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Director's Message NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Pro Bono News Winter Edition Vol. 28 No. 1 Director’s Message Kristen Wagner, Director of Pro Bono Services All attorneys Association is cognizant of the chal- provide legal services to low-income are taught in lenges some attorneys face in reach- New Yorkers, all attorneys can find a law school that ing these aspirations. Attorneys are way do the public good. they have a regular people who have businesses All of these forms of pro bono ser- professional to run and families to support. How- vice, among others, are available and responsibility, an ever, there is no denying that, as a encouraged by New York’s judiciary. ethical obliga- member of this profession, all attor- Yet, despite the profession’s dedica- tion, to provide neys are uniquely situated to do the tion to pro bono service, deep gaps legal services to public good. in access to justice remain prevalent individuals who Wagner cannot afford an attorney. In recent years, this responsibility has As a member of this profession, been further engrained in the pro- fession by the New York courts, not all attorneys are uniquely situated only by requiring anonymous report- ing of voluntary pro bono services to do the public good. and financial contributions, but also by requiring law students and recent law grads to perform fifty hours of The New York State Bar Associa- across New York State. Immigrants, pro bono service before they can be tion and its Department of Pro Bono survivors of domestic violence, veter- admitted to the New York State bar. Services are here to connect attorneys ans, and many others need your help. with pro bono opportunities that fit There is no better time than now to Rule 6.1 of the Rules of Profession- their lives and benefit the lives of give us a call and find out how you al Conduct provides that, “(a) Every low-income New Yorkers. Whether can do the public good. lawyer should aspire to: (1) provide an attorney volunteers for a local The articles contained in this at least 50 hours of pro bono legal civil legal service organization by newsletter will highlight some inno- services each year to poor persons; handling a case from beginning to vative, timely and inspirational pro and (2) contribute financially to orga- end, rendering limited scope legal bono projects going on across the nizations that provide legal services representation though a “lawyer for state right now. You will see through to poor persons.” the day” program, counseling rural these articles the breadth of services The New York State Bar Asso- clients via videoconferencing technol- being rendered, the variety of cases ciation has always encouraged its ogy available at non-profit organiza- being handled, and recognition of members to comply with Rule 6.1 tions, doing pro bono in your paja- those who do exemplary work as pro and recognizes those attorneys and mas from your home computer via bono volunteers. Thank you to all law firms that go above and beyond ny.freelegalanswers.org, or contribut- those who do their part! in this regard. At the same time, the ing financially to organizations that Published by the Department of Pro Bono Services www.nysba.org/probono Inside: Pro Bono Attorneys in Albany Pro Bono Attorneys in Albany and Rochester Provide Remote Limited Scope Services to Rural Clients with and Rochester Provide the Closing the Gap Program 2 The Legal Aid Society and Cleary Gottlieb Challenge Remote Limited Scope the Constitutionality of New York’s Loitering for Prostitution Law: Demand an End to NYPD’s Arbitrary and Discriminatory Enforcement of the Law Against Services to Rural Clients with Women of Color 5 Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York Launches New Pro Bono Projects 6 the Closing the Gap Program Judge Rules City’s Human Rights Law Prohibits Landlords By Mike Grunenwald, Program Coordinator, Pro Bono Net and Melody from Refusing Rent Vouchers for Homeless Families 7 Harkness, PAI PBIF Coordinator – Closing the Gap, Legal Aid Society of Attorney Emeritus Program Helps Serve the Needs Northeastern New York of the Community 7 Lawyers Alliance and Pro Bono Attorneys Strengthen The concentration of legal services income rural communities. Nonprofits Improving Urban Health 7 organizations and pro bono attor- Closing the Gap (www.closingthe A Call for Volunteers 9 neys in New York’s urban centers has gapny.org) is a remote services deliv- resulted in a significant imbalance in ery platform that builds legal assis- Benefits of Pro Bono Work 10 the availability of legal services for tance capacity in rural upstate com- Pam Wexler, Career Volunteer 11 low-income urban and rural popula- munities by facilitating limited scope tions. Most rural upstate communi- assistance from pro bono volunteers Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Recognizes Volunteers 13 ties have precious few lawyers and based in Albany and Rochester. Clos- City Bar