong footing in the 

legal community. In that inaugural year, 30 cases 

were placed with pro bono attorneys. 

“The first couple of years were a bit daunting. 

It was a challenge to convince other firms that 

inMotion had the skill set to train and mentor 

their associates—and that matrimonial and 

family law were areas where their pro bono 

support would make a real difference,” reflects 

Leslie Mazza. “Knowing that Willkie was willing 

to take on cases definitely helped to open 

doors and minds.” 

In addition to its steadfast programmatic support, 

the firm has always stepped in to provide 

inMotion with invaluable advice and counsel on a 

variety of general management and development 

issues: Gene Pinover advises us on our real estate 

lease negotiations; Bob Kheel’s employment law 

expertise contributes to ever-evolving and solid 

human resources policies and procedures; and 

Marty Klotz is always available to review contracts 

with vendors and service providers. Former board 

member Joe Baio’s passion for photography 

helped us to turn our annual photography 

auction, which Joe chaired for five years, into one 

of the City’s most successful and well-attended 

charity events. And Shelley Chapman, inMotion’s 

current board chair, together with Myron 

Trepper, who served as honorary co-chair of our 

2003 benefit, have helped us establish strong and 

enduring support among individuals and firms in 

the bankruptcy and restructuring community. 

It has been a remarkable 13 years, and Willkie Farr 

& Gallagher’s commitment to inMotion remains 

as solid as ever. Over those years, while the firm’s 

financial support has been extraordinary— 

inMotion has received over $1.2 million in 

donations from the firm and its partners since 

1993—these dollars have been more than 

matched by a personal investment of precious 

time by hundreds of lawyers, legal assistants and 

support staff of the firm. Willkie’s lawyers have 

logged over 15,000 hours of pro bono time with 

inMotion over the past 10 years. Collectively, these 

caring attorneys have advocated for justice for 111 

women in Family and Supreme Courts; 14 cases 

are currently in progress. InMotion has 

recognized the quality of this representation over 

the years by singling out six associates and two 

partners of the firm to receive inMotion’s highest 

accolade, our Commitment to Justice Award. 

“Our partnership with inMotion is truly unique,” 

says Willkie chairman Jack Nusbaum, “and we're 

proud of the significant and measurable impact 

the firm has had on the success of the 

organization. We are as committed today as we 

were in 1993 to supporting inMotion as it 

continues to grow and, most importantly, helps 

more women and children find justice.” 

NYU LAW WOMEN ADOPT INMOTION 

Each year, NYU Law Women, a student association and forum for women’s voices at New York University School of Law, 

raise funds for one organization they believe in. We were thrilled when we learned that inMotion was selected as the group’s 

beneficiary for 2006. As a special added incentive, our founding corporate partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, 

announced that it would match each dollar raised in this year’s fundraising drive. 

Jennifer Hardy, NYU Law Women board 

member (right), drops by our Manhattan 

office to present her organization’s donation 

and matching check from Willkie Farr & 

Gallagher LLP to Nadia Gareeb, inMotion 

senior staff attorney. 

And so for months, NYU Law Women devoted hours of their scarce free time to staffing donation tables at their law school, 

hosting social gatherings and leveraging their many connections to New York City corporate law firms to raise funds for 

inMotion. These committed students also coordinated an extensive email campaign to solicit the support of students, alumni 

and other groups within New York University’s student bar associations. 

The hard work of the NYU Law Women produced an amazing $7,300, which Willkie, as promised, then matched. Our heartfelt 

thanks go to Willkie Farr & Gallagher, to the many firms and individuals contributing to the NYU Law Women campaign, and to 

Jennifer Hardy, Elise Roeker and Carolyn Walther, NYU Law Women board members, who organized this record-breaking effort. 

3

our contributors 

INDIVIDUAL DONORS 

InMotion depends almost entirely on the private sector for support, and a large and growing component of that support comes from individuals. 

We are proud to share with all of our newsletter subscribers this list of committed individuals who contributed $500 or more in 2005. We hope that 

they serve as an inspiration for others to join them in donating to inMotion in 2006. 

$10,000 AND OVER 

Anonymous 

Joseph Baio 

David Barse 

Dale and Max Berger 

Shelley and Paul Chapman 

John Coffey 

Susan Cook and Drew Fine 

Patricia and Edward De Sear 

Catherine Douglass and Bruce 

Dohrenwend 

Helen and Fred Dunbar 

Cristina Enriquez-Bocobo 

Amy Frolick and Brad Eric Scheler 

Kathryn and David Heleniak 

Laura Impert and Steven Germain 

Helene Jaffe and Robert Brodegaard 

Lynette and Steven Koppel 

Evelyn and Leonard Lauder 

Marla Mayer and Christopher Ahearn 

Evelyn and David McCabe 

Mary Elizabeth McGarry and 

Stanley Okula, Jr. 

