New program pairs Rochester law students with attorneys for pro bono

Many law students are looking for opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world. At the same time, many attorneys are looking for opportunities to apply their legal knowledge and skills to providing free legal services to those in need.

Through a new program known as the Pro Bono Assistance Project (PBAP), law students in the Rochester and the Finger Lakes region will have the opportunity to be paired with private attorneys who have agreed to take on pro bono cases.

PBAP is part of the Law Students in Action Project (LSAP), an Americorps/Equal Justice Works program which places law students with different legal organizations for the purpose of assisting the indigent with civil legal matters. PBAP will expand the LSAP program by involving law students who are interested in doing pro bono work and who are also looking to network with private attorneys. The law students will provide pro bono services to those who request legal assistance through Volunteer Legal Services Project (VLSP) and the Finger Lakes Volunteer Legal Services.

In August, Michael McCormick, an Americorps/Equal Justice Works attorney, came to Rochester to help implement the new program. He obtained his juris doctor at the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School in 2004 and then worked at the Appellate Division, Third Department for a year before obtaining his current position as co-administrator of LSAP.

I'm excited about LSAP and PBAP, he said. These programs can open law students to so many great opportunities while providing legal services to those who desperately need it.

The program is seeking second and third-year law students from Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo and Syracuse University.

Those law students who sign up will be carefully screened to make sure they meet certain qualifications. If selected for the program, the law students will then be paired with a practicing attorney. Specifically, in addition to the case assignment, attorneys will be sent letters asking them whether they would like a student to help them work on the case.

Through PBAP, the benefits for both law students and attorneys are many.

Attorneys who accept pro bono cases will receive much needed assistance with time consuming tasks such as legal research, fact investigation, and scheduling interviews, explained McCormick. At the same time, law students will gain practical legal experience and the opportunity to network with private attorneys.

Several law students have already signed up for PBAP and more will be recruited as the program expands. The program is looking for law students who can volunteer between five to 20 hours a week during the school semester and as many hours as they can during the summer.

VLSP is looking forward to the support the law students in this program can offer its pro bono attorneys, said Sheila A. Gaddis, executive director of VLSP.

Law students and attorneys who are interested in finding out more information about PBAP can contact: Michael McCormick (Greater Rochester area) at (585) 295-5619 or Virginia King (Finger Lakes region) at (315) 781-1465.

Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.