Headquartered in the heart of New York's financial district since 1792, Cadwalader is located only blocks from Ground Zero. Our attorneys and staff were deeply moved by the events of September 11 and remain committed to those affected by the attacks. Among our most compelling pro bono stories is our continuing efforts on behalf of the families of the September 11 victims.

In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, Cadwalader committed substantial funds to help restore, rebuild and revive the New York City downtown area, and to the Twin Towers Fund, the New York Times 9/11 Neediest Fund, the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army to assist in the World Trade Center disaster relief and recovery efforts. Contributions were supplemented by individual pledges to the organizations. 

The firm is proud to have long served as a leader in the New York legal community’s response to the terrorist attacks. Our efforts have been praised by the New York State Senate, the Legal Aid Society, the New York State Bar Association, The New York Law Journal, and the American Bar Association, among others. Partner Debra Brown Steinberg’s work "as a Lead Attorney for 9/11 families and victims" was twice honored by the U.S. House of Representatives and reported in The Congressional Record. Appreciation was expressed for her service to these families, "... by organizing and training lawyers and law students, working with nonprofit organizations and unions to learn the challenges and suggest solutions, meeting with elected officials and government agencies to explore ways to overcome bureaucratic obstacles [,] shar[ing] her knowledge and motivat[ing] others to volunteer their time and expertise." She was also honored in a New York State Senate Legislative Resolution, and by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on behalf of the City of New York. A recipient of the New York State Bar Association's 2003 Pro Bono Service Award, her work and that of the Firm have been featured in the documentary film entitled “The Legal Community’s Response to September 11th,” and commended in the seminal study on the same topic entitled “Public Service in a Time of Crisis,” (sponsored by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc., among others). She also has been named a recipient of the 2006 American Bar Association (ABA) Pro Bono Publico Award for extraordinary contributions of legal services to those who cannot afford representation in recognition of her representation of families of World Trade Center victims.

The firm continues to participate in several September 11 pro bono projects, including some coordinated by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. These matters include the representation of the surviving families of 10 restaurant workers lost in the attacks, and advice and assistance to numerous downtown New York small businessmen and businesswomen whose retail operations were destroyed. The firm registered with the New York State Bar Association to provide free consultation and representation to disaster victims and to handle legal needs related to real estate, trusts and estates and litigation for individuals and small businesses. Cadwalader also provided free legal services to the families of Ladder 11, New York City Fire Department, which lost six firefighters at the World Trade Center.  Pro bono legal assistance continues to be offered to individuals or organizations who wish to organize a new charity or fund to aid the families of victims of the World Trade Center attack or the rescue workers.  Cadwalader has represented 20 families before the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 or in collateral proceedings relating to this unique alternative to civil litigation. We presented test cases addressing the special needs of low-income, immigrant families of Windows on the World victims to the Compensation Fund’s Special Master, Kenneth Feinberg. The cases provided valuable benchmarks for similarly situated, so-called "invisible" victims and have been publicly praised by Mr. Feinberg.

In early 2011, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act reopened the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. The Zadroga Act extends and expands eligibility for compensation to first responders and survivors injured in the recovery and cleanup operations following the World Trade Center attacks. Obtaining such benefits will require application and review, and ultimate approval by the administrator of the Fund. Ms. Steinberg drafted comments pertaining to implementation of the reopened Fund, which the September 11th Families’ Association, 9/11 Tribute Center, and Manhattan Community Board 1 have adopted and submitted to the Department of Justice. Cadwalader will supervise lawyers helping individuals with their applications.

On February 8, 2011, Cadwalader hosted a private screening for personnel and alumni of “Out of the Ashes: 9/11,” a compelling documentary by Professor Marilyn Berger, Director of the Comprehensive Trial Advocacy Program and Director of Films for Justice Institute at Seattle University Law School. The film examines the legal, moral, and ethical ramifications of the Victim Compensation Fund, created to reimburse those who were injured or lost family members in the terrorist attacks, and its impact on the civil justice system. The film, which was produced by Professor Berger through her Films for Justice Program at the law school, asks difficult questions about whether the Fund offered justice to survivors and their families. “Out of the Ashes” tells the stories of seven 9/11 families, including one represented by Cadwalader, and how they struggled to make sense of the tragedy—and how they chose to deal with the fund that was designed to help them put their lives back together. The film explains how the Fund was created and implemented, portraying both its strengths and its weaknesses. A Q&A with Ms. Berger and Ms. Steinberg followed the presentation.

Project Rebirth is the not-for-profit organization stemming from the creation of the feature-length documentary Rebirth. Since shortly after the attacks, leading figures from Hollywood, Wall Street, local government, private businesses, and academic and medical institutions have united to support the multi-year development of the film that records the strength of the human spirit coping with disaster and the ongoing redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. Jim Whitaker, Founder and Director, and Tom Lappin, Director of Photography, have chronicled the rebuilding with 13 time-lapse cameras at locations around the World Trade Center site. Cadwalader has provided various types of support to Project Rebirth, including financial support, and now serves as the home of a Rebirth Vista Vision camera, which, with a 24 mm. lens and 1000 ft. of film reloaded every 21 days, takes an image every 3:45 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to monitor the rebuilding from an east facing angle. Project Rebirth chronicles this living history, honors 9/11 victims and first responders, and advances educational initiatives committed to pre-trauma resiliency building for first responders.

Cadwalader is also a supporter of the September 11 Memorial and Museum.  As a result, the firm was invited to take part in signing steel beams that will be used in the construction of the memorial and museum. The signing took place in Battery Park where visitors were able to preview plans for the memorial and museum, which is currently under construction at the World Trade Center site, as well as write personal messages through “notes of hope.” These notes will be permanently preserved in the museum’s archives.

New York’s Chief Judge Judith Kaye has also commended the firm for its "leadership role in providing a guide to benefits" (in reference to our self-published Handbook of Public and Private Assistance Resources for the Victims and Families of the World Trade Center Attacks see below), the result of marshaling our unique expertise to aid those in need with a Handbook of Public and Private Assistance Resources for the Victims and Families of the World Trade Center Attacks.

Additional information regarding our September 11 efforts can be found in our Pro Bono Reports.