Susan R. Horn, President and CEO of the Hiscock legal Aid Society recently became the first recipient of the Seidenberg Award, presented by the Central New York Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The award was named after attorney Faith Seidenberg in recognition of her history as a legal champion of civil liberties and social justice.  It was presented to Susan Horn at the Chapter’s Annual Dinner to honor her career spent championing those very same causes.

Even as a student at Syracuse University College of Law, Ms. Horn had resolved to devote herself to serving the legal needs of the poor.  Upon receiving her J.D. she began crafting a career consistent with that aim, immediately joining Hiscock Legal Aid as a staff attorney.   A subsequent move to a private law practice changed her office address but not the focus of her work, as she continued to represent and advocate for the disadvantaged, the under-served, those most vulnerable in the community. 

In 1985, Ms. Horn returned to the Hiscock Legal Aid Society as its Executive Attorney, soon thereafter to be named the organization’s President and CEO.  Under her leadership the Society has developed and participated in such vital programs as the Domestic Violence Project, the Parent Success Initiative, the Upstate Immigration Project, the Foreclosure Prevention Coalition and the Cancer Legal Advocacy and Services Project.  With a staff of 43 and an annual budget slightly over $3 million, Hiscock Legal Aid provides low-income citizens with access to and guidance through the justice system.

Susan Horn’s life-long commitment to equal access to the law is summed up in her organization’s motto:  “Dedicated to the principle that no one in our community shall be denied justice because of a lack of means.”