Join us on October 13th in honoring our pro bono award recipients 

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WILLIAM SILVERMAN, Pro Bono Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP 

RISHI ZUTSHI, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

ISABELLA RIISHOJAARD, Associate, Clearly Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

RENE KATHAWALA, Pro Bono Counsel, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

CHLOE GORDILS, Associate, Loeb & Loeb LLP

Wiliam Silverman, Pro Bono Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP

Wiliam Silverman, Pro Bono Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP

William C. Silverman leads Proskauer’s global pro bono efforts, connecting lawyers with litigation and transactional matters serving individuals and nonprofits. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, he brings extensive experience in government investigations, white collar criminal matters, and complex civil litigation. His pro bono work has focused on family court, anti trafficking, criminal reentry, and access to justice, including serving as lead counsel in the successful challenge to New York’s “Host Homes” regulations and as counsel to the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition. 

Bill is co-chair of the Court Modernization Action Committee and serves on New York’s AdvisoryCommittee on Artificial Intelligence and the Courts. His public service has earned numerous honors, including the 2026 James Duane Award, the Abely Pro Bono Leadership Award, and awards from City & State, inMotion, and MFY Legal Services. He also chairs RISE Partnership and formerly chaired the Fund for Modern Courts.

Rishi N. Zutshi, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Rishi Zutshi is a partner at Cleary Gottlieb who represents clients in high-stakes litigation and investigations, securing significant victories at trial and resolving claims seeking billions of dollars in damages. His practice spans complex commercial disputes, financial products, private equity and hedge fund matters, M&A and stockholder litigation, and investigations involving U.S. and international regulatory and enforcement authorities.

Alongside his commercial practice, Rishi maintains an active pro bono practice focused on immigrants’ rights and human rights issues. He joined Cleary Gottlieb in 2008 and became a partner in 2016.

Isabella Riishojgaard, Associate, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Isabella Riishojgaard is an associate at Cleary Gottlieb whose practice focuses on general commercial and international litigation and enforcement. Since joining the firm in 2021, she has worked on significant matters involving major corporations and sovereign entities, including successful dismissals for BHP and T-Mobile, SEC and CFTC investigations involving Citi, and litigation concerning the Republic of Argentina’s sovereign assets.

Her experience also includes defending YPF against $14 billion in claims, representing Eternix in intellectual property and trade secret litigation, and handling complex arbitration and federal court disputes involving Sysco Corporation and Burford Capital.

Rene Kathawala, Pro Bono Counsel, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Rene Kathawala is Orrick’s firmwide Pro Bono Counsel, overseeing and developing the firm’s global pro bono program while directly handling matters involving immigration, family and matrimonial law, housing, public benefits, employment, impact litigation, and nonprofit counseling. He also founded Orrick’s Impact Finance team, which provides transactional representation to organizations delivering essential services in areas including microfinance, water, education, energy, housing, and health.

A longtime advocate for access to justice, Rene holds leadership and advisory roles with several New York City Bar Association and national pro bono initiatives, including work on race equity, right to counsel, family court, and immigration. He was appointed a special master in a federal family law matter and spent six years representing an immigration client whose case was featured in the documentary “The Accidental Spy,” ultimately securing deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture.

Chloe Gordils, Associate, Loeb & Loeb LLP

Chloe Gordils maintains a diverse litigation practice with a focus on complex commercial litigation. She has represented both public and private clients across industries, including those in the financial, entertainment and commercial real estate sectors. Chloe has experience with contractual disputes, intellectual property matters, white collar criminal defense and government and internal investigations.

Prior to joining Loeb & Loeb, Chloe served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ramón E. Reyes, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Prior to the clerkship, Chloe was an associate in the litigation and enforcement group of an international law firm.

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