Carolyn and Jim Millstein 

Diane and Ira Millstein 

Edward Mule 

Sheila Patel and Steve Benfield 

Elaine Sargent 

Wendy and Stephen Siegel 

Elizabeth Talerman 

Harriet and Myron Trepper 

Mary Warren 

$5,000—$9,999 

Robyn and Marc Abrams 

Melissa and Daniel Berger 

Francie and Jon Cho 

Mitchell Cohen 

Jennifer Colver 

Mario Cuomo 

Roberta and Gandolfo DiBlasi 

Jenny and Bruce Gregory 

Sanford Hartman 

Rita Hernandez and Darnley Stewart 

Ashley Hufft 

Carla Hughson-Schmidt 

M. Elaine Johnston 

Alison and James Kallman 

Sheldon Kasowitz 

Michael Kramer 

Yvonne and Martin Lewis 

Maria Melendez and Jim Hinkley 

Harvey Miller 

Eileen and Arthur Newman 

Elizabeth and Jeffrey Peek 

Sharri and Richard Posen 

Jolie Schwab and David Hodes 

Melissa and Robert Soros 

Joe Stern 

Spencer Wells 

$2,500—$4,999 

Ann and Steven Ames 

Virginia Arcari and John Tavss 

Lee and Robert Attanasio 

Christine Douglass 

Michael Fascitelli 

Ruth and Arthur Feder 

Joy Gallup and Alan Knoll 

Marty and David Hamamoto 

Tricia Hammes 

Kelly Hnatt and Brad Randall 

John Knight 

Linda and Alan Landis 

Helen and Jack Nash 

Deborah Paul 

Barbara and Louis Perlmutter 

Stephen Rabinowitz 

Randy Reiff 

Pamela Samuelson and 

Robert Glushko 

Julie Saul 

Sabrena Silver 

Andrea and Robert Solomon 

Vanessa and Drew Wittman 

Pamela Zilly 

$1,000—$2,499 

Alexandra and Kenneth Alberstadt 

K. Tucker Anderson 

Judith and Alan Applebaum 

Dorothy and Frederico Arcari 

John Arnholz 

Leslie and Paul Aronzon 

Kevin Arquit 

Terri Austin and Ben Chiles 

Laura and Keith Barket 

Karyn and Charles Bendit 

Jackie and Gene Brody 

Allan Brown 

Barbara and Stephen Brown 

Renee Brown 

Lauren Buxbaum 

Francie Campbell and Roger Netzer 

James Capra Jr. 

Kerry Chandler 

Beth and Sam Chapin 

Andrew Chisholm 

Cheryl Christman and Thomas Rice 

Barbara Cipolla 

Joan and John Cleary 

Ellen and Peter Cohen 

Harriet Newman Cohen 

Marsha and Dennis Dammerman 

Gari and Ira Dansky 

David Delaney 

Cecily Dexter and Michael Cooper 

Rose DiMartino 

Daniel Doctoroff 

Diana and Eugene Pinover 

Freddi Finegood and Ethan Horwitz 

Tom Fink 

Catherine Flax and Roman Kosecki 

Evy and Paul Frankel 

Myra Freed 

Alice Geller and Scott Levine 

Maxine and Theodore Geller 

Judith and Steven Gluckstern 

Jane and Ishaia Gol 

Colleen and Thomas Golden 

Arlene and Mark Goldsmith 

Ronald Goldstein 

Jill Laurie Goodman 

Melanie Gray 

Elizabeth Grayer and Aidan Synnott 

Nancy Green 

Karin Greene 

Beth Ann and David Greenwald 

Jane Hanson and Patrick Shrout 

Ruth Harlow and Deirdre Sullivan 

Constance Harvard 

Nell Hennessy 

Patricia Hynes 

Cheryl Indehar 

Jill and Ken Iscol 

Karen and Peter Jakes 

Lynn Judell and Steven Wolf 

Nancy and Martin Kaminsky 

Linda and Bill Kaye 

Karen and Kevin Kennedy 

Robert Kheel 

Sam Kim 

Jean King 

Ethel Klein and Edward Krugman 

Diane Kranz 

Susan and David Lane 

Elizabeth Langwith 

Janet and Lawrence Larose 

Julie and Stephen Ledoux 

Amanda Lin and Nathan Thomas 

Helen and John Lobrano 

Jeanne Luboja and John Timm 

Bertil Lundquist 

Janice Mac Avoy and Johnson McKelvy 

Catherine and Joseph Magnano 

Elaine Mandelbaum 

Elizabeth Marcellino 

Leslie Mazza 

Ronay and Richard Menschel 

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Mercy, Jr. 

