Columbia is one of a select group of law schools nationwide that require all students to undertake pro bono work during law school. The "mandatory pro bono program" grew out of a student initiative and continues to be shaped by student interests and needs as well as requests by public interest lawyers and organizations. As a result, many students, including first-years, find that the pro bono offerings enrich their law school experience and add relevance to their coursework. Most students perform more than the required 40 hours of service. The Center for Public Interest Law, working with Law School faculty, students, graduates, and public interest lawyers throughout the world, has developed a variety of In-House Projects and Spring Break Caravans and has identified hundreds of other projects that meet the requirement. Students may also design and receive credit for public interest projects that suit their individual interests. Current pro bono projects send students into the city, and the rest of the world in an effort to make a meaningful contribution for people seeking access to justice, the rule of law, and affordable solutions to critical community issues.
In-House Projects provide an opportunity to get excellent training and work through partnerships with public interest organizations, government agencies, law firms, and the Law School. New In-House Projects are started every year in response to student interests and community needs. Some of these include:
IN-HOUSE PROJECTS - Appropriate for All Law Students
Civil Rights Law Society Detention Monitoring Project: Teams of students will accompany attorneys from Legal Aid’s Immigration Unit to visit clients in detention centers. Students will help interview detainees, monitor center conditions, and provide follow up services to clients and their families. Contact: Diarra Guthrie, dmg2143
Criminal Justice Action Network Women In Prison Project: At the Correctional Association’s Women In Prison Project, law students will be assigned to different programs and/or working groups focused on re-entry issues and prisoners’ rights. Participating students will assist with a variety of tasks that include interviewing previously incarcerated women and helping to draft legislation. Contact: Jane Wilson, wej2101
Domestic Violence Project Battered Immigrant Women’s Project: Participants represent abused immigrant women seeking residency status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition process. Students are assigned a client and complete the petition from beginning to end, and learn skills such as interviewing and drafting affidavits. Contact: Kinara Flagg, kaf2013
Courtroom Advocates Project: Students serve as advocates in Family Court for domestic violence victims. Students help victims draft and file petitions for Orders of Protection, educate them on their rights and safety precautions, and advocate for them during court appearances. Contact: Shana Khader, shk2131
Uncontested Divorce Workshop: Students handle uncontested divorces with Sanctuary for Families. If the divorce is contested, students have the option of assisting the attorney in court. Contact: Erin Diers, eed2132
STEPS to End Family Violence’s Family Law and Prison Outreach Project: Under the supervision of STEPS attorneys students will staff a community outreach clinic to educate women about orders of protection, child support, and custody issues. Students also will have the opportunity to conduct presentations on family court issues to women incarcerated at Rikers Island. Contact: Rebekah Allen, rfa2108
Environmental Law Society Citizen Schools Apprenticeship Project: A team of law students will facilitate an after school toxic tort mock trial project with middle school students. Contact: Jessica Bell, jrb2136
High School Law Institute: Law students serve as teacher/mentors to economically disadvantaged high school students from around the city. They teach courses in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Trial Practice and are planning to develop a new curriculum on issues related to gender and the law. Contact: Michelle Seo, mjs2226
Legal Clinic for the Homeless: Under the supervision of an attorney from the City Bar Justice Center, a team of Columbia students will staff legal clinics at a local homeless shelter. Each student will be assigned a client and assist in resolving problems related to issues such as taxes, public assistance, immigration, employment, and family law. Contact Dan Freeman, daf2129.
IMPACT: The Voter Enfranchisement Project, in partnership with the Bronx Defenders, will educate community residents and implement existing re-enfranchisement procedures. Participants also will conduct research on voter protection issues. Contact: Ann Klibaner, ak2340
Mentoring Youth Through Legal Education Debate & Mock Trial Program: Students coach Harlem high school students in constitutional law competitions which make up a key part of Legal Outreach’s effort and curriculum to inspire and prepare young people to go to college. Contact: Stephanie Shemin,sshemin@legaloutreach.org
RightsLink: An outgrowth of Columbia’s Human Rights Internship Program, the project provides legal research to grassroots organizations throughout the world. Directed by a student board, Columbia students work with the guidance of Columbia faculty.
Contact: Milli Hansen, mkh2122
Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Project: Students will work with attorneys from The Door and Legal Aid to assist juvenile clients on a variety of immigration issues including assessment for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
Additional SIRR projects: Know Your Rights Immigrant Detention, African Services Committee & Iraqi Assistance Projects. Contact: Ming-Qi Chu, mc3097, Tanvir Vahora, tv2140
Tenants Rights Project: Students assist attorneys at the West Side SRO Law Project in improving the housing conditions of low-income tenants in Manhattan Valley and the larger Columbia University community. Contact: Sheila Adams, sra2124
Total Life Choices Advance Directives Project: Under the supervision of attorneys from the New York Legal Assistance Group’s Legal Health Unit, students will educate Mount Sinai patients about living wills, etc, and help them to complete required forms. Contact: Tina Spinoza, tjanssen-spinosa@nylag.org
Unemployment Action Center: Students work with unemployment insurance claimants throughout NYC who are appealing their denials of unemployment compensation. Students interview clients, research applicable law, conduct direct and cross examinations, and give closing statements before an administrative law judge. Contact: Kate Swearengen, kms2183
Youth Justice Society Education Advocacy Project (EAP): Students work with Legal Aid attorneys specializing in education issues relating to children in foster care, often utilizing the Birth to Three and Early Intervention federal programs. Contact: Marti Morgan, mrm2167
Resilience Advocacy Project (RAP): Students will work with attorneys to provide information in various areas to youth in schools and youth organizations; students will present Know-Your-Rights-Workshops. Contact: Jennifer Seo, jys2114
IN-HOUSE PROJECTS -Projects with Priority to Second and Third Year Law Students (Attorney coordinator contacts are listed.)