Justice Center Honors 2016 Jeremy G. Epstein Awardees for Outstanding Pro Bono Service During National Pro Bono Week 14 The Pro Bono Newsletter is available online at www.nysba.org/ProBonoNews Views expressed in published articles are those of the authors alone and are not to be attributed to the Pro Bono Newsletter, its editors, or the New York State Bar Association, unless expressly so stated. little or no access to pro bono legal ing the Gap is made possible by an Article authors are responsible for services, leaving low-income indi- LSC Pro Bono Innovation Fund grant the correctness of all information, viduals in rural areas to fend for to the Legal Aid Society of North- citations and quotations. Articles may themselves when faced with legal eastern New York. Project partners be edited for clarity and length. threats to their finances, housing, and include Legal Assistance of Western ___________________________________ families. Remote services delivery New York, Volunteer Legal Services seeks to use technology to bridge this Project of Monroe County, and Pro Editor: Kristen Wagner, Esq. divide between pro bono and legal Bono Net. aid resources in urban areas and low- continued on page 3 2 Winter Edition Closing the Gap Program continued from page 2 Closing the Gap launched in the The goal of the Closing the Gap ence in how often he/she would like Spring of 2016 with a training event project is to increase the quantity and to receive CTG referrals. Additionally, for volunteers and staff in Albany, scope of pro bono service delivery in LASNNY provides rural support staff NY. Since the training, CTG volun- housing and consumer cases in rural to assist with facilitating each virtual teers have started taking housing and upstate New York. We are currently in interview and beyond. consumer cases involving default the midst of a 12 month pilot during At the heart of the Closing the Gap judgments, debt collection notices, which we are gathering data about the project are the pro bono attorneys Left: Michaela Azemi (LawNY), Danielle Left Top: Lillian Moy (Executive Director, Left: Mike Grunenwald (Program Nelson (VLSP), Danielle Sharp (VLSP), LASNNY), Left Bottom: Michele Sleight Coordinator, Pro Bono Net) Melody Harkness (LASNNY) (PAI Director, LASNNY) Right Top: Right: Melody Harkness (PAI PBIF Right: Anna Hineline (LAWNY), Anna Sheila Gaddis (Executive Director, VLSP) Coordinator, LASNNY) Anderson (LAWNY) Summer CTG Right Bottom: Melody Harkness (PAI PBIF Coordinator, LASNNY) 2016 New York Statewide Civil Legal coordinator training in Rochester, NY. Aid Technology Conference, New York Pro bono meeting at Barclay Damon, LLP income executions, non-payment and Law School, New York City. in Albany, NY. holdover proceedings, petitions for possession of real property, with the exception of one, involving no litiga- experiences of volunteers and clients who generously volunteer their time tion. The concept of Closing the Gap that will allow us to improve work- to participate in the pilot. One of is having pro bono attorneys conduct flows and identify opportunities for our volunteers is Jordan Chisolm, an virtual interviews with clients in rural growth. The project has great potential attorney with Whiteman Osterman & areas using the site’s integrated real- to expand statewide, and to enable Hanna, LLP in Albany. One particular time web video chat and document virtual legal clinics with libraries and case in which Mr. Chisolm was trium- sharing features, all while preparing a other community access partners pro se pleading using Law Help Inter- to address urban-rural service chal- active software (LHI), specially devel- lenges. oped for use by pro bono attorneys Since our launch, Closing the Gap assisting upstate clients. has increased participation among pro This software serves as a training bono attorneys in western New York, mechanism for both experienced and Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady and inexperienced attorneys, one of the Rensselaer counties as well as Staten many reasons that makes this pro- Island and Westport, CT due to the gram so great. LHI is designed with ease and convenience in the virtual a Q&A format in which the questions aspect of pro bono assistance. After are populated based on the answers signing up, the pro bono attorney is provided during the virtual interview. registered as an advocate on the Clos- Once the interview is complete, LHI ing the Gap website (www.closingthe generates the answers into specific gapny.org) where they can view and legal format in a Word document. share documents, instant message and Chisolm These interactive interviews enable chat with the client, conduct a virtual volunteers with little or no experi- interview, view training resources, phant involved a client who was at ence in housing and consumer cases and gain access to Law Help Interac- risk of losing housing. The client was to generate high quality pleadings for tive software.
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