Andrea and George Miller 

Evan Mirapaul 

Judith Mogul and Daniel Kramer 

Mr. and Mrs. Don Morgan 

Robert Mundheim 

Beverly and Steven Newborn 

Clare O'Brien 

John Oller 

Kate and Bradford Peck 

Suzanne Peck 

Anthony Persico 

Patricia Poglinco and Geoffrey Stein 

Hiroko and Gregg Polle 

Thomas Roberts 

Emilia and William Roll 

Laura and James Ross 

Harriet and Herbert Seif 

Betsey and Arthur Selkowitz 

Marcia Sells and Ken Kruta 

Ann and Stephen Shalen 

Meryl and Ken Sherman 

Wendy Sherman and Arthur Ainsberg 

Ruth-Ellen Simmonds 

Barry Skovgaard and Marc Wolinsky 

Cynthia Smith and Gregory Petrick 

Vanessa and Alexander Spiro 

Tracy and James Sprayregen 

Cyndi and Russell Stamm 

Kevin Sullivan 

David Tepper 

Laurie Tisch 

Roslyn Tom and Mark Mason 

Joseph Tringali 

Jean and Raymond Troubh 

Nick Van Alstine 

Nelida Velez and Jeffrey Glucksman 

Mary Kay Vyskocil 

Sharon Weinberg and 

Jeffrey Zimmerman 

Bettina Whyte and 

Anthony Schnelling 

Jo-Anne Williams and Richard Bilotti 

Kendrick Wilson III 

Meryl and Charles Witmer 

Kristin and David Woll 

Sheryl and Larry Wyman 

June Yuson 

Ellen and Michael Zuckert 

$500—$999 

Virginia and Roger Aaron 

Lynn and James Adamson 

Laura and Daniel Ahearn 

Dana Beth Ardi 

Cynthia Baldwin 

Louise Chazen Banon and 

Sidney Banon 

Bernard Barber 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Barkhorn III 

Elizabeth Beautyman and 

Gordon Travers 

Elisabeth Biondi 

Victoria and Hank Bjorklund 

Diane and David Boston 

Barbara and Richard Boyko 

Nancy and Alan Brenner 

Elizabeth Breslow 

Kathryn Briger 

Deborah Buell and Charles Henry 

Katheryn and Warren Buhle 

Debra Burlingame 

Alan Cannon 

Christine and Matthew Cantor 

Nancy Carmichael and 

A. Michael Washburn 

Babette Ceccotti 

Doug Chertok 

Jean Chin 

Theanne Chivity and 

Matthew Feldman 

Kelly and Joe Coffey 

Stephen Cooke 

Jeannie Costello 

Nancy and Kevin Culligan 

Lois and John D'Alimonte 

Susan DiCicco 

Doris Dohrenwend 

Patricia and Robert Dohrenwend 

Julie Domonkos 

Tara and William Dougherty 

Bruce Douglass 

Ulrika Ekman 

Betty Weinberg Ellerin 

Matt Feldman 

Joanne Flanagan 

Kathryn Gabler and Melvyn Cantor 

Jane Gard and Terry Meyers 

Donna and Steven Gartner 

Kelley Gipson 

Christine and Steven Glazer 

Lissa and Steven Goldberg 

Ilene Knable Gotts 

George Graham 

Peter Hanlon 

Kathryn Harper and 

H. John Gilbertson 

Sandra Hauser 

Lesley Heller 

Adria Hillman 

Gary Horowitz 

Garland Hunter 

Ali Iannuzzo 

Jan and David Ichel 

Suzanne Nora Johnson 

Roberta and Brad Karp 

Karin Katz 

Michelle Keeley and Mark Flanagan 

Joanna and Steven Klein 

Lillian Kraemer 

Carol and Robert Krinsky 

Mark Lab 

Nanette Laitman 

Diane and Ed Langwith 

Nancy Lazar 

Robert Lebeau 

Britta and Daniel Lerner 

Lori Lesser and Daniel Shuchman 

Linda Robbins Levine 

Fran and Jack Levy 

Warren Licht 

K. Lesli Ligorner 

Margaret and Daniel Loeb 

Richard Low 

Elise and Martin Luskin 

Caroline and Morris Massel 

Gina Maya and Richard Capelouto 

Michele Coleman Mayes 

Ann and Donald Molen 

Kathrine Mortensen 

Paula Mueller and Philippe Salomon 

Donald Mullen 

Ellen Nadler 

Amy and Harold Novikoff 

Jeanine and Kevin O'Brien 

Jeanne Olivier 

Margaret O'Neil 

Louise Parent and John Casaly 

Laurie and David Pauker 

Debra Pearlstein 

Ann Peterson 

Ally and Robert Rich 

Nathan Richardson 

Kathleen Roberts and 

Howard Clyman 

Meg and Steven Roberts 

Roger Rosen 

Victor Russo 

Evelyn and Jeffrey Sabin 

Nathalie and Ted Sann 

Cynthia and Frank Savage 

Jennifer and Richard Schifter 

Anthony Schlesinger 

Joyce and Benjamin Schlesinger 

Kathleen Scott 

Andrew Shapiro 

Felice Shea 

Elizabeth and David Sherman 

Mary and Alok Singh 

Jeffrey Smith 

Mary and David Solomon 

Michael Solow 

Martha Staniford 

Rolf Staub 

Frederieke Sanders Taylor 

Lisa Thompson 

Liz and Ken Tremain 

Ellen and David Wasserman 

Susan Weiner and 

Christopher Aidun 

Howard Weller 

Marissa Wesely and 

Fred Hamerman 

Precious Williams 

Donna Winston 

Barbara and William Wynne, Jr. 

Richard Wynne 

Linda Yowell and 

Richard Zuckerman 

Carol and Larry Zicklin 

Barbara Zimet 

Contributions received January 1 

through December 31, 2005. 

5

our contributors 

CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND LAW FIRMS 

$50,000 & OVER 

AlixPartners, LLC 

Anonymous 

IOLA Fund of the State of New York 

OgilvyOne Worldwide** 

Sidley Austin LLP 

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP 

$25,000–$49,999 

Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation 

Alvarez & Marsal 

American Express TRS Company, Inc. 

Capstone Advisory Group LLC 

Carnegie Corporation of New York 

Citigate Sard Verbinnen 

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP 

Davis Polk & Wardwell 

Evercore Partners LLC 

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & 

Jacobson LLP 

FTI Consulting, Inc. 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP 

Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & 

Friedman LLP 

King & Spalding LLP 

Kirkland & Ellis LLP 

Lehman Brothers 

Linklaters 

Masson & Company 

McKee Nelson LLP 

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP 

Silver Point Capital 

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & 

Flom LLP 

Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP 

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP 

UBS Investment Bank 

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz 

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP 

White & Case LLP 

$15,000–$24,999 

Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP 

Bloomberg 

Boies, Schilller & Flexner LLP 

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP 

Hedge Funds Care 

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 

Rothschild Inc. 

The Scherman Foundation, Inc. 

Seward & Kissel LLP 

Shearman & Sterling LLP 

Zurich Financial Services 

$10,000–$14,999 

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP 

Angelo, Gordon & Co. 