Bankruptcy Assistance Project: Under the direction of Legal Services for New York, students will conduct client intake to assess the appropriateness of cases and will help clients file bankruptcy petitions. Contact: Bill Kransdorf@lsny.org
Davis Polk Asylum Workshop: Under the direction of Davis Polk & Wardwell, teams of Columbia students prepare the factual record and brief the legal issues involved in complex asylum cases that bring human rights violations from around the world into the U.S. legal arena. Students must apply at the beginning of each semester, upon receipt of CPIL notice. Contact: Julie Hassman, Julie.Hassman@davispolk.com
Milbank Tweed’s Low Income Tax Representation Project : Students will team up with attorneys from Milbank Tweed to represent low income taxpayers in disputes before the IRS. In a partnership between Milbank Tweed and the low income tax clinics of Bronx Legal Services and Legal Aid’s Manhattan Office, students will have the opportunity to educate community members about their rights and assist them with a variety of
tax issues including fraud and identity theft. Contact: Bruce Kayle, BKayle@milbank.com
New York City Law Department: 2L and 3Ls may assist City attorneys in any one of 17 divisions including Environmental Law, Legal Counsel (counseling City Hall and City agencies), Affirmative Litigation (high-profile litigation commenced by the City), Appeals, Labor & Employment, Economic Development, Juvenile Prosecution, Bankruptcy and the World Trade Center Unit. Contact: Stuart Smith, stsmith@law.nyc.gov
Office of the District Attorney: 2Ls and 3Ls will assist ADAs in the investigation, preparation and prosecution of a variety of criminal cases in Manhattan such as larceny, domestic violence, sex crimes, narcotics and homicides. For Manhattan, there is an application process and students must apply during the semester before they work. Contact: Stella Eng, engs@dany.nyc.gov For Queens, contact Scott Kessler, SEKessler@queensda.org
Office of the US Attorney: 2Ls and 3Ls will work closely with Assistant US Attorneys in the investigation, preparation and prosecution of criminal cases in federal court in Manhattan. Depending on the assignment, students will help prosecutors by researching and drafting trial and appellate briefs, and by preparing for hearings or trials. Students must apply for this project during the semester before they work. Contact: Michael English, Michael.English@usdoj.gov
Online Resources For Pro Bono Projects
1. Columbia’s Public Interest Data Base & Symplicity: Log on to Columbia’s Public Interest Data Base and/or Symplicity to search for pro bono placements and other public interest opportunities. Pro Bono entries include a description of the projects Columbia students have worked on in the past as well as student evaluations. Students can search by topical area, location, or “In-House” status and can find out what organizations are in need of immediate assistance. Log on to Lawnet (http://www.law.columbia.edu/lawnet), click on “student services,” and click “search for pro bono projects.”
2. PSLawNet’s Database: PSLawNet is a global network of more than 120 law schools and over 12,000 public service
organizations working to foster law student community service and public interest work. PSLawNet’s database contains information
about thousands of domestic and international organizations and pro bono opportunities. Students can go to http://pslawnet.org
and open a free student account to search for projects in a particular practice area or location.
3. The New York State Pro Bono Opportunities Guide: The New York State Pro Bono Opportunities Guide is a joint
project of The City Bar Fund, The New York State Bar Association, Pro Bono Net, and Volunteers of Legal Service. Students can go
to http://www.probono.net/ny/oppsguide.cfm to search for pro bono opportunities in New York City and State. Opportunities are
searchable by location (including borough), as well as topical area and population served.
For additional information about pro bono projects, contact the pro bono staff at the Social Justice Program/Center for Public Interest Law at (212) 854-3535 or email probonoquestions@law.columbia.edu
Spring Break Caravans are a popular way for students to combine travel, fun and public service. Student directed teams are granted small travel stipends to help particular organizations with legal work during the week of spring break.
Recent projects include:
Criminal Justice Action Networkhas organized death penalty caravans to New Orleans, Atlanta, California, Texas,
Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina to assist lawyers on capital punishment cases.
The Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has sent groups to Miami to work on a variety of immigration issues, including asylum for Haitian and Dominican refugees.
IMPACT sent teams of students to Florida to conduct workshops on the process of re-enfranchisement for ex-felons and students have also traveled to Puerto Rico to work on environmental and community development issues.
Community Development in Puerto Rico at the Civil Action and Education Corporation (CAEC): Columbia students work in collaboration with students from the University of Puerto Rico to develop new policies and programs related to incarceration alternatives and reduced recitivism.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Fay, and the Student Hurricane Network has sent close to 150 Columbia Law students to the Gulf Coast region to assist residents and organizations in the area.
Students have also traveled to Zacatecas, Mexico, to undertake migrant worker education and advocacy. You will receive emails about this year’s caravans in the beginning of the spring term.
