May 31, 2022
When good attorneys see a community in crisis, they don’t turn away — they get to work.
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, teaming up with over 30 law firms, corporate legal departments, legal service organizations and other institutions did exactly that, launching the Small Business Legal Relief Alliance (SBLRA) in April 2020 to help New York’s most vulnerable small businesses and nonprofits stay afloat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we honor National Small Business Month, we are proud to recognize our SBLRA partners who, together, have provided pro bono legal, financial and business support to over 750 small businesses and nonprofits to date through expert rapid-response teams, and who continue to be an emergency lifeline for New York’s small business community.
Erin Law, Executive Director and Pro Bono Lead Counsel at Morgan Stanley — which has provided expert consultations to more than 75 small businesses and nonprofits through the SBLRA since the outset of the pandemic — comments that, “the SBLRA illustrates that pro bono legal assistance can make a difference, and that this effort to assist small businesses did so. Our volunteer attorneys were pleased to be able to provide small business clients with the tools they needed to successfully renegotiate leases where possible and to obtain loans or other vital information quickly and efficiently.”
“There are small businesses here today thanks to the generosity of Stroock and the SBLRA,” adds Dale Charles, Executive Director of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Business Improvement District. “Small businesses are the roots that connect our communities,” she reminds us, and “the SBLRA has been on the front-line of emergency response for hundreds of small businesses across New York City facing existential crisis.” One grateful nonprofit organization aided by the SBLRA, Korean K-9 Rescue, explained that “the team at Stroock and the SBLRA really cared about helping us achieve our mission. We could not have survived without their support, which was more than nonprofit work. It was compassion and a willingness to help that really made a difference for our organization.” Another small business supported by the SBLRA, Elder Friends Concierge Services, added that the Alliance “helped our business grow client relationships” and that “I could not have done this without” the Alliance’s assistance.
Kerry Cooperman, Director of Stroock’s Public Service Project, notes that the SBLRA remains committed to aiding New York City’s small businesses into the future. “While the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may be behind us,” he tells us, “many of our small business and nonprofit neighbors continue to face significant headwinds and new challenges. Thanks to the persistent generosity and tenacity of our Alliance partners, the SBLRA stands ready to help. Our small business community has been forced to adapt to ever-changing obstacles, and we will adapt with them.”
In this spirit, we express deep appreciation for our colleagues and collaborators at the following Alliance firms and legal service organizations. The work of the SBLRA would not be possible without our collective efforts.
We also express our profound gratitude to Kevin Curnin, former Director of Stroock’s Public Service Project, for his vision and leadership in creating the SBLRA.
Alliance Firms:
Legal Service Organizations:
May 31, 2022
When good attorneys see a community in crisis, they don’t turn away — they get to work.
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, teaming up with over 30 law firms, corporate legal departments, legal service organizations and other institutions did exactly that, launching the Small Business Legal Relief Alliance (SBLRA) in April 2020 to help New York’s most vulnerable small businesses and nonprofits stay afloat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we honor National Small Business Month, we are proud to recognize our SBLRA partners who, together, have provided pro bono legal, financial and business support to over 750 small businesses and nonprofits to date through expert rapid-response teams, and who continue to be an emergency lifeline for New York’s small business community.
Erin Law, Executive Director and Pro Bono Lead Counsel at Morgan Stanley — which has provided expert consultations to more than 75 small businesses and nonprofits through the SBLRA since the outset of the pandemic — comments that, “the SBLRA illustrates that pro bono legal assistance can make a difference, and that this effort to assist small businesses did so. Our volunteer attorneys were pleased to be able to provide small business clients with the tools they needed to successfully renegotiate leases where possible and to obtain loans or other vital information quickly and efficiently.”
“There are small businesses here today thanks to the generosity of Stroock and the SBLRA,” adds Dale Charles, Executive Director of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Business Improvement District. “Small businesses are the roots that connect our communities,” she reminds us, and “the SBLRA has been on the front-line of emergency response for hundreds of small businesses across New York City facing existential crisis.” One grateful nonprofit organization aided by the SBLRA, Korean K-9 Rescue, explained that “the team at Stroock and the SBLRA really cared about helping us achieve our mission. We could not have survived without their support, which was more than nonprofit work. It was compassion and a willingness to help that really made a difference for our organization.” Another small business supported by the SBLRA, Elder Friends Concierge Services, added that the Alliance “helped our business grow client relationships” and that “I could not have done this without” the Alliance’s assistance.
Kerry Cooperman, Director of Stroock’s Public Service Project, notes that the SBLRA remains committed to aiding New York City’s small businesses into the future. “While the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may be behind us,” he tells us, “many of our small business and nonprofit neighbors continue to face significant headwinds and new challenges. Thanks to the persistent generosity and tenacity of our Alliance partners, the SBLRA stands ready to help. Our small business community has been forced to adapt to ever-changing obstacles, and we will adapt with them.”
In this spirit, we express deep appreciation for our colleagues and collaborators at the following Alliance firms and legal service organizations. The work of the SBLRA would not be possible without our collective efforts.
We also express our profound gratitude to Kevin Curnin, former Director of Stroock’s Public Service Project, for his vision and leadership in creating the SBLRA.
Alliance Firms:
Legal Service Organizations:
