Human Rights Watch Presentation at Kaye Scholer

On July 11, Kaye Scholer’s New York office hosted a special luncheon presentation by guest speaker Dinah PoKempner, General Counsel of Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s most important and respected human rights advocacy groups and a Firm pro bono client since 2008. This program was linked to our other offices via videoconference.

Dinah gave an overview of HRW’s operations as a multinational non-governmental organization and highlighted many of its current projects, including its work with international tribunals and on issues related to Syria and the Arab Spring. She also discussed the organization’s recent work, in the US and internationally, concerning child labor, women’s rights violations, immigration issues and the NSA surveillance revelations, as well as some of the typical and not-so-typical legal issues that come with operating this sort of international human rights monitor.

As HRW is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization with only two in-house lawyers and a small budget for legal services, Dinah emphasized the importance of pro bono outside counsel to the organization’s work, and spoke highly of the employment and labor counsel provided by Kaye Scholer Partner Jay Waks and Associates Tricia Beckles, Noah Peters and Yonina Rosenbaum. She finished her presentation with an informative question-and-answer session.

We would like to thank Dinah for taking the time to share her experiences with us, as well as Jay Waks and Pro Bono Manager Elly Spiegel for organizing the event.