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The NYC Pro Bono Center is proud to host resources and video recordings from The Legal Aid Society's 2012-2013 CLE Pro Bono Training Program. Listed below are links to each of the trainings. Please click the event title of any training that has not yet taken place for more information about the training. Check back often for updates to training materials as well as scheduling information for additional new trainings.

*Please note: training is without charge, but space is limited and priority is given to law firms whose generosity to The Legal Aid Society makes this program possible and who partner with The Legal Aid Society to provide pro bono legal services to low-income New Yorkers.*

In order to view the videos and training material, you must be a member of the NYC Pro Bono Center. Membership is free, so join today.


Immigration

Criminal Law Litigation

Prisoners' Rights Administrative Hearings & Appeals Housing Law

Fair Hearings

Community Economic Development

Trusts and Estates

Low-Income Taxpayers

Trafficking

Employment Law

Predatory Lending


November 29, 2012: Criminal Appeals - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Acquire the knowledge to represent criminal defendants in the Appellate Division. This seminar will focus on the procedural and substantive law underlying criminal appeals. Attendance will enable volunteers to represent Legal Aid's clients under the supervision of the Criminal Appeals Bureau. [Top]

December 6, 2012: Advising Micro-Entrepreneurs - [Training Resources Unavailable]
Hosted by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Attain an overview of the available business structures for the formation of a micro business, including the advantages and disadvantages of using a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or sole proprietorship. The session will include a role-playing exercise highlighting the legal issues surrounding business structures as well as the shareholder, employment, and other similar agreements involved in the formation of a business. [Top]

January 15, 2013: Social Security Disability - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Proskauer Rose LLP
Learn how to represent disabled children and adults at administrative hearings before the Social Security Administration. Successful clients receive higher monthly income and are entitled to Medicaid or Medicare benefits to cover the cost of medical treatment. The session will cover Social Security law and practice including how to gather and analyze medical evidence, the examination of parties and witnesses, drafting effective pre-hearing memoranda, and oral argument. [Top]

January 17, 2012: Not-for-Profit Incorporation - [Training Resources Unavailable]
Hosted by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Acquire expertise in incorporating not-for-profit entities and securing their federal tax-exempt status. The faculty will cover basic due diligence by attorneys to learn about an organization prior to drafting any documents, preparation of the not-for-profit charter and bylaws, and application to the IRS for tax exempt recognition. [Top]

January 22, 2013: New York City Housing Authority Matters - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP
Learn to represent public housing residents where the New York City Housing Authority is seeking to terminate tenancy due to alleged breach of lease or the Housing Authority's rules and regulations. This session will give an overview of the substantive and procedural law, and train participants to engage in fact-finding and document discovery, prepare witnesses, and conduct direct and cross examination. [Top]

January 30, 2013: Housing Preservation Actions - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
Learn to initiate and litigate proceedings on behalf of tenants whose landlords willfully refuse to provide the most basic of services, including heat and hot water during the winter. The session will address the drafting of pleadings, pre-litigation research, how to obtain evidence, and strategies for effectively litigating the action to a successful conclusion. Cases provide an excellent opportunity to engage in settlement conferences and hearings. [Top]

January 31,2013: Negotiating a Commercial Lease - [Training Resources Coming Soon]
Hosted by Nixon Peabody LLP
Acquire knowledge to negotiate and draft commercial leases. This seminar will focus on basic terms and conditions of a model commercial lease. [Top]

February 5, 2013: Article 78 Proceedings - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
Gain the knowledge to litigate an appeal of an administrative decision in State Supreme Court and the Appellate Division. Participants will learn to draft legal pleadings, memoranda, conduct oral argument, and perfect an appeal. These proceedings are the last avenues of redress for many of Legal Aid's clients who have lost government benefits or public housing. [Top]

February 26, 2013: How to Draft a Will for Low-Income Elderly - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Learn how to draft a will for seniors with small estates. Attendance at this session will prepare you to interview the client, assess the information collected, and draft the appropriate documents. [Top]

