A Letter From City Bar President (New York Law Journal)

“This economy, of course, is also causing hardships for lawyers and law graduates, who are either losing their jobs or seeing their hiring deferred in unprecedented numbers. Many of these lawyers and graduates want to work and to help those who are less fortunate. There is a great opportunity here. Many firms would like to place lawyers who would otherwise be working for them with organizations that can provide the necessary structure to help these lawyers meet legal services needs while maintaining their legal skills. These organizations would be delighted to add those lawyers to their staffs. Many firms have announced, and others are considering, providing stipends so these lawyers can work for up to a year in a legal services setting, with the expectation they will then join the firm.

”What remains is to match the lawyers with the opportunities. That’s where the City Bar comes in. In March, we surveyed legal services providers on whether they had positions available for lawyers seconded by law firms. We received responses as to more than 70 available positions. We then hosted a meeting for law firm pro bono coordinators and these providers to discuss the various issues involved in setting up these arrangements. We also asked the firms to advise the eligible lawyers and graduates of the opportunities available. As word of our efforts grew, we learned of additional opportunities available, including some in the public sector, and we are making those known as well.”

New York Law Journal
Letter from City Bar President, Patricia M. Hynes
May 1st, 2009