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| 2010-2011 Pro Bono Fellowships |
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The Legal Services NYC 2010-2011 Pro Bono Fellowship Program will help us to expand the reach of our services to low-income residents of New York City, whose numbers and needs are rapidly growing as a result of the current economic crisis. With 19 community-based offices and numerous outreach sites located throughout each of the city’s five boroughs, Legal Services NYC annually provides expert legal assistance to tens of thousands of low-income clients throughout New York City – and works strategically to improve their lives and communities. For the most part, our fellowships will be located in existing practice units in our community offices. Please note that these fellowships are intended only for deferred law firm associates and other law firm associates encouraged to pursue pro bono opportunities for a temporary time period. Below is a list of practice areas and special projects in which we would welcome fellows.
Unemployment Insurance Advocacy
In addition to handling UI appeals, UI Fellows may gain valuable experience in other employment law matters such as wage and hour claims, Family Medical Leave Act and employment discrimination matters. Responsibilities will include representing clients at fact-finding hearings held by administrative law judges, filing appeals as appropriate, and participating in all aspects of employment litigation (e.g., writing demand letters, drafting pleadings and briefs, and assisting with discovery).
Foreclosure Prevention Fellows will have the opportunity to work on complex, multi-party litigation (including conducting extensive discovery and meeting with clients) as well as represent individual homeowners at mandatory settlement conferences in Supreme Court.
The Brooklyn Family Defense Project (“BFDP”) was one of three providers selected by the City of New York to establish a new office to represent parents in child welfare cases filed by the Administration for Children's Services. The City’s contract requires BFDP to represent 800 low income families in Brooklyn Family Court each year. Our clients face numerous challenges to maintaining their families, including homelessness, mental illness of the parents and/or the children, physical disabilities, addiction, and domestic violence, all of which are exacerbated by our clients’ poverty. BFDP’s mission is to provide high quality legal representation to protect parents’ due process rights while promoting access to the services necessary to build safe and stable families. Each case is uniquely different and raises complex issues of law and fact. Because we represent so many of the families affected by the family court and child welfare systems, BFDP is also uniquely situated to advocate for systemic change. BFDP’s diverse and talented staff works collaboratively in teams of attorneys, social workers and paralegal/parent advocates to advocate strongly on behalf of individual parents who risk the loss of their children. To ensure that our clients receive comprehensive services we have developed collaborations with the NYU School of Law’s Family Defense Clinic, the Hunter School of Social Work, and other local schools. Through these partnerships, we receive added support in our individual cases while helping to train new generations of family defense professionals. Fellows will participate in all stages of client representation, including meeting with clients, advocating for clients at case conferences and working in inter-disciplinary teams with attorneys, staff social workers and NYU’s Family Defense Clinic. Fellows will participate in all stages of client representation, including meeting with clients, advocating for clients at case conferences and working in interdisciplinary teams with staff social workers and NYU’s Family Defense Clinic.
Housing Fellows will provide representation to tenants in landlord-tenant cases in Housing Court, administrative hearings and appeals; litigate a variety of affirmative cases; and work with a collaborative network of community organizations. There will be opportunity to (i) participate in significant motion practice, (ii) engage in extensive client contact, and (iii) handle appeals, trials and Article 78 proceedings.
Government Benefits Fellows will work directly with clients, provide representation at administrative hearings in State Supreme Court and in Article 78 proceedings and work on policy matters.
Disability Assistance Externs will work with our disability units across the city to develop the medical and social service records necessary to prepare for a hearing, represent clients at administrative hearings before the federal Social Security Administration, and participate in federal court appeals as needed.
Immigration Fellows will assist legal permanent residents in becoming citizens and help domestic violence survivors self-petition under the Violence Against Women’s Act or apply for U-Visas as crime victims. Fellows will assist with the completion of all necessary forms, prepare fee waiver applications as needed and attend USCIS interviews with clients.
Special Education Fellows will provide a comprehensive array of direct legal services to low-income families and ensures that their right to access key educational interventions and services for their children is upheld to the full extent of the law, including advocacy in court and with school officials.
The Economic Recovery Project Fellow will work with the Manhattan Legal Services Director of Litigation to coordinate a newly-created city-wide project (funded by The New York Community Trust and The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund). The Project will provide holistic legal services to low-income New Yorkers adversely affected by the economy that allow them to recover and rebuild their personal lives. Responsibilities will include: providing advice in public benefits; demonstrating clients’ eligibility for unemployment insurance; defending against fraudulent debt collection and foreclosure; obtaining earned income tax credits; dealing with tax problems; and, if necessary, filing for bankruptcy.
NYC BAP Fellows will meet debtor clients, prepare Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions, and review the petitions of other, less experienced volunteers; they will also help us develop and build our Chapter 13 practice, aimed at using bankruptcy to save the homes of working families facing foreclosure. Additional responsibilities will include supporting legal services attorneys around the City who are struggling with their clients’ bankruptcy-related problems and looking to the bankruptcy court for broad-based relief for multiple debtors.
The Fellowship will enable attorneys to provide legal services to protect clients’ assets, including providing assistance with all aspects of tax disputes including audits, Court proceedings, Appeals and Collections.
Through School Suspension Project Fellowship, attorneys will have the opportunity to represent students in school suspension hearings, as well as to coordinate appeals and policy-driven litigation. The Fellow would have the unique opportunity to identify and challenge issues and systemic problems with the student suspension process.
A Healthcare Fellowship Project would undertake administrative advocacy and impact litigation around those Medicaid issues that are most prevalent among our client population. These include requests for durable medical equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, chair lifts); requests for home care services that allow seniors to remain in their homes with proper assistance; prescription drug requests, as well as assistance with problems related to utilization limits and co-payments; protecting limited income for elderly clients on fixed incomes; and services to the long-term disability population, generally aged 50 and older, who become eligible for Social Security disability benefits — but who are forced to wait two years before they are eligible for Medicare benefits.
Elder Law Fellows will have the opportunity to draft documents, engage in extensive client contact, represent clients at fact-finding hearings before administrative law judges and appeals, handle motions and Article 78 proceedings, and represent clients in Civil and Supreme Courts. Fellows will help those who are hard to reach, frail and disabled by making homebound visits and going to nursing homes, hospitals, and institutions where they will prepare important advanced directives and legal documents. Fellows will also interview clients and do community education presentations at senior outreach centers.
Medical-Legal Fellows will have the opportunity to provide intake at Legal Services NYC’s partner medical facilities; provide direct representation and/or advice to patients including client intake and assessment, investigation, document preparation, and representation in state and administrative courts; and coordinate and lead on-site trainings for medical staff that focus on the types of legal problems that most often confront low-income populations.
Community Group Fellows would have the opportunity to represent tenant associations in Housing Court; low-income coops on transactional matters; general litigation in state and federal courts, representing community organizations in a variety of high priority neighborhood issues (e.g. rezoning, discrimination, environment, etc.); and representation of clients in unemployment insurance administrative hearings; FEPS/government benefits administrative and court representation, and in family law/domestic violence matters. |