Dear Friends,

My family's summer has involved many day trips to Rockaway Beach — and some other travels — as well as a trip to the ER when my 7-year-old son broke his hand during a scooter accident. It's the type of situation many families experience, but one of the things that stood out to me was how, on an early Saturday morning in midsummer when most people are likely in relaxation mode, the medical staff that attended to us were engaged, focused, and clearly so dedicated to our son's care. At the end of the day, that's what the best advocacy is: engaged and mission focused with others' needs at the center.

With that in mind, I'm happy to share that the City Bar Justice Center kicked off this summer with two big advocacy wins. Following months of sustained advocacy by our affiliate, the New York City Bar Association, and civil legal aid organizations across the state, Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature delivered a major victory for access to justice. The final FY 2027 New York State budget restores full Interest on Lawyer Account (IOLA) funding and reaffirms a commitment to supporting civil legal services for those who need them most.

The momentum continued several days later when both houses of the New York State Legislature passed the Wi-Fi for Homeless bill. This represented a major milestone in our advocacy campaign, launched in 2020, to bridge the digital divide for families living in temporary housing.

Around midsummer, we published the City Bar Justice Center's 2026 Impact Report. There's a lot to celebrate in its pages — most importantly, achievements for the clients it's our mission to serve — and I encourage you to read the full report linked below for an overview of our accomplishments over the past year and a preview of upcoming projects such as our collaboration with Fairfield University's School of Engineering and Computing.

Summer also brought us our newest batch of interns, who kindly took time before their always-too-quick returns back to school to share their diverse experiences. This newsletter contains some of their responses!

You'll also be introduced to Teonna, a client of our Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project. Her experience attending a clinic led her down the path of building protections for the intellectual property of her urban strategy and development firm.

Lastly, as we look ahead to the season of pumpkin patches, apple picking, and trick or treating, I am excited to announce that our 2nd annual Fall for Justice happy hour event will take place in October, and to share that Kirsten Kelley has joined the Justice Center as our new development manager. More information about Fall for Justice is available in this newsletter, and we'll soon share a longer introduction to Kirsten.

Thank you for your continued interest and investment in our work. If you'd like to help support the work that will carry us through the rest of the year, please consider donating to our Pro Bono Response Fund, allowing us to sustain programming that meets emerging needs in our community.

Best regards,

Kurt M. Denk

Executive Director

2026 IMPACT REPORT 🌟

The City Bar Justice Center proudly presents its 2026 Impact Report!

It's a celebration of our accomplishments over the past year, and a blueprint for our work going forward.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL REPORT📄

ADVOCACY WINS! 🎉

The City Bar Justice Center applauds New York's Governor, Kathy Hochul, and Legislature, especially Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and their many leadership colleagues, for making valuable investments in civil legal services in the final FY 2027 State Budget.

Among a range of important commitments in the newly enacted budget is the restoration of all funds - $102.5 million in total - that the Interest on Lawyer Account (IOLA) Fund had requested to support existing grants for 87 civil legal aid organizations, like the City Bar Justice Center, that carry out a range of essential services for a broad spectrum of New Yorkers in need.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FINAL BUDGET💲

The City Bar Justice Center also celebrated the passage of the Wi-Fi for Homeless bill (S.8026-A / A. 1755-A) by both houses of the New York State Legislature, echoing the New York City Bar Association's excitement at this milestone and respectful urging of New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the bill into law.

Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Karines Reyes sponsored the bill, which aims to provide internet access to all individuals residing in temporary housing.

Closing the digital divide has been a critical point of the Justice Center's public advocacy over the past six years, beginning with the release of Homeless Need Internet Access to Find a Home: How Access to Internet and Technology Resources Can Support Homeless Families Transition out of Homeless Shelters, a report highlighting the importance of reliable access to Wi-Fi technology for New Yorkers living in shelters.

Without stable connection, residents are unable to search for housing and jobs, access public benefits, connect with healthcare providers, or help their children succeed academically in a world where remote learning is on the rise.

#WiFi4Homeless CAMPAIGN PAGE🛜

Fall for Justice: Wednesday, October 7 🍂

The City Bar Justice Center is pleased to announce that our 2nd Annual Fall for Justice will take place on Wednesday, October 7 from 5:30PM - 7:30PM at the New York City Bar Association in Midtown Manhattan!

