Welcome to the January 2012 edition of the NYC Pro Bono Center newsletter! Read on to learn about the latest pro bono news, volunteer opportunities, upcoming trainings and new helpful resources.
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Outstanding Volunteers
Steven Rosenfeld is Recipient of The Legal Aid Society's 2011 Second Acts Leadership Award
Steven Rosenfeld, Of Counsel to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and a former President of The Legal Aid Society, was the recipient of the Society’s Second Acts® Leadership Award, as an exemplary model for continuing a lifetime of dedication to the law while serving the public good. Learn more
Proskauer Rose Volunteer Attorneys Successfully Close Challenging Removal Cancellation Case for City Bar Justice Center Client
Andrew Kleiman and Garrett Wright of Proskauer Rose LLP successfully prevented the deportation of a Chinese immigrant who grew up in New York City and survived childhood trauma and homelessness. Andrew and Garret's advocacy led an immigration judge to grant their client cancellation of removal, allowing him to remain in the United States. Learn more
We welcome your contributions! To nominate an outstanding volunteer, send an email describing the pro bono case or project to info@probono.net
Pro Bono News
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Teams with The Legal Aid Society to Vacate Criminal Convictions of Human Trafficking Victims
The Legal Aid Society recently was awarded a two-year grant from the NoVo Foundation to implement the Trafficking Victims Legal Defense and Advocacy Project ("TVLDAP"), an innovative interdisciplinary pilot project that addresses the comprehensive needs of victims of human trafficking who are arrested and prosecuted for prostitution in New York County. Cleary Gottlieb has joined with The Legal Aid Society to represent victims of human trafficking as they seek vacatur of prior prostitution convictions under a recently enacted New York law, providing these exploited individuals a second chance, and eliminating the devastating consequences of the criminal convictions. Learn more
City Bar Justice Center Plays Important Role in Assisting Victims of Human Trafficking
When January 11th was designated National Human Trafficking Awareness Day by the U.S. Senate in 2007, the resolution was passed with the intention of raising awareness of, and opposition to, human trafficking. The City Bar Justice Center’s Immigrant Women and Children Project, together with Greenberg Traurig and the New York Anti-Trafficking Network, hosted a panel discussion on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day to highlight emerging issues with trafficked youth in New York City. Learn more
Click here to read more pro bono news.
Upcoming Trainings and Events
Thursday, February 2, 2012: International Law and the Death Penalty
On Thursday, February 2, 2012, the Capital Punishment Committee of the New York City Bar Association will host a talk by Professor George Andreopoulos, an expert on international law, who will speak about the status of the death penalty under international law. This will be a classroom-style lecture designed to educate the audience about the international legal norms related to capital punishment. Learn more
Tuesday, February 7, 2012: Cultural Comptenency
This training will introduce and walk people through the principals of cultural competence to help immigration advocates interact more effectively with people of different cultures and social groups. The training will discuss the four components of cultural competence: awareness of one's own cultural worldview; attitude towards cultural differences; knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and cross-cultural skills. Learn more
Tuesday, February 7, 2012: The Legal Aid Society's 2011-2012 CLE Pro Bono Training Program: New York City Housing Authority
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. Learn more
Wednesday, February 15, 2012: The Legal Aid Society's 2011-2012 CLE Pro Bono Training Program: Social Security Disability
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. Learn more
Click here to view the full calendar of pro bono events
and training opportunities.
Library Resources
Handling A Criminal Appeal As Pro Bono Co-Counsel
The Criminal Appeals Bureau of The Legal Aid Society has posted an update to its practice manual, "Handling A Criminal Appeal As Pro Bono Co-Counsel", which provides an overview of substantive and procedural issues involved in handling a criminal appeals matter. This guide is distributed as part of The Legal Aid Society's CLE Pro Bono Training Program. Learn more
Click here to browse through the entire NYC Pro Bono Center Library.
Did you know?
First year associates can make a huge difference in the lives of others while developing essential lawyering skills by performing pro bono work. Every year new attorneys handle a wide range of pro bono matters such as public benefits, housing, asylum, family law matters, and domestic violence cases, to name a few. If you need help finding a pro bono opportunity, please check out the pro bono opportunities guide.
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