February 28, 2013: Intellectual Property for the Micro-Entrepreneur - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
Learn basic principles of copyright, trademark, trade secret, and patent law, with emphasis on how micro-entrepreneurs should be advised as they develop their business ideas and confront the need to protect their own intellectual property assets and avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of others. The session will include discussion of the advantages of timely Nixon registration, practicalities of various search options, strategies for obtaining federal registration, and issues raised when the micro-entrepreneur's business includes an online presence. [Top]

March 5, 2013: The Law of Prisoner's Rights - [Training Resource ]
Hosted by Dechert LLP
Learn the substantive law applied in prisoners' civil rights litigation, including claims of cruel and unusual punishment, denial of due process, violation of other substantive constitutional rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. [Top]

March 7, 2013: Counseling the Smaill Nonprofit Organization - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Counsel for an existing nonprofit organization must be aware of the wide variety of legal and business compliance obligations confronted by its clients. This program will cover the essentials of counseling the small to medium-sized nonprofit organization, including: good governance best practices; fiduciary duties of the board of directors; annual reporting to the IRS and the Charities Bureau; and legally-compliant fundraising. In addition, participants will learn to use a nonprofit compliance checklist, a tool that helps nonprofits and their attorneys to keep track of the sometimes bewildering range of nonprofit organization compliance obligations.
This seminar is well-suited to anyone who has completed the Not-for-Profit Incorporation CLE or who has equivalent experience. [Top]

March 12, 2013: Prisoner's Civil Litigation in Federal Court - [Training Resources ]
Hosted by Dechert LLP
Learn the basics of representing prisoners in civil rights litigation in Federal Court, including proper defendants, immunity issues, relationship of ยง 1983 and habeas corpus, and navigating the Prison Litigation Reform Act. [Top]

March 14, 2013: Employment Law for Nonprofits and Small Businesses - [Training Resources]
Hosted by O'Melveny & Myers LLP
This seminar provides an overview of best practices in employment law for counsel representing nonprofit organizations and low-income small businesses. These nonprofits and small businesses must adopt employment policies that are fair, understood by all employees, and that minimize disputes and litigation Topics covered will include: hiring and termination; employee evaluation and discipline; the proper classification of employees and independent contractors; wage and hour laws; and exempt versus nonexempt employees. Special issues involving nonprofit organizations will also be examined, including the proper use of volunteers and the payment of stipends. [Top]

April 4, 2013: Special Immigration Juvenile Status - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Latham & Watkins LLP
Learn how to help obtain lawful immigration status for undocumented youth who have suffered from abuse, abandonment, and/or neglect. The training will focus on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), providing an overview of the laws and institutions involved in SIJS, and guidance for pro bono lawyers working with undocumented youth. [Top]

April 18, 2013: New York State Foreclosure Laws and Practices - [Training Resouces]
Hosted by Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP
Learn about the foreclosure process, the laws that govern it, including the law mandating settlement conferences for all residential foreclosures. [Top]

April 23, 2013: Avoiding Bankruptcy for Small Businesses in Financial Distress - [Training Resources Coming Soon]
Hosted by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Obtain the knowledge to assist low-income small businesses - corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships - faced with financial distress due to loss of a lease, sustained business slowdown, financing issues, or an unforeseen disaster, by analyzing the relevant circumstances and weighing the potential courses of action. While the session is focused predominantly on filing for bankruptcy relief and using the protections afforded under the Bankruptcy Code, the session also includes a discussion of other key actions by which low-income business owners might salvage or, if necessary, wind down their companies. These include out-of-court workouts, assignments for the benefit of creditors, winding up under state law, and obtaining financing from the Small Business Administration. [Top]

April 25, 2012: New York State Foreclosure Defenses and Settlement Options - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP
Learn about statutory as well as common law defenses and counterclaims in foreclosure cases, including lack of standing. We will further consider the various loss mitigation options, including the "Home Affordable Modification Program" (HAMP). [Top]

April 30, 2013: Unemployment Insurance Benefits - [Training Resources]
Hosted by Shearman & Sterling LLP
Learn how to represent individuals denied unemployment insurance benefits by the New York State Department of Labor at their administrative hearing. Substantive topics will include the basic eligibility requirements to receive benefits, an overview of how the New York State Department of Labor processes claims and the hearing process, common types of cases, an outline of steps to take in representing clients, and strategic considerations and tips for these hearings. [Top]