Fall for Justice is a happy hour event benefiting the City Bar Justice Center's work to provide free, high-quality legal aid to New Yorkers.

Thank you to our Pro Bono Leadership Council for their support behind this event!

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION 🍁

SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM RECAP 🏖️

The City Bar Justice Center wrapped up another successful summer internship program. Enthusiastic high school, undergraduate, and law school students gained hands-on experience through our civil justice projects and departments.

We wish them good luck as they continue their studies and thank them again for their contributions to our organization.

Below, some of our interns share their meaningful work and lessons learned at the City Bar Justice Center.

Daisy Ding Huang

Seton Hall Law School

Planning and Estates Law Project

"My summer at the City Bar Justice Center was wonderful. I learned the profound impact of client-centered advocacy and empathetic listening. The most rewarding part was helping clients navigate complex legal systems to secure the assets of their loved ones, providing closure and peace of mind during vulnerable times. This experience not only solidified my career focus in non-litigation and estate planning, but also deeply shaped my personal growth. It taught me that true professionalism is bringing clarity and care to those in need, making me a more compassionate problem-solver."

Hayden Dabros

Hunter College

Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project

"For someone like myself who is a first-generation student planning to go to law school with no family working in the legal field or even the corporate world, this internship was great. I feel that my own self-efficacy and trust in my own abilities are stronger. I'm inspired by pro bono work and the time, effort, and labor that goes into delivering these services. I'm also inspired by our clients and their resiliency in this changing world."

Justin Sagalow

Rutgers Law School

Homeowner and Consumer Debt Advocacy Project

"My experience at the City Bar Justice Center taught me that preserving homeownership often depends as much on identifying problems early as it does on knowing the law. Through researching foreclosure, deed theft, tangled title, and heirs' property issues, and helping prepare pro se answers and oppositions to motions, I learned how legal advocacy can protect families from losing their homes and preserve intergenerational wealth. This experience strengthened my legal research and advocacy skills, gave me valuable experience working directly with clients and finding the right balance between warmth and professionalism, and above all, reinforced my commitment to public interest work and using the law as a vehicle for advocacy."

Ensuring the Sustainable Development of Cities:

How One Columbia University Alumna is Turning Real Life Experience into an IP-Protected Urban Strategy Firm 🏙️

Teonna Cooksey graduated from Columbia University with a dual degree from the Master of Architecture and Urban Planning programs. While completing her studies, she launched Mecca Development, drawing on her experience growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"Depending on where you are in the city, you'll either experience vacancies and boarded up houses, or beautiful brick buildings and lush parks," Teonna explained. "Living in such a segregated city allowed me to experience both worlds, and I was always curious about why the city was set up like that."

Mecca Development is an urban strategy and development advisory firm specializing in adaptive reuse, spatial equity, and system innovation.

Teonna sought legal advice and guidance through a clinic by our Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project.

Technology Powers Access to Justice in Partnership with Fairfield University

Creativity and adaptability have long guided the City Bar Justice Center’s approach to advancing its mission. This past year, that spirit took shape through a partnership with eleven graduate students from Fairfield University's School of Engineering and Computing, who pursued technology initiatives that strengthened both client services and organizational capacity — a clear example of what mission-driven innovation can achieve.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT 💻

SUPPORT OUR PRO BONO RESPONSE FUND ❤️

Here at the City Bar Justice Center, we meet folks every day who need our assistance with legal matters, and sometimes those issues are outside our normal programmatic work.

But we want to help. We know how to help.

That's how recent, special pro bono volunteer-supported programs —Monday Night Law, an Uncontested Divorce Clinic, and an LGBTQ+ Life-Planning Clinic were born.

None of these projects fall within the purview of our everyday work — nor are they funded. It's only because of our generous law firm, corporate, and individual donors that give unrestricted gifts that we can be flexible, creating programs that meet emerging needs in our community.

DONATE TO HELP US SUSTAIN OUR SPECIAL PROJECTS ⚖️

The newsletter editor is Anthony Johnson, the City Bar Justice Center's Communications and Outreach Associate. For questions you may reach him at anthonyjohnson@nycbar.org.

Our mailing address is:

42 West 44th Street

New York, NY 10036

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