The Legal Aid Society is mourning the loss of special counsel Ronald J. Tabak of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates.

A pioneer in the creation of formal pro bono practices in private law firms, Ron was an ardent and engaged supporter of the work of The Legal Aid Society for nearly forty years.

His leadership of Skadden’s Pro Bono practice provided the foundation for hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to Legal Aid clients and their communities in New York City and across the globe. Legal Aid was proud to recognize Ron with the Public Interest Law Leadership Award in 1998 at our annual Pro Bono Publico Awards.

Throughout the years, Ron built relationships with many members of our staff, sharing not only a passion for civil rights and criminal justice, but a love of New York’s baseball teams. We will miss his wisdom and mentorship and extend our condolences to both his family and his colleagues at Skadden.