Anonymous 

Baker & McKenzie LLP 

Blank Rome LLP 

Bridge Associates LLC 

Bryan Cave LLP 

Conway, Del Genio, Gries & Co., LLC 

Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP 

General Re Corporation 

Giuliani Capital Advisors LLC 

Goodwin Procter LLP 

Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin 

Jefferies & Company, Inc. 

JPMorgan 

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP 

Kroll Zolfo Cooper 

MBIA Inc. 

Merrill Corporation 

Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC 

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP 

Oaktree Capital Management, LLC 

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 

The Else Sackler Foundation 

Michael & Nancy Charitable Trust, 

Sitrick And Company 

Stonehill Capital Management LLC 

Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP 

Xroads LLC 

$5,000–$9,999 

AXA Equitable 

Bank of America 

Chadbourne & Parke LLP 

CourtAlert* 

Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. 

HBO 

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP 

The Hyde and Watson Foundation 

Storch Amini & Munves, P.C. 

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP 

$1,000–$4,999 

Credit Suisse 

Hudson Global Resources 

Metzger-Price Fund, Inc. 

Morrison & Foerster LLP 

The New York Bar Foundation 

New York Yankees Community Council 

Pepper Hamilton LLP 

Vector Enterprises, Inc. 

Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch LLP 

* in-kind support 

** in-kind and financial support 

who we are 

CORPORATE PARTNERS, BOARD AND STAFF 

CORPORATE 

PARTNERS 

Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP 

Darnley D. Stewart, Esq. 

Davis Polk & Wardwell 

Howard A. Ellins, Esq. 

King & Spalding LLP 

Margaret E. O'Neil, Esq. 


Cathy M. Kaplan, Esq. 

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP 

Penny Shane, Esq. 

Bloomberg 

Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP 

Alan B. Vickery, Esq. 

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP 

Stephen H. Shalen, Esq. 

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP 

Darin P. McAtee, Esq. 

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP 

Janice Mac Avoy, Esq. 

General Re Corporation 

Richard W. Manz 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP 

Stephen L. Rabinowitz, Esq. 


Barbara D. Klippert, Esq. 


Elliot Gewirtz, Esq. 


Katharine I. Crost, Esq. 


William J.F. Roll III, Esq. 


Joseph F. Wayland, Esq. 

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP 

Sheila L. Birnbaum, Esq. 

Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP 

Sandra D. Hauser, Esq. 

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP 

Robert Lewin, Esq. 


James W. Quinn, Esq. 


Carol A. Witschel, Esq. 


Martin B. Klotz, Esq. 

Zurich Financial Services 

Christian Halabi, Esq 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Terri D. Austin, Esq. 

American International Group, Inc. 

Edward M. De Sear, Esq. 


Kelly Hoey, Esq. 


Elizabeth Langwith 

American Express TRS Co., Inc. 

Deborah L. Paul, Esq. ( SECRETARY) 

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz 

Dale G. Berger 

Elisabeth Biondi 

The New Yorker 

Reneé Brown 

WNBA 

Shelley C. Chapman, Esq. ( CHAIR) 


Barbara Cipolla 

Mediaedge:cia 

Catherine J. Douglass, Esq. ( PRESIDENT) 

inMotion, Inc. 

Drew S. Fine, Esq. 


Steven D. Germain, Esq. 

Patricia G. Hammes, Esq. 


Carla Hendra 

OgilvyOne North America 

Helene D. Jaffe, Esq. 


M. Elaine Johnston, Esq. ( TREASURER) 


Alison Napack Kallman, Esq. 

ThinkBox Inc. 

Alan M. Knoll, Esq. 


Lynette P. Koppel, Esq. 

Marla J. Mayer 

Goldman, Sachs & Co. 

Mary Elizabeth McGarry, Esq. 


María D. Meléndez, Esq. 


Jim Millstein ( VICE CHAIR) 

Lazard Frères & Co., LLC 

Julie Saul 

Julie Saul Gallery 

Brad Eric Scheler, Esq. 

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP 

Elizabeth Talerman 

Campfire 

Roslyn Tom, Esq. 

Baker & McKenzie LLP 

Nélida Vélez, Esq. 

Office of the District Attorney, Bronx County 

STAFF 

Noele Aabye 

Pro Bono Coordinator/Bronx 

Heidi L. Henderson, Esq. 

Director, Legal Services 

Matthew D. McGuire 

Development Assistant 

Gisselle Pardo, LMSW 

Manager, Social Work 

Wendy Silva, Esq. 

Staff Attorney 

Lauren J. Bokor, Esq. 


Lorraine L. Jarvis 

Manager, Operations 

Mercedes Medina 

Program Associate 

Rhonda J. Panken, Esq. 

Supervising Attorney/Bronx 

Lisa Smith 

Finance Associate 

Catherine J. Douglass, Esq. 

Executive Director 

Laurie Lichtenstein 

Manager, Development and Marketing 

Nancy Nagourney 

Director, Finance and Operations 

Parul Patel 

Pro Bono Coordinator/Manhattan 

Libby Vázquez, Esq. 


6 

Nadia K. Gareeb, Esq. 

Senior Staff Attorney 

Carol M. Lindley 

Director, Development and Marketing 

Endora Pagan 

Office Administrator/Manhattan 

C. Iris Rodriguez 

Office Administrator/Bronx 

David C. Yu 

Manager, Events

new fellowship 

BRIDGES T HE WORLDS OF PRIVATE LAW FIRM LITIGATION AND PUBLIC INTEREST LAW 

Last fall, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, one of our long-standing Corporate Partners, established a new 

litigation fellowship at inMotion. On a yearly rotation, the firm lends a highly committed associate to work full-time at inMotion 

under the supervision of our experienced legal staff. 

