Pursuing Justice Podcast Episode 1: A natural disaster strikes Haiti. A plane full of medical volunteers and supplies sits on a tarmac hundreds of miles away waiting for clearance. What’s stopping them from delivering this much needed cargo? And how does a corporate attorney in New York solve the problem?
In 2010, Haiti was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake that registered 7.0 on the Richter scale. Relief efforts, medical assistance and supplies were urgently needed. Partners In Health, a Boston-based nonprofit health care organization, gathered volunteers and supplies, and loaded them on a plane. Everything was ready to go — or so they thought. Stranded at Logan International Airport, the nonprofit turned to Rob Kiesel, then a partner at Schulte Roth & Zabel, who had the perfect match of skills to a very particular set of needs.
This podcast provides a behind-the-scenes exploration of pro bono and public interest legal work. These heartening stories are told from both clients’ and lawyers’ perspectives to showcase intimate portraits of lawyers helping those with limited access to justice.
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.
FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
Ophelia Dahl
Ophelia Dahl co-founded Partners In Health, which began in Haiti’s rural Central Plateau more than 30 years ago and now serves millions of patients in 11 countries on four continents around the world. PIH’s community-based model has helped to redefine what’s possible in health care delivery in settings of poverty, proving that HIV, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and other diseases that stalk the poor can be effectively treated in communities from Peru to Rwanda to West Africa. Dahl led PIH as executive director for 16 years and now chairs its Board of Directors. She continues to write, teach, and speak about the health and rights of the poor, moral imagination, and accompaniment.
Dahl also helps to lead the Roald Dahl Literary Estate, which manages the works of her late father, the writer Roald Dahl. She is a Director’s Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, and a trustee of Wellesley College, her alma mater. Dahl is a recipient of the Union Theological Seminary’s Union Medal and, together with her PIH colleagues, the Hilton Humanitarian prize. She lives in Cambridge with her family.
Robert R. Kiesel
Robert R. Kiesel is a former partner at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. He chaired the Intellectual Property, Sourcing & Technology Group and was also a member of the Finance and Vendor Finance Groups. He also served as co-head of the Cybersecurity Group. Rob focused his practice on the preparation and negotiation of various types of commercial agreements, including:
- Information Technology Agreements
- Equipment and Vendor Finance Agreements
- Supply Agreements
- Services Agreements
Rob has been a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Intellectual Property Section and is a former chair of that section’s Committee on the Proposed Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act. Rob has been selected by his peers as a New York “Super Lawyer" in the Business/Corporate category, placing him in the top 5% of lawyers in the New York metropolitan area.
Daniel L. Greenberg
Daniel L. Greenberg oversees Schulte Roth & Zabel's pro bono program. In addition to the more traditional services that the firm provides to individual indigent clients, Danny helps the firm form strategic partnerships with targeted international, national and local organizations with the aim of assisting them on transactional matters and with policy issues. He becomes personally involved on representations that are within his areas of substantive expertise, including family and landlord-tenant law. He was the co-lead counsel on McWaters v. FEMA, a class action on behalf of victims of Hurricane Katrina, and also speaks frequently on policy matters relating to the poor and the means by which legal services are provided to them.
