May News: The Power of VOLS Partnerships
VOLS’ partnerships continue to distinguish and define us as a legal services organization. This was never clearer than at our New York, Together 2022 Gala last month. Looking into the crowd that evening, I saw the staff, community-based organizations, and pro bono attorneys from law firms and corporations throughout the city who come together daily to support fellow New Yorkers in need of high quality, free civil legal services.
One thing that has stuck with me since is the enthusiasm for pro bono work that reverberated throughout the evening: our corporate pro bono panelists and our honoree made a clear case for how important this volunteer work was to a healthy, vibrant city, to their companies and to themselves. Thank you to all who attended and supported this special evening.
Read on to hear more about the Gala, our participation in Financial Institution Pro Bono Day, and the phenomenal work of our projects.
Warm regards,
Abja
Abja Midha
Executive Director
Volunteers of Legal Service
New York, Together 2022 Gala Highlights
On April 28, the VOLS community came together to celebrate the outstanding pro bono leaders and community partners who have worked with VOLS’ staff to provide nearly seven thousand New Yorkers with free, civil legal services in the last year, including young immigrants, seniors, older veterans, small business owners, unemployed workers, children and their families. Thank you to everyone who joined us at Tribeca 360 and virtually! The evening’s highlights included hearing from our community partners, such as Dorothy Johnson-Laird, LMSW, Social Services Manager of Hudson Guild who shared that, “In light of the pandemic, because health has become such a critical issue for the people that we serve, end of life planning is vital. Without VOLS I don’t know what they would do.” Jacqueline Haberfeld, Global Program Director and Pro Bono Counsel, Kirkland & Ellis powerfully discussed the firm’s pandemic response partnership with VOLS, noting that “Without the legal service organizations none of these projects would happen. So, we are deeply grateful.”
After a warm welcome by Legal Director Peter Kempner, Cynthia Bookhart Adams (Jefferies) led an expert panel featuring Erica Blau (AIG), Yuliana Kletsun (Bloomberg LP), and Maryana Zubok (Pfizer, Inc.) in a compelling conversation on corporate pro bono, exploring questions such as “What are some of the benefits for your companies to engage in pro bono?” and “How does your company choose the priorities for its pro bono practice? How do those priorities intersect with the issues and challenges New Yorkers are facing?”
Thank you to our Board Chair, Karen Artz Ash, for kicking off a wonderful evening. We are enormously grateful to our entire Board of Directors and Pro Bono Advocates Council, our Host Committee, all of our Sponsors, and our Chair and Honoree, Kirkland & Ellis LLP. In the words of VOLS’ Development Committee Chair Jeffrey Trachtman, “Without the substantive expertise of VOLS and our community partners, it would be incredibly difficult for attorneys in the private bar to make the most effective contribution to closing the justice gap in New Yorkers.”
VOLS welcomes you to watch the entire event, including our panel and spotlight videos, on our website. If you have not already done so, please consider supporting our work today with a donation through our website. Thank you for your partnership in our mission.
Financial Institution Pro Bono Day
Each year the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) and its Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) project host an annual Financial Institution Pro Bono Day (FIPBD). FIPBD is a day to bring financial institutions together to promote in-house pro bono engagement and collaboration. In partnership with McGuireWoods and the Bank of America legal department, VOLS held our first in-person Senior Law Project clinic since the pandemic outbreak. Together with our partners, we helped low-income seniors plan for their futures by obtaining Last Wills and Testaments, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, and other advance directives. It was wonderful and energizing to be together! Click here to read about the clinic.
Equal Justice Conference
This week, VOLS Legal Director, Peter Kempner, will present on two panels at the 2022 Equal Justice Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The first, “The New York Pro Bono Scholars Program, not just for New Yorkers” provides information on becoming a host organization, working with the NYPBS, and collaborating with law school partners to provide an enriching experience. The second, co-presented with VOLS pro bono partners, Harlene Katzman of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Jackie Haberfield of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, discusses how law firms are increasingly using legal tech to better serve pro bono clients and collaborate with legal services providers.
Welcome to VOLS!
VOLS is pleased to welcome our new Development & Communications Director Amy Bonderoff and Legal Assistant Emilia Tineo! Amy brings a demonstrated track record of nonprofit fundraising and passion for helping individuals and institutions achieve their philanthropic goals. Emilia brings a commitment to community-focused advocacy and legal assistance. Join us in welcoming them to the VOLS team.
Updates from the VOLS Legal Team
As New York City recovers from the pandemic and economic crisis, the VOLS team reports with updates from across our legal programs:
- Our clients, our staff, and our partners are a continued source of inspiration. Earlier this year, a 107-year-old Spanish-speaking senior who lived in rent-stabilized apartment with her son was referred to the VOLS Senior Law Project. Fiercely independent for over a century, she had decided that she needed her son’s help in handling her financial affairs and reached out for help obtaining a Power of Attorney. Our staff was proud to provide her with peace of mind and the ability to continue to age with dignity in her community.
- In March, the VOLS Microenterprise Project partnered with the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute at the City University of New York. Their Informal Family Care Project helps home-based childcare providers successfully care for young children in their communities by providing a comprehensive array of professional development opportunities. As part of their efforts to become certified by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, VOLS conducted a “business essentials” workshop for program participants to help them select the right type of entity for their small business formation. After the workshop, we conducted follow-up intakes in order to place these inspiring entrepreneurs with our pro bono partners for assistance in entity selection. We are inspired by these caregivers who, in starting a small business, are not only achieving their dreams but also bringing crucial services to their communities.
- The VOLS Immigration Project continued our work helping immigrant youth and young adults secure their immigration status by hosting virtual Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal clinics with our pro bono partners, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, in March and April, respectively. Next month, VOLS will host two free virtual DACA renewal assistance clinics. The clinics will run on June 13 with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and on June 23 with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Goldman Sachs. Our work for immigrant youth seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is growing through our partnership with our newest community partner, Jewish Child Care Association (JCCA). With JCCA’s assistance, VOLS will provide legal screenings and representation for this particularly vulnerable population of immigrant youth who JCCA identifies as needing SIJS support. Finally, we are excited to share that three of our clients obtained Temporary Protected Status, legal permanent residency through SIJS, as well as U.S. citizenship: read about their success stories here!
- The VOLS Unemployed Workers Project (UWP) is happy to report that the New York Department of Labor (DOL) has begun to process overpayment waiver applications. This means thousands of New Yorkers have received their overpayment waiver approval notices, relieving them of crushing debt and upheaval. This is an enormous relief to so many New Yorkers after much too long a wait. VOLS’ UWP Project is working with advocates from several NYC organizations, including Legal Services NYC, NYLAG, and NELP to help improve the DOL’s overpayment waiver process. Led by State Senator Liz Krueger, the bill has passed the NYS Senate and we are hopeful that the NYS Assembly will pass a similar bill in the coming weeks. If enacted, we expect that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers will receive waivers on their alleged overpayments and will no longer live in fear of bill collectors. Lastly, we are continuing to provide “Know Your Rights” training specifically for immigrants’ rights organizations. This training goes over New York State’s UI eligibility with a focus on immigrant workers, highlighting issues unique to immigrant workers and the intersections of immigration law and UI law. Please contact staylor@volsprobono.org to set up a training session for your organization.
Join the VOLS Community
- If you are affiliated with a VOLS partner law firm or company and would like to volunteer, please contact your company’s pro bono counsel.
- Make a donation to support VOLS’ free civil legal services: Click here to donate.
- Forward this page and ask your friends to sign up for the VOLS e-newsletter at www.volsprobono.org/join.