Announcements

SRZ Assists Community Service Society as Pro Bono Effort

November 16, 2009

Schulte Roth & Zabel’s Kimberly Monroe, Scott Gold and Phillip Casper represented, on a pro bono basis, The Community Service Society (“CSS”) in successfully negotiating an asset purchase agreement for the nonprofit organization’s acquisition of City Limits Magazine and its accompanying website. Ms. Monroe is a special counsel, and Mr. Casper an associate, in the Business Transactions Group. Mr. Gold is a special counsel in the Employment & Employee Benefits Group.

CSS employs a variety of tools—advocacy, direct service, research and policy analysis, and strategic partnerships—to identify the problems that have created a permanent poverty class in New York City, and to advocate for the systemic changes required to eliminate such problems. City Limits is a nonprofit journal that covers “the issues that matter to New York City’s neighborhoods” to a target audience of nonprofit organizations, activists, bankers, urban planners, architects, real estate developers, academics, government officials, community development experts and others.

“We cannot commend enough the outstanding work of [Kimberly, Scott and Phillip], along with other SRZ partners and associates they consulted with, as they walked us through the complexities and challenges of closing the deal to secure this important asset…,” David R. Jones, CSS president and CEO and Juan Cartagena, general counsel and vice president for advocacy, stated in a letter to our firm. “When we were nearly half-way done with the purchase agreement negotiations, complications arose around employment and intellectual property issues that were unforeseen. SRZ did not flinch and provided CCS with excellent counsel on securing an employee leasing agreement—and SRZ continues to assist us on additional IP issues, again with valuable counsel and insight.”

Noting that “securing pro bono resources is a critical element in the life of non-profits and charitable organizations in the city,” Messrs. Jones and Cartagena added that “[t]he willingness of Schulte Roth & Zabel to invest its time and resources assisting CSS on this project is further evidence that the private bar is committed to the ideals of public service.”