Pro Bono Recognition

Touro Law Graduates and Adjuncts Receive Recognition for Pro Bono Work

The Suffolk County Bar Association recognizes a member each month as their Pro Bono Lawyer of the Month. We are so proud the January, December, and November recipients are members of the Touro Law community! Congratulations to Adjunct Professor Denise Snow ‘06, Adjunct Professor Richard Arturo, and Nikki Prasad ‘20, respectively.

In January, alumna and Adjunct Professor Denise Snow JD, RN was recognized. Denise is an attorney in solo practice at Snow and Associates, LLC, focusing on health-related legal needs. She was a Clinical Associate Professor at Stony Brook School of Nursing, and she serves as an adjunct professor at Touro Law Center. Ms. Snow completed her Juris Doctor degree at Touro Law, Master’s degree from Stony Brook University, and a Certificate of Midwifery from SUNY Downstate.

In 2006, as a staff attorney at Nassau/Suffolk Law Services, she worked in the innovative Permanency Legal Assistance Needs (PLAN) Project, a New York State Department of Health public interest program that provides legal assistance to low-income individuals with cancer on Long Island. She was instrumental in forming the first officially designated Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) on Long Island with the Stony Brook University Hospital Palliative Care team. The MLP successfully assisted many seriously ill patients with their medical-legal needs. Ms. Snow was Co-Chair of the Suffolk County Bar Association Health and Hospital Law Committee. She has written peer-reviewed articles on health policy, insurance-related issues for breast cancer patients, and Medical Legal Partnerships and has presented extensively on the non-medical needs of seriously ill patients. She has authored textbook chapters on prenatal care, health care policy and palliative care legal issues. She has received leadership awards from Sigma Theta Tau and was nominated for “Nurse of the Year” in 2022.

Ms. Snow has always been committed to giving back to communities in need through legal advice and assistance. She most recently volunteered for Legal Services of Long Island’s Advance Directive Clinic as well as assisted clients through the Suffolk County Pro Bono Project. Ms. Snow’s consistent commitment to helping others is shown through her legal volunteer work and her strong belief that “Everyone in our community should have access to advocacy for their civil legal needs.”

In December, the SCBA named Adjunct Professor Richard Artura the Pro Bono Attorney of the Month. Artura is a proud alumnus of St. John's University School of Law, where he graduated in 1984. He also holds a BBA from Hofstra University and an MBA from Penn State. Richard is married and has two sons, and resides in West Islip, NY. One son is a Touro Law Center graduate practicing Family Law, and the other works for Suffolk County Child Protective Services. Richard is also a proud grandfather to his one-year-old granddaughter, Emily Artura.
Currently, Richard is a partner at Phillips, Artura, and Cox, a small law firm in Lindenhurst, NY, where he specializes in Consumer Bankruptcy, Real Estate, and Estates. He is a long-standing member of the Suffolk County and New York State Bar Associations and serves on the Bankruptcy Committee. Additionally, Richard is an Adjunct Professor at Touro Law Center, teaching courses in Professional Responsibility, Consumer Bankruptcy, and Secured Transactions.

Richard Artura has been a volunteer attorney for the Legal Services of Long Island since 2000, and has always been willing to assist every client sent his way. Because of his dedication and hard work in helping our communities in need, Richard is being recognized for his exceptional pro bono work in 2024.

In November, alumna Nikki Prasad was named the ProBono Attorney of the Month. Nikki, an attorney in private practice since 2020, has been dedicated to helping others throughout her career. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, she served in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 1996. After her military service, she pursued her undergraduate studies at Dowling College. In 2000, she joined the NYPD, where she rose to the rank of Police Sergeant before retiring.

Following her retirement, Nikki continued her education at Touro Law Center, graduating in 2020. She then worked in civil litigation and Social Security Disability before opening her own firm in 2024, focusing primarily on Social Security Disability cases.

Nikki is being recognized for her exceptional pro bono work in 2024. She has shown a deep commitment to making a positive impact in underserved communities and consistently takes on pro bono matrimonial cases for low-income residents who have limited access to essential legal assistance.

Congrats to all!