Celebrating Penelope Taylor: recipient of the ECBA’s 2026 Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) proudly announces that VLJ volunteer, Penelope Taylor, a partner at McCarter & English, LLP, has been named the recipient of the Essex County Bar Association’s 2026 Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award. This award honors attorneys, law firms, law schools, government attorney offices, corporate law departments, and other institutions in the legal profession that have enhanced the human dignity of others by improving or delivering volunteer legal services to the Essex County community.
Penny is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova University Charles Widget School of Law. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. A member of the firm’s Business Litigation, Class Action and Multidistrict Litigation practice groups, Penny has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation.
Penny is committed to advancing women’s issues both inside and outside of the legal profession, including being a member of the Financial Women’s Association, National Association of Women Lawyers, and the New Jersey Women Lawyer’s Association. Further, Penny has been recognized for her legal acumen by The Best Lawyers in America: Financial Services Regulation Law; Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions–Defendants from 2024-2026.
Penny’s History with VLJ
Penny first began volunteering in 2013 with VLJ’s Debt Relief Legal Clinic (then called the “Consumer Law Clinic”). In this clinic, self-represented litigants facing consumer debt matters meet with a volunteer attorney for advice and guidance. Within a year of her first participation in the clinic, Penny began to offer her time and talent outside the clinic setting, providing expanded support to VLJ clients with an eviction or debt-related legal matter. In early 2014, Penny took her first extended service case for an Essex County resident who had a disability and cancer diagnosis. After receiving necessary treatment, the client learned the procedure was not covered by her insurance, meaning she was facing over $14,000 in medical debt she had no ability to pay. Penny negotiated a reduction of the medical debt by over 90%, saving her client more than $12,000. Penny also negotiated a reasonable payment plan to address the remaining debt. This early example set the tone for Penny’s tenacity and dedication to providing civil legal services to community members who would not otherwise be able to afford them.
Since her first legal clinic, Penny has participated in over 50 clinics with VLJ, and her support in these clinics cannot be overstated. Most recently, Penny worked with “Juan” to negotiate a settlement of his consumer debt. Afterward, Juan shared how grateful he was for his meeting with Penny: “I wouldn't have been able to have legal advice if I hadn't used VLJ’s service. Thank you for all the lawyers and the whole organization, bringing justice to the most vulnerable.”
Hitting home her pro bono impact, Penny has donated legal services valued at over $105,000, providing legal help to nearly 100 clients while volunteering with VLJ. Indeed, Penny’s support of VLJ’s Tenancy Program and Debt Relief Legal Program, through legal clinics and direct representation of clients, has been instrumental in VLJ’s eviction defense and debt relief work in Essex County.
We are grateful for Penny’s enthusiastic embrace of pro bono, and we look forward to celebrating her at the ECBA’s Annual Installation and Awards Dinner on April 27 at Mountain Ridge Country Club. Many congratulations, Penny!
To join in the celebration, tickets for the awards dinner can be purchased here.
*While the impact shared above reflects Penny’s dedicated journey with VLJ specifically, it represents just one chapter of her broader commitment to pro bono.