Law Services News – October 2017
October 3, 2017Eve Nowak, Esq.
October 28, 2017The Suffolk Pro Bono Project is pleased to honor John Weber as its Pro Bono Attorney of the Month. Over the past seven years, Mr. Weber has contributed greatly to the work of the Project by volunteering his bankruptcy skills to our clients. It is his unending generosity that compels us to honor him with this distinction.
John Weber is a solo, bankruptcy attorney with a practice in Babylon. Since graduating Touro Law School in 1991, he has represented clients in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 proceedings. He practices primarily in Suffolk County, but will represent clients in Brooklyn proceedings as well.
Since 2010, Mr. Weber has helped numerous Pro Bono Project clients with bankruptcies. Many of these clients were saddled with tremendous amounts of consumer debt, often connected to a loss of employment, illness or disability. The Project has been able to regularly count on Mr. Weber to accept new referrals. In fact, it is not uncommon for him to be representing multiple Project clients simultaneously.
Mr. Weber has a very modest view of his substantial contribution to the Project, characterizing it as simply “a little way of paying back.” While the Project greatly appreciates his work, Mr. Weber doesn’t consider it a sacrifice. Weber asks, “If I have to be in court for a paying client anyway, why not also be there for a pro bono client on occasion?”
His commitment to volunteering and public service has been a constant narrative throughout John Weber’s adult life. Long before law school, Mr. Weber was a NYC firefighter. From 1982 to 1999, he was assigned to Ladder Company 143 in the Richmond Hills, Queens. In addition, John Weber just recently retired as a Jones Beach lifeguard, having lifeguarded there for the past 48 years!
Mr. Weber still had his day job as an NYC firefighter while attending Touro Law. Taking his classes at night, he was able to earn his JD in just four years. Upon graduating, he worked briefly for bankruptcy attorney, Roy Lester, before branching out on his own in 1993.
John Weber is a native of Massapequa. He now lives in Amityville with his wife Sharon. They have three adult daughters, who pursued careers in nursing, education and restaurant management. They have three grandchildren as well. When asked where he can be found during his all-to-little free time, Mr. Weber responded as one might expect – – At the beach!
The Pro Bono Project is truly grateful for all of Mr. Weber’s contributions. It is with extreme pleasure that we honor John Weber as our Pro Bono Attorney of the Month.
The Suffolk Pro Bono Project is a joint effort of Nassau Suffolk Law Services, the Suffolk County Bar Association and the Suffolk County Pro Bono Foundation, who, for many years, have joined resources toward the goal of providing free legal assistance to Suffolk County residents who are dealing with economic hardship. Nassau Suffolk Law Services is a non-profit civil legal services agency, providing free legal assistance to Long Islanders, primarily in the areas of benefits advocacy, homelessness prevention (foreclosure and eviction defense), access to health care, and services to special populations such as domestic violence victims, disabled, and adult home resident. The provision of free services is prioritized based on financial need and funding is often inadequate in these areas. Furthermore, there is no funding for the general provision of matrimonial or bankruptcy representation, therefore the demand for pro bono assistance is the greatest in these areas. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Ellen Krakow, Esq. 631 232-2400 x 3323.