Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance's Ari Kahn named 2016 outstanding lawyer of the year by the New York State Bar Association

Clifford Chance's Ari Kahn has been chosen by the New York State Bar Association as its 2016 Outstanding Lawyer of the Year. The award is presented annually by the Bar Association's Law Youth & Citizenship Committee (LYC) to a lawyer that has made a significant commitment to serving students in a volunteer capacity.

During the past several years, Kahn has spent hundreds of hours, including on weekends, working with New York City high school students to prepare them for Moot Court and Mock Trial competitions. Kahn, who continues to work extensively with Robert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, led the 2012 selection process to assemble a New York City team that would eventually compete in the inaugural International Moot Court competition at The Hague. That team was comprised of students from public schools representing all five boroughs and, under Kahn's guidance, won the world championship, beating out teams from across the world.

Evan Cohen, Regional Managing Partner of the Americas, said, "This is a tremendous honor for Ari. As a firm, we could not be prouder of his work. On a personal level, I have known Ari for many years and admire his passion to ensure New York students have the civic knowledge and skills to become active participants in our society."

In commenting on the award, Kahn said, "I want to thank the New York State Bar Association and the Law Youth and Citizenship Committee for this honor, which I accept on behalf of the incredible team of attorneys and staff who have given their time pro bono to help mentor our students. I also want to thank the Justice Resource Center and Deborah Lesser, as well as Clifford Chance, and in particular Evan Cohen and Jay Bernstein, for all of the support and encouragement I have received throughout the years."

LYC will honor Kahn with a ceremony and reception at the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse, Wednesday, June 1. Bernstein, a senior partner in the Firm's Capital Market's practice, will present Kahn the award.