Pro Bono Opportunities
Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A has a very active community economic development unit that works closely with community nonprofit groups providing needed community services in the areas of housing, health, education, and child care, and these groups often need more volunteer assistance. CONTACT: Batya Miller, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinator, Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. A, 256-260 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211, (718) 487-2341 or bmiller@bka.org
City Bar Justice Center’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project provides assistance to low-income individuals who desire to improve their own economic well-being and that of their communities through microentrepreneurship. The Project recruits volunteer attorneys to provide direct one-on-one representation and conduct legal presentations on issues such as business entity formation, commercial lease negotiation, and intellectual property matters. CONTACT: Akira Arroyo, Program Director, City Bar Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project, 42 West 44th St., New York, NY 10036, (212) 382-6722 or aarroyo@nycbar.org
Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) coordinates and assists attorneys who provide pro bono civil legal services in a wide variety of subject matters, including representing smaller not-for-profit groups (especially those assisting the poor, the elderly, the handicapped, and the disabled) as to incorporation and tax-exempt status and with a variety of other legal issues. CONTACT: Bob Elardo, Esq., Executive Director, Erie County Bar Association VLP, 700 Statler Towers, Buffalo, NY 14202, (716) 847-0662 ext. 12 or relardo@wnylc.com
Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations that are improving the quality of life in New York City’s neighborhoods. CONTACT: Jolynda Burton, Pro Bono Coordinator, Lawyers Alliance for New York, 330 7th Ave., 19th Fl., New York, NY 10001, (212) 219-1800 ext. 242 or jburton@lany.org
Legal Aid Society’s Community Development Project (CDP) is an innovative legal services program committed to providing legal assistance, advocacy and other support for grassroots community economic development in low-income neighborhoods in order to strengthen a community’s infrastructure, expand the supply of affordable housing, promote entrepreneurship, and prevent displacement. Representing nonprofit organizations, micoenterprises, and low-income housing cooperatives, the CDP staff works in partnership with the private bar to address the business law needs of low-income communities. CONTACT: Marlene Halpern, Supervising Attorney for Pro Bono, Legal Aid Society, 199 Water St., New York, NY 10038, (212) 577-3288 or mihalpern@legal-aid.org
The Legal Project Small Business Legal Network, in partnership with Albany Law School and Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, provides free legal consultations with attorneys on small business legal issues for those interested in starting or expanding a small business, especially women, minority and veteran owned businesses. Advice is available on legal topics as business entity and registration, commercial and corporate litigation, contracts, copyright, employment, insurance, intellectual property, non-profits, patents, real estate, tax, trademark, and transactions. Contact: Legal Services Coordinator, The Legal Project, 21 Aviation Road, Suite 101, Albany, NY 12205, (518) 435-1770 x345 or info@legalproject.org
Legal Services for New York City, a coordinated network of programs throughout New York City, is the largest provider of free civil legal services to poor people in the United States. LSNY provides help in many areas, including in such business-related areas as federal income tax disputes, employment, unemployment insurance benefits, consumer and bankruptcy, predatory lending and foreclosure prevention, and economic development. CONTACT: Edwina Frances Martin, Director of Communications and Government Relations, LSNY, 350 Broadway, 6th Fl., New York, NY 10013, (646) 442-3586, emartin@lsny.org
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley provides high quality civil legal services to poor and low-income individuals and families throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley region. CONTACT: Erin Noelle Guven, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinator, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, 4 Cromwell Place, White Plains, NY 10601, (914) 949-1305 ext. 116 or eguven@lshv.org
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest is a nonprofit, civil rights law firm. In partnership with member firms, corporate legal departments and other organizations, NYLPI provides a broad range of meaningful pro bono experiences to thousands of attorneys. The Pro Bono Clearinghouse matches nonprofits and community-based organizations serving under-represented people with attorneys qualified to meet their transactional and litigation needs. CONTACT: Marnie Berk, Esq., Pro Bono Director, NYLPI, 151 W. 30th St., 11th Fl., New York, NY 10001-4007, (212) 244-4664 or Mberk@nylpi.org
Pro Bono Partnership is the leading provider of pro bono opportunities for in-house counsel who seek to provide volunteer business legal services to nonprofit organizations in Westchester County, Fairfield County, CT, and New Jersey. Its clients are organizations serving poor and disadvantaged populations and working in the areas of health and human services, affordable housing, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization. The Partnership identifies and screens nonprofits with legal issues and matches them with volunteers from leading corporations and law firms. CONTACT: Maurice Segall, Esq., Deputy Director, Pro Bono Partnership, 237 Mamaroneck Ave., Suite 404, White Plains, NY 10605, (914) 328-0674 or Msegall@probonopartner.org
Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County provides free legal representation in civil matters to low-income residents of Monroe County through a panel of 700 volunteer attorneys. CONTACT: Sheila A. Gaddis, Esq., Executive Director, 80 St. Paul St., Suite 640, Rochester, NY 14604, (585) 295-5700 or sgaddis@wnylc.com
Volunteers of Legal Service, Microenterprise Project helps small business owners and microentrepreneurs access high-quality, free legal services from our dedicated staff and our network of pro bono lawyers. The Microenterprise Project also recently introduced the Advocacy for Commercial Tenants Program (ACT), created to ensure that low to moderate-income commercial tenants have legal representation. Our ACT team represents and advises eligible small business tenants on commercial leasing matters. The Project also provides educational trainings on small business legal issues, and advocates for laws and policies that support small businesses in New York.
CONTACT: Kelsey Ripper, Esq., VOLS Microenterprise Project Director, 40 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013, (347) 521-5715 or kripper@volsprobono.org.