Pro Bono Week at Catholic Charities
Dear Pro Bono Partners,

We did it! Another National Pro Bono Celebration is in the books and the Catholic Charities Pro Bono team was out in force last week across New York City, even across the Hudson river! We collaborated with volunteers to engage potential clients through an innovative case evaluation clinic, said to be "the best pro bono training [one partner] has ever seen." We also gave multiple presentations to new corporate partners, focusing on broadening our pro bono volunteer advocate network. Energized, we returned to the office more inspired than ever by the power of our pro bono volunteers. Read on for details and photos from Catholic Charities National Pro Bono Week events, including our case evaluation clinic, the inaugural pro bono legal fair at BNY Mellon , and a pro bono lunch and learn with Samsung Electronics America .
An eager team of attorneys from corporate partner Chubb Insurance and the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers prepare for a day of training, service and relationship-building.
Innovation + Experimentation in Legal Service Delivery
Catholic Charities has 40+ years of experience helping immigrant families seek immigration legal relief. At this case evaluation clinic, pro bono attorneys played a critical role in helping children and families secure legal representation before the Immigration Court.  Volunteers conducted supervised case evaluations for individuals who had been preliminarily identified as eligible for SIJS or asylum.
It was a packed house for BNY Mellon's inaugural Pro Bono Legal Fair, featuring eight diverse nonprofit legal service providers from across NYC. Catholic Charities was delighted to celebrate BNY Mellon's partnership with our Immigration Court Helpdesk and also to acknowledge the legal research support their team provided to Catholic Charities during the 2018 family separation crisis. We look forward to engaging with BNYM volunteers at future service events!
Pro Bono Lunch and Learn
Corporate partner Samsung Electronics America is in the initial stages of developing a brand new pro bono legal program and has invited Catholic Charities to be a part of this developing programming! On October 22, thirty employees from Samsung's Legal & Compliance team joined Catholic Charities, VOLS, NJLEEP, and Pro Bono Partnership for an informational Pro Bono Lunch and Learn to showcase the work of our agencies and opportunities for legal and non-legal volunteer engagement. We are delighted to welcome Samsung to the Catholic Charities pro bono family.
At Catholic Charities, we could not do the work that we do for immigrant New Yorkers without the support of our volunteers.

As members of our network know, many of our clients are undocumented immigrants who have pathways to legal protections and the right to remain in the U.S. Those clients and other recent arrivals are at immediate risk and need your help today. As a member of the Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project volunteer network , you can use your legal skills to support immigrant communities by:


Contact Catholic Charities today to learn how you can help.
In Service,

Susan, Mirjam, and the Catholic Charities Pro Bono Team

Susan Marks
Pro Bono Legal Manager │ Special Projects
Immigrant & Refugee Services
Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York

Mirjam Grunenfelder-Reig
Special Projects Manager
Immigrant & Refugee Services
Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York

p.s. Feel free to forward this message to any colleagues you think might be interested in learning about our pro bono network!