We were thrilled to welcome Rachel Braunstein, the first Fried Frank Fellow, to our Bronx office in September. For the past 

seven months Rachel has litigated some of our most urgent and complex matrimonial and family law cases. Her forceful 

representation is bringing new hope and security to 17 clients and their families. Rachel shares the story of how one client, 

a victim of extreme abuse, found the inner strength to save herself and her children. 

Nakita* grew up in New York City. She and her husband 

married in 1993 and had three children who are now eight, 

13 and 15 years old. Throughout the marriage her husband 

was physically and verbally violent toward her. Many nights 

he stood over and watched Nakita as she slept, exerting 

constant control over her. 

After enduring six years of severe physical abuse and 

emotional degradation in her marriage, Nakita was forced to 

make a choice: either stay with her husband and risk being 

killed, or leave him in order to save her and her children’s 

lives. Against significant odds, she found the courage to leave 

her husband. One day in the fall of 1999, Nakita calmly 

collected her children and safely deposited them at her 

mother’s home. 

On that day, Nakita started a journey that would change her life. She drove 

non-stop from New York to a friend’s home in Atlanta. A trip that many 

would find exhausting was invigorating for Nakita. She described it as a 

beautiful experience, giving her the time finally "to be alone and at peace." 

A visit to Atlanta’s Martin Luther King memorial made Nakita feel even 

more empowered and reinforced her decision to escape her dangerous 

marriage. A day later, she returned to New York, picked up her children and 

went home. Her husband left the next day and never returned. 

Nakita’s journey was only just beginning. Now a single mother, she struggled 

to provide financially for her three children and to pursue an education. In 

2001, Nakita went to Bronx County Family Court and, representing herself, 

petitioned for and was granted custody and child support. The Family Court 

also awarded Nakita’s husband visitation with the children. The next step 

was filing for divorce. With the help of inMotion, in July 2004, Nakita 

commenced a divorce action against her husband in Bronx Supreme Court. 

The Supreme Court referee presiding over the case ordered a hearing on 

the child support, custody and visitation arrangements because it had been 

several years since the Family Court had decided those issues. 

After several months of preparation, the case was delayed by 

two adjournments to provide Nakita’s husband, who now 

lives in California, with the opportunity to gather money to 

travel to New York. Despite these delays, Nakita was 

unfailingly patient and fair. 

Finally, on January 25, 2006, without her husband present, 

Nakita testified with courage and poise, in particular regarding 

her desire for sole custody of her children. She described her 

efforts to provide a decent life for her children. Nakita illustrated 

her husband’s failure to support the children—whom he had 

not seen in two years—and described his abuse of her as one of 

the reasons why joint custody would be harmful. After listening 

to Nakita’s testimony, the referee granted her a divorce, child support and sole 

custody of her children. We were victorious! 

It is inspiring to me that Nakita and many other inMotion clients possess 

the will to leave abusive marriages and that despite ominous obstacles 

they achieve safety and freedom. I believe this same energy and 

determination drives my clients to seek inMotion’s assistance in rejecting 

their husbands’ unfair terms for divorce or initiating divorce actions 

themselves. I strive to honor my clients’ commitment by approaching my 

legal representation as a cooperative endeavor. In the truest sense of the 

word, Nakita and I collaborated in litigating this case by discussing ideas 

and making decisions together. Working as a team toward positive 

change is not only extremely rewarding for me, but ensures greater 

success in the litigation. 

I admire my clients for being creative, focused and optimistic during their 

legal cases despite the harm they have suffered and I applaud them for 

having the courage to change their lives. I am thrilled to have the 

opportunity to participate in this process. 

*Client’s name has been changed to protect her identity. 

LASTING LEGAL SOLUTIONS FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN DOMESTIC CRISIS 

Since 1993, inMotion has confronted the challenging needs of families in crisis by providing free legal services to low-income women and children. We have helped 

thousands of women free themselves from abusive relationships, stay in their homes and win the financial support to which they—and their children—are legally 

entitled. Our mission is to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of women—low-income, underserved, abused—by offering them legal and social services 

designed to foster equal access to justice and an empowered approach to life. We fulfill our mission by providing free legal services, primarily in the areas 

of matrimonial, family and immigration law, and intensive social work support in a way that acknowledges mutual respect, encourages personal growth, and 

nurtures individual and collective strength. Informed by this work, inMotion promotes policies that make our society more responsive to the legal issues 

4 

confronting the women we serve.

summer associate program 

LAW STUDENTS LEARN THE ROPES DOING PRO BONO 

Summer is a time for recruiting. We at inMotion recognize this tremendous opportunity to involve the next crop of new lawyers in our work. Each year 

we and our partnering corporate law firms give summer associates a unique opportunity to represent inMotion clients in Family and Supreme Courts 

under the supervision of a mentoring attorney at their firm. InMotion’s Summer Associate Program offers law students a hands-on introduction not 

only to the practice of family, matrimonial and immigration law—but to the nit and grit of litigating a case in the City’s courts. Law students 

participating in the program learn everything from to how to draft a discovery request to how to argue a motion in front of a judge. 

We spoke recently with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP summer associates, Alan Kluegel, Georgetown University Law Center, and Payal K. Shah, 

Columbia University School of Law, about their experiences helping an Iranian mother secure a permanent order of protection and temporary child 

support for her three children. 

Haadiya* and her husband married over 20 years ago in Iran. They have 

three children who are now 15, 17 and 18 years old. Haadiya’s husband 

came to the United States eight years ago, leaving her alone to raise their 

children in Iran. When she and her children recently moved to the U.S. to 

join their father, they discovered that he had started a second family with 

another woman. Once in New York, Haadiya and her children were forced 

to share a small one-bedroom apartment with his 

new family. A few months after their arrival, 

Haadiya’s husband abandoned them and moved 

with his girlfriend and her children to Long Island. 

Explaining further details about the case, Alan 

Kluegel shares, “Haadiya was in a hard situation, 

and her status as a non-English speaking immigrant 

made it even harder. Haadiya was particularly 

vulnerable, as she relied on her husband to keep 

her in the country and was unable to provide for 

herself or her children. When he became 

emotionally abusive and stopped supporting her 

and her children, she had very few options.” With 

the help of her 18-year-old daughter, Haadiya filed a pro se petition for 

child support. Afterwards, her husband began stalking and threatening her. 

Her daughter helped Haadiya obtain a temporary order of protection and 

reached out to inMotion on her mother’s behalf for help to make the 

temporary order permanent. 

Payal states, “Our supervising attorneys, Matthew Funk and Lauri Sawyer, 

were tremendously helpful and allowed us to do most of the legwork on 

the case.” Alan adds, “We drafted the complaint, subpoenas and motion 

for temporary child support and made sure all of the paperwork got 

where it needed to go. We were responsible for keeping the client 

informed throughout the case. We appeared in Family Court twice. In our 

first hearing, we negotiated a two-year extension of the order of 

protection with opposing counsel and won temporary child support at 

our second hearing.” 

“I learned a lot about the basics of simple 

litigation—and learned about nearly 

every support function available to 

members of our firm. When you handle 

one of these cases, you are responsible 

for making sure everything gets done— 

you have to learn where the managing 

clerk’s office is, how to find local rules of 

procedures, who to call to get something 

delivered. I not only learned how litigation 

works, I learned how the firm works.” 

“This outcome was exactly what Haadiya and her daughter were seeking to 

alleviate their fears for their physical safety and the tremendous financial stress 

of running a four-person household on a teenager’s income,” says Payal. “It is 

also important to note the impact this legal ruling will have for Haadiya in Iran 

where she faces severe criticism from her family members and community—the 

court ruling helps to legitimize her separation from her husband.” 

A few months after Payal and Alan returned to school, 

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett associates Lauri Sawyer, 

Jennifer Barall and Amanda Motsinger negotiated a 

final settlement with opposing counsel and secured 

additional child support for Haadiya and her family. 

Speaking about their summer experience at the firm, 

Payal and Alan share, “The opportunity to work on 

Haadiya’s case allowed us to see the more human side 

of the firm, the passion in our colleagues that only 

comes out when you are jointly sympathetic and 

concerned about the client you are representing.” 

Alan adds, “It was impressive how many lawyers at 

Simpson Thacher had extensive experience working 

on inMotion matters. I liked that the firm treated Haadiya’s case as though it 

was just as important as the multi-million dollar matters I was also working on.” 

“I learned a lot about the basics of simple litigation. And,” Alan states, “I 

learned about nearly every support function available to members of our firm. 

When you handle one of these cases, you are responsible for making sure 

everything gets done—you have to learn where the managing clerk’s office is, 

how to find local rules of procedures, who to call to get something delivered. 

I not only learned how litigation works, I learned how the firm works.” 

“This experience was a great way to learn trial practice while making a 

genuine impact on the lives of others,” Payal continues. “Many of us enter 

law firms saying that we are committed to public interest; this program is a 

good way to make sure that we start our legal careers off on the right foot.” 

*Client’s name and country of origin have been changed to protect her identity. 

SIDLEY AUSTIN HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR SPREADS CHEER AND GOODWILL 

On December 14, the New York office of Sidley Austin LLP held its first Holiday Craft Fair and raised over $900 for 

inMotion. Sidley administrative staff set up their wares in the firm’s cafeteria and showcased their creative talents. 

Holiday shoppers looking for something extra special for the people on their holiday gift-giving lists were able to 

choose from homemade chocolates and toffee, handcrafted scarves and gloves, stuffed animals, knitted apparel, 

drawings and paintings, jewelry and many other crafts. 

Dolci Sepe, one of the fair organizers, 

stands behind her table of cinnamon stick 

centerpieces, Christmas ornaments and 

crocheted scarves. 

In addition to the funds raised, several fair vendors donated left-over craft items to be used as gifts for inMotion 

clients. Our special thanks to event organizers Dolores Gilliard, Ann Molen, Janie Schafer and Dolci Sepe and the many 

vendors who donated proceeds or handmade items to inMotion. 

7

welcoming new staff 

We are excited to announce the appointment of Heidi Lee Henderson, Esq., as the new director of inMotion’s legal services. 

Heidi assumed leadership of inMotion’s legal and social services programs in January when our former director, Ramonita 

Cordero, left us to begin a new life as full-time mom. 

Heidi has been a valued member of inMotion’s legal program for over four and a half years. In her tenure as senior staff attorney, 

Heidi managed inMotion’s Family Court practice and inMotion’s pro se program, which provides one-on-one advice and brief 

services to women who access the courts without attorney representation. 

