CLE: Today 4-14-2020, 1PM: Joint Committee on Access to Justice

Jt.committee.a2j.member.request.04.13.20

Dear Counselors,

The Tompkins County Bar Association (TCBA) and the Finger Lakes Women’s Bar Association (FLWBA) have formed a joint committee focused on access to justice in Tompkins County, in support of the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice’s local pilot project to provide 100% meaningful access to justice to low-income individuals.

Given the need for legal assistance due to COVID-19, our joint committee has two immediate goals:

• Recruit pro bono attorneys and law students to assist with the relief effort, and
• Connect low-income residents of our area with pro bono legal assistance.

Today the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) released information about a new partnership with the Office of Court Administration to provide a platform where private attorneys can sign up to provide free legal assistance to those in need. We urge TCBA and FLWBA members to sign up to assist with this cause.

Because unemployment legal assistance is a pressing need, NYSBA is sponsoring a free CLE tomorrow, April 14 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm, titled “Applying for Unemployment: Client Counseling Under the CARES Act.”  If you are interested in receiving this training, please sign up here.

If you know individuals in our community struggling with unemployment legal issues, please encourage them to contact Teresa McNamara, External Pro Bono Coordinator at Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. for assistance.

Finally, if you are interested in supervising Cornell Law Students to screen, conduct intake and/or assist individuals with unemployment eligibility issues, please email Michaela Azemi, Director of Pro Bono Services & Externships at Cornell Law School. Thank you.

Sincerely,

TCBA & FLWBA Joint Committee on Access to Justice