2026 Jazz for Justice Benefit

March 11, 2026 6:00pm EDT

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 Jazz for Justice Benefit! Your support has a lifechanging impact on the more than 120,000 New York neighbors LSNYC helps every year.

For pictures from the event, please click here. For the Impact video showed during the program, please click here. To view the digital journal from the event, please click here.

Our Honorees

William T. Russell, Jr.

Bill Russell is a steadfast champion of justice whose leadership has strengthened the very foundation of civil legal services in New York City. Recently retired as a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Bill is widely respected for his brilliance as a litigator — but even more so for the depth of his commitment to ensuring that every New Yorker has access to fairness, dignity, and the protection of the law.

For decades, Bill has combined professional excellence with extraordinary public service. In addition to his work as head of the Firm’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Litigation Practice, he led Simpson Thacher’s Pro Bono Committee for nearly ten years, guiding landmark work in housing, voting rights, education equity, and anti-discrimination efforts. His advocacy on behalf of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity helped transform school funding in New York State. He also co-chaired the Firm’s Inclusion Committee. His service has been recognized with major awards from the Legal Aid Society and Manhattan Legal Services.

Bill’s leadership in the broader legal community is unmatched: in addition to his long and distinguished service on the board of Legal Services NYC, he has also served on the boards of Legal Outreach, Inc., Manhattan Legal Services, the New York Bar Foundation, the City Bar Association, the National Center for Access to Justice, and many others. Across each role, he has championed the idea that justice must be accessible to all — not just those who can afford it.

Hon. Betty E. Staton

Hon. Betty E. Staton is a lifelong advocate for justice whose career has profoundly shaped New York’s legal and civic landscape. She began her work in public service as a staff attorney and Deputy Director at Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal Services before becoming a founding partner of Boyd, Staton & Cave, the first African American women–owned law firm in New York State.

Ms. Staton went on to serve with distinction for nearly two decades as a Judge on the Kings County Family Court bench. In 2011, she returned to Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal Services as Acting Project Director and, the following year, was appointed President of the consolidating Brooklyn Legal Services programs.

A graduate of Brooklyn College and New York University School of Law, where she was a founding member of the Black Latino Asian Pacific American Law Alumni Association, Ms. Staton has also dedicated more than 15 years to teaching Business Law at New York City College of Technology. Widely respected for her leadership and service, she has received numerous honors for her enduring commitment to community and justice.

Christine Clarke

Christine Clarke is a fearless advocate for civil rights and a powerful voice for New Yorkers too often pushed to the margins. Mayor Zohran recently appoint her to Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, where she will lead the City’s fight against discrimination and hate, working every day to ensure that New York lives up to its promise of fairness and dignity for all.

Previously, Ms. Clarke served as Chief of Litigation and Advocacy at Legal Services NYC, where she led landmark litigation and advocacy to protect low-income New Yorkers. Her work defended the City’s rent stabilization laws, expanded language access for immigrant communities, strengthened protections for survivors of domestic violence, and safeguarded the due process rights of immigrants.

Grounded in an unshakable belief that justice must be real, accessible, and lived—not theoretical—Clarke has built a career centered on courage, compassion, and impact.