Pro Bono Clearinghouse

New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest New York Lawyers For The Public Interest 2004–2006 Report 2004–2006 Report New York Lawyers For The Public Interest Editor: Anne Mackinnon Design: Curtis & Company Photos: Harvey Wang or nearly 30 years, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) has been implementing a strategy that some might call “partnering for justice.” We partner with the private bar, and through those partnerships we Fengage thousands of volunteer lawyers who provide tens of thousands of hours of pro bono legal work. We partner with community groups and neighborhood coalitions, and in the process we multiply our collective capacity to address the problems of underrepresented New Yorkers. We partner with advocacy groups and other legal services providers, and along the way we strengthen the litigation and advocacy we conduct on behalf of our clients. At the heart of our strategy of partnering for justice is our community lawyering approach. We call it community lawyering because it begins and ends with community concerns. Our role is to advocate, educate, organize, and lit- igate in support of community members’ vision for themselves. It is their voices we help to get heard. It is their vision we work to make real. This report defines our community lawyering approach and offers examples of its power. Whether you read about the Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods’ incredible campaign to establish a more equitable distribution of waste transfer stations in New York City, or Parents for Inclusive Education’s innovative efforts on behalf of children with disabilities, or our work with a Brooklyn coalition that succeeded in ensuring that several hospitals provide interpreters and multilingual signage, we think you will be impressed by what has been accomplished. Each accomplishment is compelling, yet there is still much work to be done to make the promise of opportunity for all a reality. As you review this annual report, we hope it will inspire you to rededicate yourself to partnering with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. Together, we can make a difference with and for the communities we serve. Thanks for your support. John S. Siffert Sharon Y. Bowen Michael A. Rothenberg Board Chair Board Chair 2004–2006 Executive Director (From left to right) John S. Siffert, Sharon Y. Bowen, and Michael A. Rothenberg 1 Pro Bono Clearinghouse he Pro Bono Clearinghouse screens and refers requests for to low and moderate income Mitchell-Lama housing in three free legal assistance from hundreds of community-based buildings on Manhattan’s West Side. groups to law firms and corporate legal departments. Last T ■ Solid Waste Management for New York. Davis Polk & year alone, NYLPI placed over 200 projects with volunteer Wardwell’s legal research assisted NYLPI with advancing an lawyers, who tackle complex legal issues and use their expertise economic, environmentally sound, and equitable solid waste to improve the quality of life of underrepresented New Yorkers. A management plan for New York City. list of recent cases is available on our website at www.nylpi.org. ■ Our quarterly newsletter Pro Bono Matters offers best practices The Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund for pro bono programs. (AALDEF). Co-counsels Dewey Ballantine LLP and AALDEF are representing various members of the Chinatown Legal projects referred through the Pro Bono Clearinghouse community in connection with the legality of street closures assist organizations, strengthen communities, and address sys- which adversly impact local businesses. temic problems for low-income New ■ Yorkers. The skills and resources of City University School of Law at Queens College Foundation. our members allow NYLPI to supply Proskauer Rose LLP currently represents the Foundation, a wide variety of legal services, an independent entity that provides support for CUNY law stu- while the variety of representation dents through funding for student activities, scholarships, and needed gives lawyers many avenues other programs, in a contract dispute. for pro bono work. Assistance is pro- ■ Matter of Robert R. Heller Ehrman LLP is advocating for an vided in three areas: appropriate educational setting for an eight-year-old boy diag- ■ Litigation to protect the nosed with a learning disability and ADHD. disadvantaged ■ Transactional assistance to build communities and institutions Creating Partnerships to ■ High-impact collaborations through partnership projects Address Systemic Problems Partnership projects between NYLPI and member law firms Protecting the Disadvantaged — Litigation entail significant commitments of expertise, time, and other resources to strengthen communities and address systemic prob- Protecting disadvantaged New Yorkers through affirmative and lems. A law firm that chooses to participate in a partnership pro- defensive litigation is a primary objective of NYLPI’s work. ject agrees to work in a specific area of law and provide services Member firms have undertaken groundbreaking litigation in to a large number of individual clients. areas such as housing, civil rights and civil liberties, disability Three years ago, Clifford Chance US LLP entered into a part- rights, employment, and environmental justice. Recent examples nership with NYLPI to assist people with physical disabilities. include: The firm agreed to provide direct representation and advocacy on ■ Bronx Arts Ensemble, Inc. (BAE). Chadbourne & Parke housing issues to people needing accommodations, such as LLP successfully represented BAE, a Bronx-based music edu- ramps or automatic doors, to enter and exit buildings. Without cation and performance organization, in a proceeding before a counsel to act on their behalf, these clients are often unable to negotiate effectively for resolution of their legal problems. panel appointed by the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization that restored the group’s domain name The team of Clifford Chance attorneys was trained by NYLPI’s after it had been wrongly appropriated by a cybersquatter. staff attorneys, who also provide ongoing support. The firm’s lawyers have gained considerable pro bono experience, a chance ■ Westgate Amicus Brief. Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler to make a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities, LLP, along with Legal Services for New York City, prepared an and an opportunity to work within a multi-faceted team. amicus brief in support of rent stabilization laws as they apply NYLPI Senior Staff Attorney Dennis Boyd (left) and Monty Steckler of 2 Clifford Chance US LLP with pro bono housing client Margaret O’Brien ■ Hospital Billing Practices Research. Davis Polk & Wardwell Matching General Counsel Services provided research and advice regarding federal, state, and with Nonprofits in Need local laws governing hospital billing practices for a project on In the past year, the Pro Bono Clearinghouse has helped establish behalf of community groups with members who could not long-term relationships between law firms and organizations afford hospital care. The research provided indispensable needing general counsel services. Here are four examples that guidance to NYLPI clients as they formulated a strategy for a show the value of building strong and lasting connections: community-based organizing campaign about hospital billing Change for Kids, Inc. practices. Change for Kids provides enrichment opportunities in the arts, ■ Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF). sciences, and humanities to children in four of New York City’s Latham & Watkins LLP worked on a housing discrimination most under-resourced public elementary schools. Weil, case on behalf of Latino tenant day-laborers evicted from their Gotshal & Manges LLP provides legal services that have homes within the Town of Brookhaven for housing code viola- helped Change for Kids develop a “best practices” corporate tions. The tenants were shut out of their homes without notice. governance structure, including updated bylaws. ■ Equal Benefits Law. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP assisted the Bronx River Alliance The Bronx River Alliance is dedicated to promoting and restor- New York City Council in a legal challenge regarding the pas- ing the Bronx River corridor and greenway as recreational and sage of the “Equal Benefits Law.” The law, which was intro- educational resources for Bronx communities. Winston & duced by the City Council, requires that the City enter into Strawn LLP drew together a team of attorneys from its corpo- contracts only with companies that provide the same benefits rate, employment, and environmental groups, to revise the to employees with domestic partners as they provide to married Alliance’s employment manual and serve the organization’s employees. diverse legal needs. Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) JESNA operates programs and services designed to prepare Building Communities and Institutions — Transactional new generations of Jewish educators and to assist communi- Member firms and corporate law departments offer a broad

Load more