Prudential Financial Receives the Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award from the Essex County Bar Association
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2024
CONTACT
Eric W. Hughes
Bershad Director of Communications
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
(973) 233-5724
ehughes@vljnj.org
NEWARK, NJ – Prudential Financial has been named the recipient of the Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award by the Essex County Bar Association. The award is a distinguished honor bestowed upon individuals, law firms, legal departments, and institutions within the legal profession for their outstanding contributions to providing volunteer legal services in Essex County. Since 2010, Prudential’s Law, Compliance, Business Ethics and External Affairs (LCBE) Voluntary Pro Bono Committee has been committed to helping some of the most vulnerable populations in the state, especially in the Essex County, NJ area, where the company has been headquartered for 148 years.
Prudential attorneys first began volunteering with its valued partner and non-profit legal organization, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), in 2010 in response to the Great Recession and accompanying debt crisis. They quickly became champions in providing legal services to families facing crippling consumer debt, and fast-forward 14 years, the breadth and depth of Prudential’s pro bono efforts support not one, but five VLJ programs: Debt Relief Legal Program, Divorce Program, ReLeSe (Reentry Legal Services) Program, Tenancy Program, and the Veterans Legal Program. Remarkably in 2023, 82 Prudential employees volunteered more than 700 pro bono hours with VLJ. More importantly, they helped 167 clients and impacted 369 people when including the people living in their homes. The Prudential Voluntary Pro Bono Committee strongly encourages their attorneys and paraprofessionals alike to undertake pro bono work, proving a culture of community service runs deep at Prudential. On Prudential winning the Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award, Ann Kappler, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Prudential shared, “To be recognized for the important pro bono work we’re doing is an honor. There’s a sense of both responsibility and privilege in doing work that has a profound impact on everyone involved – from the volunteers to the clients to the broader community. This is what continues to drive us to do more, particularly as the urgent need for legal services grows. With valued partners like VLJ, we know that creating a pathway of opportunities for greater justice and fairness in the society is more than possible.”
Cathy Keenan, Executive Director of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, remarked, “Prudential has brought dignity and justice to thousands of Essex County residents through their powerful pro bono efforts even though they didn’t have to. Indeed, Prudential’s legal department epitomizes the spirit of the Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award. Whether keeping families housed at home, providing fresh financial starts, or serving those who served, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice is fortunate to have Prudential as a longstanding partner in furthering access to justice. VLJ is excited to celebrate Prudential being recognized for their decades of lifechanging pro bono, generosity, and commitment to making Essex County a more just place to live and work.”
Prudential, along with other award honorees, will be recognized at the Essex County Bar Association’s 2024 Annual Installation & Awards Reception and Golf Outing on May 6, 2024 at Mountain Ridge Country Club.
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About Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ)
VLJ is an award-winning, comprehensive nonprofit legal services program based in Newark, NJ, with a statewide reach. VLJ's mission is to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. The Newark-based organization ensures fair access to the legal system through partnerships with corporations and hundreds of volunteer attorneys. In 2023, VLJ’s work impacted over 4,200 people—including 1,644 children—and its volunteer attorneys donated over $2 million in free legal services.