I went in on opening day and met the friendly couple from Slovakia who run the place, Jan and Andrea Balascak. Andrea is also the café’s executive chef. ![]() Before opening Slimák, they were part-owners of Newsbar on University Place in Manhattan. Now they have their own place (in addition to staying on with Newsbar), in a neighborhood Andrea describes as “like a vacation” compared to that one near Union Square. “We want to bring the neighborhood together,” she told me. “We are very personal with the customers, and become a big family and friends. Slimák is the Slovak word for snail, and also the last name of Andrea’s grandfather, who watches over the café from a framed photograph on the wall. She wants customers to feel like they are family, too. I’ll admit: I’m not the most gregarious customer. I often want to be left alone to read and write with coffee at a well-lit table. Participants also agreed on the importance and timeliness of having a regional strategy session in 2011 that will focus on reviewing the progress to date and identify strategies to enhance the ability of the legal profession to address unmet legal needs in the hemisphere.They notice my Beavis & Butthead Doc Martens, and help me out when I’m running late for work and in need an extremely quick and delicious sandwich.īut I look forward to saying hello to Jan and Andrea. The meeting concluded with comments and suggestions from participants on how to improve and further professionalize pro bono work in the Americas, with a proposal to share best practices among regional Declaration signatories. The meeting covered everything from the steps that law firms throughout the region have taken to institutionalize pro bono programs within their firms, emphasizing the importance of creating strategic alliances with referral organizations such as NGOs, to the challenges of meeting the Declaration’s goal of 20 hours of pro bono work per lawyer per year within a three-year implementation period. Other speakers included Guillermo Morales, a Chilean lawyer and a member of the Declaration’s Drafting Committee, and Todd Crider, Vice Chair of the Vance Center Committee. Attention was drawn to the “Chilean model,” which has been successfully replicated in other countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The meeting, "Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas: Progress and Challenges," which took place at the International Bar Association’s Annual Americas Conference, was co-organized by The Vance Center and Fundación Pro Bono-Chile.Īntonia Stolper, Chair of the Vance Center Committee, gave a regional overview of pro bono initiatives underway in various countries in Latin America. Pictured from left to right: Todd Crider, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP/Vance Center Elise Colomer Grimaldi, Vance Center Marcela Fajardo, Fundación Pro Bono Chile Antonia Stolper, Shearman & Sterling LLP/Vance Center Guillermo Morales, Morales & Besa/Fundación Pro Bono Chile.įorty-five lawyers from leading law firms throughout the Americas gathered in Santiago, Chile on April 16th, 2010, to discuss the status of pro bono initiatives in the region and share experiences on pro bono work. To Share or Not to Share? Legal Implications of Sharing Electronic Health Records in RHIO & Other Health Information Exchangesīar Leaders Gather in Santiago to Discuss State of PBDA Implementation Across the Americas May 2010 Securities Arbitration & Mediation Hot Topics 2010 Hot Topics in Online Behavioral Advertisingĭo You Pay to Play? Practical & Ethical Issues Your Clients Need to Know to Protect Themselves from Government Prosecution New York Versus London As the Place of Arbitration: A Transatlantic Debateīusiness Opportunities Through the Association's Legal Referral Service Representing Clients Before New York City Administrative Tribunals
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