May 20, 2020
Dear NCBA Members:
As the father of a second-year law student taking her final exams, I know only too well the uncertainty that the Coronavirus has caused to so many students at the law schools in our area. The nature and extent of summer internship opportunities are still unclear to many.
On June 1st, the NCBA will launch its COVID-19 Law Student Pro Bono Program. The program will offer Hofstra, Touro and St. John’s law students opportunities to gain hands-on experience as they assist NCBA COVID-19 Community Response Task Force Volunteer Attorneys in providing free legal consultations to local residents and small business owners.
The program will provide a substantive educational experience as well as introduce law students to the benefits of NCBA membership. Law students will engage in a variety of lawyering tasks, including client intake, interviewing, fact analysis, legal research, drafting documents and client counseling. Throughout, there will be an emphasis on the importance of providing high-quality, ethical representation in the context of limited scope legal assistance. The program will run from June through the end of August, with students working on assignments a minimum of 5 hours per week.
While Community Response Task Force Volunteer Attorneys are not required to take on a law student, they are encouraged to do so as the program presents a rewarding mentoring opportunity, the ability to build relationships with future colleagues, and the chance to identify potential job candidates.
For more information, contact COVID-19 Law Student Pro Bono Program Coordinator, Hon. Maxine S. Broderick, at
[email protected]
, or COVID-19 Community Response Task Force Chair, Martha Krisel, at
[email protected]
. They have both done a stellar job on this project, and the NCBA owes each of them a great debt of gratitude.
Martha asked me to extend her heartfelt thanks to our Member Volunteers who have responded so generously to the NCBA COVID-19 initiative. She looks forward to welcoming law students to the NCBA initiative and is grateful to Judge Broderick who, in her capacity as an NCBA Board Member, volunteered to serve as the COVID-19 Law Student Coordinator. Martha, you’ve done an amazing job yourself!
See below for new court updates:
