ABA Recognizes NYC Law Project That Provides Affordable Legal Services
“We hope that this recognition from the ABA signals to the legal community that there is a need for projects like ours and that the crisis in the justice system isn't insoluble,” said Mary Lu Bilek, dean of CUNY Law.
January 28, 2019 at 05:31 PM
2 minute read
(Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)
The American Bar Association gave the Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access to the Court Square Law Project.
The Court Square Law Project was founded in 2016 by the New York City Bar and CUNY Law with support from 19 New York City law firms. Its mission is to provide affordable, sliding-scale legal services. The project has helped more than 574 clients over two years.
“Nationwide, fewer than 4 in 10 moderate-income individuals faced with a serious legal issue seek professional assistance,” the two organizations said in a news release. “In New York City, 97% of parents are unrepresented in child support matters where the average cost in attorney's fees is $21,700 for divorce cases involving child custody.”
People with moderate incomes don't qualify for legal aid but can't afford attorneys in private practice.
“That leaves many people representing themselves and losing in court because they don't have the knowledge or skills to win their cases,” Cynthia Domingo-Forasté, the executive director of Court Square, said in a statement.
“We hope that this recognition from the ABA signals to the legal community that there is a need for projects like ours and that the crisis in the justice system isn't insoluble,” said Mary Lu Bilek, dean of CUNY Law.
The founding law firms are: Cravath, Swaine & Moore; Davis Polk & Wardwell; Debevoise & Plimpton; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Kirkland & Ellis; Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel; Latham & Watkins; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; O'Melveny & Myers; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Proskauer Rose; Schulte Roth & Zabel; Shearman & Sterling; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Winston & Strawn.
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