October 11, 2016
Michael Taub headshot
The 31st annual Mary Philbrook event will honor Michael Taub, staff attorney and director of the Veterans Project of the Homeless Advocacy Project.

While the nation may see its first female commander in chief this November, nearly 20 years before women could vote in the United States, Mary Philbrook of Jersey City was admitted to the New Jersey Bar. The social justice pioneer continues to be honored at Rutgers Law School in Camden as an annual public interest award in her name this year will recognize a national advocate for veteran legal services; honor a deceased and beloved veteran student leader; and spotlight 10 current students for their outstanding public interest efforts.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, the 31st annual Mary Philbrook event will honor Michael Taub, staff attorney and director of the Veterans Project of the Homeless Advocacy Project, a free legal services program for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. Taub has represented hundreds of homeless veterans in claims adjudicated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; trained scores of attorneys in jurisdictions around the country; and served as a national voice in support of free legal representation for indigent veterans.

Joshua Piccoli, a United States marine, who had deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and was a second-year law student and veteran student leader who died suddenly last year, will also be honored.

According to Jill Friedman, associate dean for pro bono and public interest at Rutgers, Josh was a kind, unassuming individual who was always willing to roll up his sleeves to do what needed to be done. “Josh was instrumental in promoting the expansion of veterans’ services on campus,” she says. “He would have been deeply proud to see Rutgers University–Camden designated this fall as New Jersey’s first Purple Heart University.”

The Mary Philbrook Student Public Interest Awards also recognizes outstanding students for their dedicated work on behalf of social justice and equality. This year’s student honorees include third-year law students Sade Calin; Carly Campoli; Mary-Kate Collins; Rachel Lamb; Kathryn Morris; Kisha Pinnock; Emily Preziosa; and Allan Zhang; and 2016 alumni Jason Kanterman and Leigh Kelsey O’Donnell.

In the 31 years since it was first established under the leadership of Rutgers Law Professor Ann Freedman, the Mary Philbrook celebration has become a premiere annual public interest event, and a touchstone for recognizing exceptional dedication to the public interest while inspiring the next generation of social justice lawyers. Originally spearheaded by the law school’s Women’s Law Caucus, the annual gathering is co-sponsored by the Camden County Bar Association, and the Rutgers Law School–Camden Alumni Association. Proceeds from the gala benefit support public interest lawyering at Rutgers Law School.

Tickets to the event, which includes a short formal program to start the evening, followed by a catered reception, are $35 for general admission and $20 for students, law graduates from the Classes of '15 and '16, and staff. Online registration is available.

Sponsorships are available at the $500 or $1,000 level and include digital and onsite recognition. For more information, contact Rutgers Law School Associate Dean for Pro Bono and Public Interest Jill Friedman at jill.friedman@rutgers.edu.

Born in 1872, Mary Philbrook was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1895 and later became the first New Jersey woman to be admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a leading advocate for civil rights, social justice and gender equality and is remembered for her instrumental role in establishing New Jerseys first legal aid society, as well as for creating the equal rights provision in the 1947 New Jersey state constitution.

The event will be held in the Campus Center, located on Third Street, between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Rutgers University––Camden campus. For more information about the tradition, visit law.rutgers.edu/mary-philbrook-public-interest-awards. For directions, visit camden.rutgers.edu.

Rutgers Law Media Contact:
Shanida Carter

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