At Vladeck, Raskin and Clark we believe that lawyers are uniquely situated to provide service to the community above and beyond the duties of practice.
Through education and experience, the lawyer can provide invaluable insight in pursuit of legal reform, and more broadly support a whole range of activities by lending professional expertise to the community. We are proud to support these pro bono and charitable endeavors by all members of the VRC team.The following is a list of some of the projects supported by our team:
Norman L. Reimer
Norman Reimer’s long-time passion has been reform of the nation’s criminal justice system. These are some of the projects he currently supports:
- Council on Criminal Justice, Member
https://counciloncj.org/ccj-directory/?profile=10734
The Council on Criminal Justice works to advance understanding of the criminal justice policy choices facing the nation and build consensus for solutions that enhance safety and justice for all. Independent and nonpartisan, the Council is an invitational membership organization and think tank, serving as a center of gravity and incubator of policy and leadership for the criminal justice field.
- End The Trial Penalty Coalition, Member
https://www.endthetrialpenalty.org/who-we-are
The End the Trial Penalty Coalition is an ideologically diverse coalition of criminal justice organizations and leaders committed to eliminating the Trial Penalty to ensure a fair, rational, and humane criminal justice system. The Coalition’s ideological diversity reflects a shared commitment to the Constitution and individual liberty.
- Plea Bargaining Institute, Board of Advisors
https://pleabargaininginstitute.fairtrials.org/
The Plea Bargaining Institute is a groundbreaking project that will provide a global intellectual home for academics, policymakers, advocacy organizations, and practitioners working in the plea bargaining space share knowledge and collaborate in efforts to limit coercive plea practices.
- United Justice Coalition, Advisory Board
https://www.unitedjusticecoalition.com/advisors-1
The United Justice Coalition is a charitable organization that works across disciplines to raise awareness around key social justice issues and promote criminal justice reform.
Susan J. Walsh
Susan Walsh has dedicated her career to ensuring that the legal system provides the utmost safeguards for those at risk of injustice, whether in an employment context or as the target of a criminal prosecution. Here are some of the current projects to which Susan contributes her talents in the service of that credo:
- Center for Appellate Litigation (CAL), Chair of the Board (https://appellate-litigation.org/)
CAL’s core mission is appellate advocacy on behalf of those who have suffered criminal convictions and are unable to afford private appellate counsel. Its appellate practice is dynamic and varied, always seeking fresh approaches, and employing a holistic model of representation. CAL seeks to do more for clients than merely challenging their criminal conviction. CAL also partners with law schools to cultivate a new generation of exceptional appellate advocates and supports myriad projects to promote legal reform, confront racial inequity and injustice, and serve the client community. Susan Walsh has served as a member of the Board of Directors for years, recently oversaw the search for a replacement for CAL’s founder and long-time executive director and assumed the role as Chair in 2023.
- United States Sentencing Commission, Practitioners Advisory Group (PAG), Member (https://www.ussc.gov/new/practitioners-advisory-group)
The Practitioners Advisory Group (PAG) is a standing advisory group to the United States Sentencing Commission (Commission) under 28 U.S.C. § 995 and Rule 5.4 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure.
The purpose of the PAG is to (1) assist the Commission in carrying out its statutory responsibilities under 28 U.S.C. § 994(o); (2) provide to the Commission its views on the Commission’s activities and work, including proposed priorities and amendments; (3) disseminate to defense attorneys, and to other professionals in the defense community, information regarding federal sentencing issues; and (4) perform other related functions as the Commission requests.
As one of 17 members of the PAG and as the representative of practitioners in the Second Circuit, Susan Walsh works to support sentencing policies and rules that value humanity and the capacity for redemption of all who face sentencing in federal jurisdictions.
- American Bar Association, Task Force on Sentencing, Liaison
Susan Walsh serves as the defense liaison to the Task Force on Sentencing Standards that has been empaneled by the ABA Criminal Justice Section. The Task Force, which includes preeminent criminal defense lawyers, prosecutors, and judges, has undertaken a comprehensive review of the policies, principles, and practices that undergird sentencing in the United States with an aim toward developing standards and best practices in that endeavor. The Task Force expects to issue a comprehensive report for consideration by the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section sometime in 2024.