Law School Consortium Project
 

Syracuse University College of Law is currently in the process of creating the Syracuse Equal Justice Project, a new effort to support solo and small-firm lawyers in developing economically viable and professionally satisfying practices that increase access to justice for traditionally underserved populations with legal needs.

The centerpiece of the Equal Justice Project, still in its nascent stages, will be a mutually supporting network of attorneys who can succeed economically and professionally while "doing good.” However, the shape and vision of the Syracuse Equal Justice Project is in the hands of local practitioners and the College of Law.

The overwhelming unmet need for civil legal services for poor and underserved populations goes without saying. Together, the Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Onondaga County Bar Association (OCBA) Pro Bono Practice Committee, the Legal Services of Central New York Pro Bono Project, Hiscock Legal Aid Society, and the College of Law are working to make the provision of legal services to low-income and moderate-income clients a viable career option.

The College of Law is committed to providing resources to help local practitioners represent pro bono and "low bono" clients. In addition to economic concerns about incorporating more pro bono or low bono work into one's practice, the Equal Justice Project recognizes that solo or small-firm practitioners may be especially hesitant to take on representation of low-income clients when they do not have a developed expertise in a certain area of practice. The Equal Justice Project will assist attorneys to develop that expertise and find the mentoring support to take this work and give high-quality representation.

One of the Equal Justice Project's methods to achieve its goals is the creation of a computer-based E-mail listserv for practitioner-members. The listserv will be a forum where pro bono and low bono attorneys can receive support and mentoring. In exchange for a commitment to offer low bono and pro bono services, solo and small-firm practitioners who join the network will get enormous benefits. The proposed E-mail-based listserv connection between attorneys can serve as a "de facto" law firm - providing members an opportunity to communicate, ask each other questions, share resources, give and get advice, collaborate, and make referrals.

The network will lessen the isolation of small-firm or solo practitioners while enhancing the knowledge and resources they can use for the benefit of low-income and moderate- income clients. Of course, the increased knowledge, learning, and experience will inure to the benefit of other clients as well. Network members can provide each other with mentoring, with advice about local practices and specific judges (and even about court clerks), with moral and emotional support, with a forum to share successes and failures, with advice on law office management, and with the identification and resolution of ethical issues. Law school faculty will be available for consultation and knowledge sharing.

If practitioner members are interested, the College of Law may create an online "pro bono/low bono resource library" through a website of information that includes major cases, relevant forms, Internet informational links, and a brief bank in relevant areas of practice.

Again, depending upon the degree to which local practitioners actively participate in this network, the College of Law hopes to offer volunteer law students as interns or as research assistants to network members. If members need more training in the use of technology and computers to manage their practices and research, the College of Law will help.

The Law School Library is enthusiastic about the Equal Justice Project and offers numerous services to our local public interest bar, including a Pro Bono Attorney Research Workstation in the library's Electronic Research Center with access to computer databases for legal research (e.g., LoisLaw and Academic Universe, the public version of Lexis), access to the library's electronic collections, library courtesy cards with extended circulation borrowing privileges, training in use of the electronic databases and in selecting and using Internet legal resources, and a topic-specific research CLE program in October.

The College of Law can also assist network members by offering free CLE and other training classes (in substantive areas, law office management, use of technology in the practice of law, and perhaps even training in client development and marketing) to enhance their provision of low bono legal services. When the network is solidly up and running, the Equal Justice Project plans to negotiate with vendors for reduced rate access to Westlaw or Lexis, Amicus Attorney (or other case management software) or discounts on malpractice insurance, as was done in some of the other Consortium projects.

If you are a solo or small-firm practitioner who is interested in joining with other like-minded attorneys to provide pro bono and low bono legal services to traditionally underserved communities, contact Associate Dean Leslie Bender, Syracuse University College of Law, lbender@law.syr.edu <mailto:lbender@law.syr.edu>, or (315) 443-2525 to join this cooperative effort to increase access to justice in the Syracuse and surrounding areas.