In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the VOLS Microenterprise Project recruited volunteers from McDermott, Will & Emery LLP to support small business tenants in research and drafting resources. Attorneys, including partner Vanessa Barmack and associate Jeffrey Ruskin, collaborated with VOLS Senior Staff Attorney Ivia Cardozo on this commercial tenant support project. For National Pro Bono Week, we spoke with Vanessa and Jeff to get their perspectives on pro bono service and its significance for them, particularly during these challenging times.
What interested you in volunteering to help commercial tenants with research and drafting template agreements?
Vanessa: When we began to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City I, like many others, was eager to find a way to help New Yorkers through this difficult time. While there was an immediate and obvious need for our essential workers, I felt helpless. But then I thought about the ways in which this pandemic was not only ravaging our bodies, but our communities, and it was clear from the closed storefronts in my own Brooklyn neighborhood that New York, as we know it, would cease to exist without all of the businesses, large and small, that make this city such a special place to live, work, and play. I was eager to help these businesses navigate through these unprecedented times so that, with hard work and little bit of luck, they will still be a part of New York City.
Jeff: We were approached about working on this project just a week or so after the COVID-19 lockdowns went into effect. Seven months later and the situation has still not completely improved, but those early days were confusing for everyone, especially small business owners who were concerned about being unable to pay their next month’s rent, which is a significant business expense. Through our collaboration with VOLS, our team of experienced real estate lawyers were able to provide quick and effective guidance to help the commercial tenants navigate their rights and remedies under their lease – primarily through the template agreements and fact sheets which we agreed would have the broadest appeal for the largest number of tenants. The goal was to make these agreements as user-friendly as possible and customizable for each and every commercial tenant.
How has your experience as an attorney been enriched by volunteering?
Vanessa: I believe that attending law school and earning my law degree was a privilege, and it doesn’t escape me that the representation that I can provide would not, without a personal and law firm commitment to volunteering, be available to a significant portion of the population. But beyond my strong feeling that volunteering is a moral obligation for attorneys, it strengthens my legal skills, by allowing me to take on interesting and challenging projects, and enriches my personal life by improving the communities in which I live and work and the quality of life for my neighbors.
Jeff: I have a strong conviction that everyone deserves access to quality legal advocacy and representation. Being able to apply the legal skillset, which I strive to improve each and every day, to help a fellow New Yorker in a tough time is particularly rewarding. Additionally, from a professional standpoint, this project allowed me to gain a completely different perspective in my real estate practice, which in this case was tenant-side leasing, an area that is not typically the primary focus for matters I work on.
In my opinion, every attorney should recognize that we have a duty to help solve the complicated questions created by COVID as well and serve as a beacon during this tumultuous time.
In light of COVID-19, why do you think this type of work is particularly important today?
Vanessa: With so many of our neighbors suffering– whether it be from sickness, loss of income, mental health issues, loss of schooling and childcare, loneliness— our only hope of overcoming this international tragedy is if every single person who is in a position to donate their skills makes it a priority to do so. We see that our government, schools and social infrastructure are not able to assist individuals and businesses as they usually would (or, in some cases, should), and volunteers of all sorts can to some degree fill those gaps in service and assistance.
Jeff: There is never a bad time to volunteer on pro bono representation projects. COVID-19 has posed an entirely new set of challenges never experienced before in our lifetime that has affected both society at large and every single person in one way or another – creating a host of issues, legal-related amongst others. As attorneys we are predisposed to being the party that is called upon to handle our client’s complex situations, developing both creative but practical solutions. In my opinion, every attorney should recognize that we have a duty to help solve the complicated questions created by COVID as well and serve as a beacon during this tumultuous time.
In volunteering with VOLS and its amazing staff, it was apparent that my participation would actually, tangibly assist the intended beneficiary.
If you had a colleague who was on the fence about volunteering, how would you engage them to pursue volunteering with VOLS?
Vanessa: In volunteering with VOLS and its amazing staff, it was apparent that my participation would actually, tangibly assist the intended beneficiary. It is insanely gratifying to donate my time to an organization that so wisely utilizes its volunteers so that their energy is efficiently channeled and ultimately assists the maximum number of individuals and businesses.
Jeff: Especially for junior attorneys, working on pro bono matters allows you to develop and build your core-competencies in various practice areas of law and with different clientele that you typically wouldn’t have the opportunity to work with. It allows you to truly break out of your comfort zone and put in the work to become a better, and all around more-knowledgeable attorney. The outcome of your work product is clear—a person or organization has benefitted from your legal expertise that they would not have otherwise had access to.