Volunteer Lawyers for Justice's Karen Sacks, Esq. Named as Finalist in 7th Annual Stevie(R) Awards for Women in Business
Under Her Leadership, VLJ Provides Pro Bono Legal Services to Thousands of Economically-Disadvantaged Clients in NJ Each Year.
- Newark, NJ (1888PressRelease) November 09, 2010 - Karen Sacks, Esq., founding executive director of the Newark, N.J.-based Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), has been named a finalist in the 7th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Sacks is recognized in the "best executive, non-profit or government" category.
Since its founding in 2001, VLJ has grown from a grass roots effort of 30 volunteer attorneys in Essex County to a state-wide not-for-profit with five staff attorneys and more than 1,500 volunteer attorneys aiding thousands of economically-disadvantaged clients each year. VLJ's programs include free legal counsel and advice; educational seminars on various legal matters such as family law, bankruptcy, education and consumer law; and direct representation for at-risk individuals facing critical civil legal issues.
The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, and the companies they run worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world's premier business awards. More than 1,200 entries - a record for the competition - were submitted this year for consideration in 54 categories.
The 2010 Stevie Awards focus on accomplishments from July 2009 to present day. Sacks is honored for her leadership efforts with VLJ's Newark Reentry Legal Services (ReLeSe), which has achieved tremendous growth during the last year and is now being replicated across the State of New Jersey. ReLeSe - a first-of-its-kind program in the U.S. - helps low-income Essex County residents with criminal records address the civil legal barriers that serve as obstacles to their successful community reintegration.
ReLeSe was created in partnership with Mayor Cory Booker's administration, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and other community partners in 2008.
Through direct in-house representation as well as through referrals to volunteer attorneys, ReLeSe assists its clients with driver's license restoration, resolution of long out-standing municipal matters, modification of child support orders, and the expungement of criminal records.
VLJ's ReLeSe now serves as a model for other communities around the State. Through the efforts of N.J. federal district court judge Hon. Noel Hillman, VLJ received a grant to assist Rutgers Law School-Camden in creating its Federal Prisoner Reentry Pro Bono Project.
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word "crowned," winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York on Friday, November 12. Nominated women executives and entrepreneurs from the U.S.A. and several other countries are expected to attend. The presentations will be broadcast live on radio in the U.S.A. by the Business TalkRadio Network.
Finalists were chosen by business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging. Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs will select Stevie Award winners from among the Finalists during final judging.
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