In collaboration with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York (Buffalo Office) and Erie County Bar Association (ECBA) Volunteer Lawyers Project, I run a program at the courthouse to advise indigent, unrepresented litigants on legal matters. Students are involved in interviewing clients, performing legal research and assisting attorneys in formulating legal advice. This program runs throughout the calendar year, including all breaks.
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Counsel for Amici Curiae Immigration and Constitutional Criminal Law Professors
I prepared and filed an amici curiae on behalf of individuals challenging the constitutionality of an Arizona law that categorically denied bail to noncitizens.
Say Yes Buffalo, Legal Task Force
The Law School is one of the partners on the Legal Task Force for Say Yes Buffalo, along with the Buffalo City School District, law firms, legal services and pro bono organizations, the judiciary and bar associations. The Task Force has worked on the development and implementation of walk-in legal clinics to provide information, technical assistance and referral services to children in the Buffalo City School District and their families. The first four walk-in clinics will open this fall at School 18, School 54, East High School and South Park High School as part of a multidisciplinary approach to keeping students in school, having them graduate with high school diplomas and then using Say Yes scholarships to attend college. The Law School will provide law students to help attorneys in the walk-in clinics. Through their participation, law students will be eligible to fulfill the 50 hours of pro bono service required for admission to the bar. In addition, law students will be able to learn interview and legal issue identification skills while providing important legal assistance to families who might otherwise not have access to the legal system. Additional locations: PS 18 Dr. Antonia Pantoja Community School of Academic Excellence; PS 54 Dr. George E. Blackman School of Excellence ECC; PS 206 South Park High School; PS 307 East High School
Universtywide School Supply Drive
The School Supply Drive is a two-month universitywide charitable drive for school supplies to benefit pre-K through eighth grade students at schools situated around our three campuses: Futures Academy, Bilingual Center, Martin Luther King Multicultural Institute, Highgate Heights Elementary and Westminster Community Charter School. UB employees drop off items in the designated collection boxes throughout the North, South and Downtown campuses that include paper, pencils, rulers, planners, markers, folders, and more. The 2013 program doubled in size from the previous year–with an unprecedented amount of supplies donated and distributed.
Universitywide Adopt-a-Family
Coordinated by the Office of Community Relations, UB’s Universitywide Adopt-a-Family helps make the holidays a little warmer and brighter for a number of local families in need. The Office of Community Relations collaborates with local nonprofits to identify needy families; those families are matched with participating UB departments to provide items from their wish lists. Since 2008, the program continues to grow, averaging over 20 participating departments and matched families each year. Additional location: Downtown Campus