The New York State Bar Association announced on March 16 that Rachel Chazin Halperin will receive its W. Haywood Burns Award for her decades of service providing civil legal services to residents in the Hudson Valley.
The award, named after civil rights attorney W. Haywood Burns, honors leaders in social justice and civil rights law in New York State. The association said the recognition highlights Halperin’s commitment to helping vulnerable populations maintain access to housing, food, and health care.
Halperin currently leads Legal Services of Hudson Valley, supervising more than 200 attorneys and staff across ten offices in seven counties. “Rachel Halperin has dedicated her career to serving our neighbors, helping them maintain their basic needs of housing, food and health care,” said New York State Bar Association President Kathleen Sweet.
Halperin credits her passion for service to both her family and a formative experience as a teenager visiting former concentration camps in Poland. “I remember seeing pictures of teenagers who looked a lot like I did and realizing that if I had simply been born at a different time, that that would very likely have been me and my family,” she recounted. “All of those lives were cut short. It really stuck with me and made me feel like I had an obligation to do something significant with my life and make a small difference in the world.”
With dual degrees in law and social work, Halperin has spent the past 25 years addressing issues such as housing insecurity, domestic violence, sexual assault, and poverty through public service roles. She emphasized the collaborative nature of her work: “This award is a tribute to everyone who I’ve worked with over the past 25 years, and to all of my clients who have taught me about courage and resilience in the face of significant adversity,” she said.
Halperin holds a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, a Master of Social Work from New York University School of Social Work, and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also involved with several professional committees focused on legal aid and attorney wellness.
