Pro bono work regularly makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives, whether by securing a favorable outcome for an individual or resolving a class action case affecting thousands. While it’s important to recognize and...more
A Proskauer London-based team, consisting of partner Paul Tannenbaum and associates Julia Bihary, Shameelah Khan, and Antonia George, were recently successful in a pro bono personal independence payment (“PIP”) appeal case....more
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865 at the conclusion of the Civil War, abolished slavery across the United States with one notable exception. According to the amendment, “neither...more
2/9/2024
/ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ,
Civil Liberties ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Criminal Justice Reform ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Prison ,
Prisoners ,
Pro Bono ,
Slavery ,
Thirteenth Amendment
Last week, Proskauer hosted a panel discussion focusing on the recent influx of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border and the urgent need for pro bono legal services. According to The New York Times, this past fiscal...more
Last week, Proskauer filed an Article 78 petition on behalf of The Legal Aid Society, Lawyers For Children, and the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo — three organizations that represent children in foster care proceedings —...more
4/15/2022
/ Abuse of Discretion ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Foster Children ,
Guardians ,
Minor Children ,
New York ,
Parental Rights ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Pro Bono ,
Regulatory Standards ,
State and Local Government
As law firms prepare for a return to the office and embrace a new normal it is imperative that we reflect on how the pandemic has changed our understanding of mental health and the difficult, everyday traumas affecting...more
8/11/2021
/ Client Services ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Law Firm Associates ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Legal Project Management ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Mental Health ,
Pro Bono ,
Professional Development ,
Public Health Emergency
Earlier this year, New York passed legislation legalizing the adult use of cannabis. New Yorkers can now legally possess three ounces for any use, and can smoke marijuana in any publically-designed area where tobacco smoking...more
Despite the critical importance of a strong and independent judiciary, it’s too often that court reform is ignored by public officials and civic leaders. Earlier this week – at the Conference on Judicial Selection Reform...more
Due to COVID-19 court restrictions, there have been no adoption proceedings over the past 14 months in New York City, culminating in a backlog of children in need. Although these proceedings are not considered to be...more
Delays in New York City Family Court proceedings too often result from an inadequate number of judges combined with a court structure that makes it difficult to allocate judges where they are most needed. Although these...more
An anxious mother, detained in a separate facility from her son, is informed that authorities had lost track of him. A devastated father is deported without his child. A crying child is ripped from his father’s arms and put...more
Election Protection is a nationwide nonpartisan coalition, spearheaded by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, working to ensure that every voter is able to exercise their right to vote. In conversation with...more
The idea that individuals with a felony conviction should be barred from voting for at least some period of time is widely accepted across the United States. But when you consider that current laws arose out of explicit...more
10/22/2020
/ Criminal Justice Reform ,
Felonies ,
Human Rights ,
Presidential Elections ,
Primary Elections ,
Pro Bono ,
Race Discrimination ,
Racial Bias ,
Slavery ,
State and Local Government ,
Voting Rights
Proskauer’s participation in Election Protection, through hosting a call center with Firm, client and alumni volunteers across the United States, provides an invaluable service to individual voters ensuring they have an equal...more
10/14/2020
/ Absentee Voting ,
Ballots ,
Call Centers ,
Equal Opportunities ,
Hotlines ,
Minorities ,
Polling Place ,
Presidential Elections ,
Pro Bono ,
Volunteers ,
Voter Registration ,
Voting Rights
To consider the great need, among people of limited means, for civil legal services during the COVID-19 crisis, a good starting point is where we were before the crisis started. In short, civil legal resources for the poor...more
The New York Statewide Central Register (SCR) of Abuse and Maltreatment maintains records of calls, allegations, and results of investigations regarding suspected child abuse and maltreatment. Although these records are not...more
Thanks to advances in technology, the fight for equal access to justice has the potential of making enormous strides. A great example is the project Proskauer helped spearhead with the nonprofit Legal Information for Families...more
1/10/2020
/ Access To Justice ,
Access to Legal Counsel ,
Broadband ,
Equal Access ,
Infrastructure ,
Internet ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Mobile Broadband Services ,
Nonprofits ,
Pro Bono ,
Rural Areas
When I volunteered in Mexico last spring with two Proskauer colleagues alongside the Institute for Women in Migration (IMUMI), I witnessed a growing humanitarian crisis. The U.S. “Remain in Mexico” Policy – officially called...more
Last month, the U.S. state with the highest rate of incarceration (in the country with the largest prison population) took steps to reduce its incarceration of non-violent offenders.
Oklahoma’s Governor Kevin Stitt...more
Until recently, conventional wisdom among prosecutors dictated that long prison terms were vital to public safety. They took seriously the direction “to charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses,” and...more
The human trafficking industry preys on vulnerable young women throughout the world who seek to escape poverty, violence, and oppression. These women are often lured by sex traffickers through false promises of a better life,...more
Last week, Proskauer — along with co-counsel Democracy Forward, and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. — filed a complaint on behalf of seven asylum seekers, their minor children and the legal services organization...more
Every year around this time, my colleague Erin Meyer and I can be found going through and carefully selecting pro bono opportunities for Proskauer’s incoming first-year associates. Each of them will be assigned a pro bono...more
Earlier this month, a Law360 article explored a fundamental—yet often overlooked—question: whether the long-held standard practice of tallying pro bono hours remains “the best way to measure pro bono success.” Though...more
The families and children migrating from Central America have suffered terrible traumatic experiences, and a recent report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a non-profit advocacy group, addresses the serious, long-term...more
7/3/2019
/ Asylum ,
Best Practices ,
Client Services ,
Detention ,
Human Rights ,
Immigration Attorneys ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Medical Reports ,
Physicians ,
Pro Bono ,
Standard of Care ,
Undocumented Immigrants