Rapid Response Protocol

SUMMARY

The Pro Bono & Legal Services Committee authored a Rapid Response Protocol with the intention of providing “a useful guide for organizations and individuals coming together to respond to a crisis, as well as a tool to help organizations prepare as much as possible in advance of an event that might trigger a need for a rapid legal response.” The Committee issues this report in the conviction that large-scale emergencies create a wide range of legal issues that require large-scale and immediate responses. Where traditional “first responders” save lives, legal first responders preserve essential rights and create order under chaotic and uncertain circumstances. The Committee notes the strong history in New York of collaborative mobilization in the wake of crises, particularly the events of 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy. This Protocol is intended as a framework to preserve and expand the effectiveness of the New York legal community in times of emergency.