Pro Bono & Community Collaborations
A third key component of the Access to Justice Project (A2J) involves experiential learning and pro bono dimensions. The project is expanding and formalizing the law school’s pro bono and volunteer opportunities in conjunction with several community and government partners. Haub Law has partnered with the 9th Judicial District of the New York State Unified Court System Access to Justice Committee; the New York State Judicial Institute, the Westchester District Attorney’s Office; major area direct legal services organizations including Hudson Valley Legal Services and Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, and Legal Hand Inc. to build out pro bono and other formal and informal opportunities for student engagement.
As part of Pace A2J, the law school is actively building new collaborations with our local courts and legal services providers. A few examples of recent new projects are highlighted below:
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Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Pro Bono Housing Project provides representation, assistance, and advice to tenants facing eviction and related housing emergencies in the Hudson Valley. Through this program, LSHV holds Virtual Housing Advice Clinics, utilizing pro bono attorneys to provide virtual advice and limited scope services to clients. These clinics allow unrepresented individuals who would not otherwise have assistance in their cases to receive information and advice.
PILC has partnered with LSHV and oversees law student volunteer recruitment to help staff this program. Students are initially paired with pro bono attorneys for the clinic and advice sessions, with the opportunity to provide advice to clients themselves after repeated participation and increased familiarity with the law.
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A Pro Bono Collaboration with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Foreclosure Unit enabled Haub Law students to volunteer with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Foreclosure Unit for spring 2023. These student volunteers provided research assistance on important impact work to improve housing policy and help families stay in their homes. This research was for a brief for a case involving constitutional rights to be heard by the United States Supreme Court this spring.
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In a Pro Bono Collaboration with the NYS 9th Judicial District Pro Bono Committee, the project partnered beginning fall 2022 to operate a virtual live pro bono “clinic” for individuals without children seeking an uncontested divorce. In its pilot stage, the clinic operated every other Tuesday from 4:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m. In its only initial cohort, approximately 24 Haub Law students and recent alums were trained to participate.