Dan Ruben '91: Executive Director, Equal Justice America

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When Dan Ruben was a 2L he read a small article in the NY Times about a program at another law school where students were raising money to fund summer public interest jobs. A self-starter, committed to public interest, he thought this program was a great idea and decided to start a similar one at Haub Law, which today, we know as PILSO.

“To get the program off the ground, I went knocking on the office doors of every faculty member. I was surprised and very pleased that nearly all of them took out their checkbooks and made a contribution,” said Dan. “I realized that this idea could grow beyond fundraising at the level of a single school.” Dan describes starting PILSO as the highlight of his law school career. “The issue driving it—the lack of adequate legal representation for so many Americans—is so compelling, the need is so great, that I imagined such an organization could be successful on a national scale. I realized almost right away what I’d be doing when I graduated.”

In 1993, Dan launched Equal Justice America. His goal upon founding EJA was “to put as many law students and graduates as possible to work on behalf of people in need.” Dan wanted to help law students committed to public interest get hands-on experience that would help them achieve their career goals and thereby the greater good.

“I wanted to see our EJA Fellows become inspired by the work and turn their Fellowship experience into careers devoted to helping others in need. The organization started off modestly but has grown exponentially. In the summer of 1994, EJA awarded five law student fellowships. Since then, more than 6,000 law students have served as Equal Justice America Fellows working with more than 700 legal aid programs across the country. “So many of our EJA Fellows have done exactly what I had hoped. They’ve devoted their careers to public interest and provide shining examples of how the benefits of our program long outlive the duration of each individual fellowship.”

In more recent years, EJA has started funding post-graduate fellowships. “We currently have post-grad EJA Fellows advocating for domestic violence victims, veterans, young people trying to avoid the school to prison pipeline and human trafficking survivors,” said Dan. “Another post-grad EJA Fellow’s work is focused on civil rights, racial justice and ending the criminalization of poverty.”

In 2000, Equal Justice America partnered with the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University to establish its Disability Rights Clinic. “I was grateful to the Law School and wanted to give back.” One of EJA’s Board Members, David Santacroce, was the very first student at Pace to respond to Dan’s call to his fellow students for help launching PILSO. “David and I had conversations with Professor Vanessa Merton way back then and the EJA Disability Rights Clinic was the result of those conversations.” The Clinic was launched with a major grant and an ongoing commitment from EJA.

Over the years, the EJA Disability Rights Clinic led by Professor Gretchen Flint and more recently Professor Patricia Angley, has helped develop so many students into public interest attorneys and as a result helped so many low-income individuals with disabilities.

When Dan started law school, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. “I was looking for a way to try to do some good. When I had that great success in getting Pace faculty to support PILSO I knew that I was on to something and that I had found a way to use my law degree in a constructive way that would help lots of people who really needed it.”

Over the years, PILSO has remained steadfast in their commitment to helping students launch careers in public service. The student run organization runs public service networking events, career panels, and also collaborates closely with the thriving Public Interest Law Center (“PILC”). PILC was formed at Haub Law in 2009 to unite and expand the public interest programs and career opportunities at the Law School and has continued to grow and expand their initiatives.

In the early 2000’s, Haub Law and PILSO recognized Dan and his trailblazing efforts of founding PILSO and Equal Justice America with a Lifetime Achievement Award. “Dan has done more for the practice of public interest law in this country than any other Pace Law graduate,” Haub Law Professor Vanessa Morton wrote in an email to her faculty colleagues, which was read at the dinner that honored Dan.

Today, Dan is confident he made the right career path for himself in founding PILSO and ultimately, EJA. “The U.S. Constitution rightly guarantees that criminal defendants will be provided with legal counsel. There is no such right to counsel for people who are unable to afford lawyers in legal matters involving basic human needs - such as shelter, sustenance, safety, health, and child custody.

The Legal Services Corporation estimates that 80% of the legal needs of low-income people are not being met. “That justice gap needs to be closed,” said Dan. “Unfortunately, what EJA is able to do is really just a drop in the bucket. Legal aid programs need to be better funded to meet the need. However, in our own small way, I believe EJA has contributed to a better and more just legal system by encouraging students to make careers serving others and giving them the opportunity to get the experience necessary to have successful public interest careers. Countless thousands of individuals struggling to keep it together in difficult and often desperate situations have received help from our EJA Fellows during their Fellowships and during their careers as public interest attorneys.”

Equal Justice America is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year, please consider a donation.