Prior to joining inMotion, Heidi held positions as senior attorney in the Office of Legal Affairs, Legal Counsel Unit at the New York City 

Human Resources Administration and as a trial attorney for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. For several years 

Heidi Lee Henderson, Esq., 

director, legal services. 

she worked in private practice, concentrating on family and matrimonial law matters. Heidi is a member of the Lawyers Committee Against Domestic 

Violence and formerly co-chaired its Family Court Judges Working Group. Heidi also serves on the supervisory board of the Courtroom Advocates Project. 

Wendy Silva, Esq., staff attorney, joined our staff 

in June 2005. Before arriving at inMotion, Wendy 

worked at Northern Manhattan Improvement 

Corporation. As a supervising attorney in their 

Domestic Violence Legal Project, Wendy provided 

bilingual legal services to battered women in family, 

matrimonial, housing and immigration law. Before 

that, Wendy represented low-income and disabled 

individuals in a wide range of poverty law matters as a staff attorney at 

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (formerly Westchester/Putnam Legal 

Services). Wendy spends the majority of her time in our Bronx office, 

focusing on mentoring volunteers on family law matters and providing pro 

se assistance to our clients. 

Lauren J. Bokor, Esq., staff attorney, joined our 

Manhattan office in January. She comes to 

inMotion with over eight years of private 

matrimonial and family law litigation experience. 

Lauren began her legal career as an associate at 

Brown & Wood, where she worked on contract, 

bankruptcy and debtor-creditor matters in the 

firm’s litigation department. Lauren initially 

practiced family law at Levin & Weissman, followed by Cohen & 

Shallack, and, most recently, Kurzman Eisenberg Corbin Lever & 

Goodman, LLP, where she carried a demanding caseload litigating 

multifaceted family and matrimonial matters for over five years. Lauren 

provides expert mentoring and support to pro bono attorneys handling 

complex matrimonial matters and advises women proceeding pro se in 

Supreme and Family Courts. 

Parul Patel, Manhattan pro bono coordinator, joined 

inMotion last November. After graduation from college, 

Parul was the program manager of the High School 

Cooperative Program in the Office of Educational 

Partnerships at the University of Connecticut. Parul got 

her first taste of public service and advocating for 

women’s rights as an intern for Lawyers Without Borders 

and the American Red Cross while she was an 

undergraduate at the University of Connecticut. Parul is fluent in Gujarati and 

has advanced knowledge of Spanish. As pro bono coordinator, Parul oversees 

intake in our Manhattan office, assists in recruiting new volunteers, coordinates 

CLE trainings and links attorneys with women seeking legal representation. 

Rhonda J. Panken, Esq., supervising attorney/Bronx, joined inMotion 

in March, bringing over 12 years of family, matrimonial and poverty law 

expertise to our legal program. Rhonda comes to us from 

the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) where 

she held senior staff and supervising attorney positions. 

Rhonda began her tenure at NYLAG providing direct 

representation to low-income individuals in matrimonial 

and family law proceedings. As a supervising attorney, 

Rhonda developed and implemented NYLAG’s 

Economic Empowerment Project which helps low-income 

and working families become more self-sufficient through representation, 

advocacy and training. Most recently, Rhonda supervised NYLAG’s Matrimonial 

Project and mentored attorneys with litigation matters in Supreme, Family and 

the Integrated Domestic Violence Courts in all boroughs of New York City. 

Rhonda was also a domestic violence staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society’s 

Bronx Neighborhood Office and has worked in private practice. 

INCARCERATED MOTHERS ACCESS THE BASICS S E R IES 

Inmates at the Rose M. Singer Center, a jail for women on Rikers Island, gathered with the leadership of the New York City 

Department of Correction to celebrate the addition of The Basics Series to the jail’s law library. This 11-booklet series, developed 

by inMotion and the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, is designed to help women understand their basic legal 

rights in a wide range of family and matrimonial law matters, including divorce, child and spousal support, orders of protection, child 

custody, visitation, paternity, abuse and neglect cases, guardianship and adoption. 

Bill Dean, executive director of Volunteers of Legal Service, has worked closely with the New York State Department of Correctional 

Services to bring new family law reference materials to the jail’s library—and to the libraries of other prisons in our state. “The Basics 

Series is the heart of the library’s family law section,” says Bill. “The librarians have made multiple copies of the booklets available in 

both English and Spanish. Women can use them in the library or enjoy the unusual privilege of taking them back to their dormitory or 

cell. The booklets are an especially important resource for mothers who need access to clear legal information in order to make 

informed decisions about the care and custody of their children.” 

The Basics Series received a warm welcome 

at the Rose M. Singer Center. 

Photo by Freddie Wallace, 

New York City Department of Correction 

8 

The Basics Series has been translated into many of the languages spoken in New York City. Individual booklets are available for download in the “Juvenile and Family” law section 

of the LawHelp.org/NY web site. For more information about this resource, contact Parul Patel, pro bono coordinator, at PPatel@inmotiononline.org or call 646.442.1178.

volunteer profile 

VLADIMIR AND LARISA MATSIBORCHUK 

Vladimir and Larisa Matsiborchuk, our first husband and wife legal team, began volunteering at inMotion last September. Working three 

days a week in our Manhattan office, together they are handling six family and immigration cases. 

Typically, our in-house volunteers work solo, but Vladimir and Larisa’s situation is especially unique—Vladimir is blind. So Larisa, 

functioning as his legal assistant, helps Vladimir navigate the various computer systems he needs to research and prepare the legal 

documents necessary for their cases. Vladimir explains, “There are many technologies to assist the visually impaired that did not exist 

when I first started practicing law. I work with computers supported with a voice recognition program that reads the words on my 

computer screen out loud and another that scans and reads printed material. Larisa helps me with the bumps—the things that don't 

interact well or are not compatible with the programs.” 

Before Vladimir and Larisa emigrated to this country in 

counseling and the support of friends, Naimia found 

1999, Vladimir had a general law practice in the Soviet 

the courage to leave her batterer. 

Union and later in Ukraine for over 14 years. In the 

Naimia contacted inMotion when the U.S. 

Soviet era, Vladimir was one of a relatively small number 

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) 

of attorneys permitted by the government to represent 

notified her that the VAWA self-petition she had hired 

clients in the courts. Larisa has been at his side since his 

an attorney to file on her behalf did not include 

first year of practicing law. Professionally, building a new 

sufficient documentation of abuse; the USCIS gave 

life in the U.S. meant that Vladimir had to start again. 

Naimia 60 days to amend the application. InMotion 

He completed an LL.M. degree program for foreign 

obtained a three-month extension and assigned 

lawyers at the University of Connecticut School of Law 

Naimia’s case to Vladimir. 

in May of 2003. Six months later, he passed the New York State bar exam. 

Vladimir and Larisa collected volumes of supporting documentation 

“I was drawn to the real and significant legal work inMotion does to protect 

required for Naimia’s VAWA petition. “I interviewed Naimia many times; 

vulnerable and defenseless individuals living in the City, and to the 

each conversation elicited new details and facts necessary to build an 

opportunity to gain diverse U.S. legal experience,” Vladimir states. “And, as 

accurate and compelling account of her life,” Vladimir notes. “I gathered 

a recent immigrant, I understand the feelings of my clients. I remember 

multiple police reports and orders of protection issued by the court and 

very well what it means not to get information from the immigration 

solicited letters from the hospital, her social worker and psychiatrist to 

authorities on your case for months on end. Immigration law is a very 

document the abuse she suffered in her marriage. I also interviewed five 

complex area of practice. There are many rules, forms and procedures 

witnesses and helped them to prepare detailed affidavits.” 

which are very confusing to immigrants, especially to those who speak very 

little English. Larisa and I became U.S. citizens last summer—we have been Vladimir filed an amended VAWA self-petition, and adjustment of status and 

through it all ourselves.” 

employment authorization applications with the USCIS last May. Naimia’s 

VAWA petition was approved two months later, and in August, Naimia 

Vladimir and Larisa are helping Naimia,* an immigrant who survived nearly 

received her employment authorization. 

six years of harrowing emotional and physical abuse, self-petition for legal 

residency under the Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA). 

“When I called Naimia to tell her that her work authorization had been 

approved, she was astounded. She could not speak. Later that day she 

Naimia came to the United States from Botswana in 1992 and married an 

expressed her gratitude in an email and has many times since repeated 

American four years later. Less than a year into their marriage, Naimia’s 

words of thankfulness to us and to inMotion,” recounts Vladimir. “In January, 

husband began a long spiral into alcoholism and drug addiction. He 

Naimia found a new job as a supervisor at a large department store. She 

stopped working and became increasingly controlling, abusive and 

continues to be amazed by the soaring level of confidence that her new 

violent. Unemployed throughout their marriage, 

independence has brought to her life.” 

he took what little money Naimia earned to buy 

alcohol and drugs. 

“I am at a loss for words, I am Vladimir and Larisa are now preparing for Naimia’s 

so happy! I thank you and your adjustment interview, the final step in her 

Naimia obtained a one-year order of protection in 

wife for working so hard and application process. They will also file additional 

2003 after her husband brutally beat her for 

compassionately for me and immigration applications for Naimia’s two children 

withholding money she did not have. A close friend, 

my family—I am truly grateful in Botswana who benefit from and are included in 

deeply concerned about her mental state, convinced 

not only for your work but also Naimia’s VAWA self-petition for legal residency. 

Naimia to seek medical help. At the hospital Naimia 

for your humanity.” 

Vladimir and Larisa are working to bring the 

was referred to a domestic violence counselor who 

children to New York before Naimia’s oldest 

helped her to develop a saftey plan. She also began 

Naimia 

daughter turns 21 in October. 

seeing a psychiatrist who treated her depression and 

extreme anxiety. Over the next year, with professional 

*Client’s name and country of origin have been changed to protect her identity. 

9

inMotion, Inc. 

70 West 36th Street, Suite 903 

New York, New York 10018 

Tel 212.695.3800 

Fax 212.695.9519 

Email inquiries@inmotiononline.org 

www.inmotiononline.org 

WATCH FOR 

OUR NEW 

WEB SITE. 

LAUNCHING 

SUMMER 2006. 

Redesign and expansion 

generously donated by 

Send more than flowers or chocolates 

this Mother’s Day 

On May 14th honor someone special by making a donation to 

inMotion. We will send a personalized letter or email to your 

loved one on your behalf explaining the life-changing impact 

your honorary gift will have on a New York City mother struggling 

to build a safe and secure life for her family. 

Each year, inMotion serves thousands of women and children. 

With barely enough money to pay for life’s basic necessities, 

these families can’t afford to pay for a lawyer. Your donation will 

change that, allowing us to reach out to more women and recruit 

more legal volunteers. Warm the heart of your mother or loved 

one with the most precious of all gifts — another mother’s 

freedom from fear. 

Please respond by May 1st to ensure that your message is 

delivered on time. See the enclosed response envelope for details, 

or contact us at 646.442.1168 or inquiries@inmotiononline.org. 

Honor your mother this Mother’s Day by giving to one of ours.

one by one - inMotion Inc.

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