Joining us from 8 colleges and universities to work with LASNNY attorneys in a wide range of programs, from advocacy and impact work to housing to domestic violence to economic justice. Each law clerk and intern will get first-hand experience and be able to see how legal aid changes lives and supports communities.
Albany Law School
Syracuse University College of Law
William & Mary Law School Cardozo School of Law
The University of Mississippi School of Law
University of South Carolina School of Law
Binghamton University
Hamilton College
Tenants applying for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which will pay up to 12 months in back rent due to pandemic hardships, are running into issues with the state’s website. For some, time is of the essence.
“We’re not so much concerned about the money running out, but there is a priority for applications,” said Symone Wango of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York.
Renters who had trouble paying their rent throughout the pandemic will get a windfall from the state, directly paying the landlord back rent.
Wango said the tenants she’s helping are encountering technical problems with the site including error messages.
Time is ticking for priority applicants. Applications opened June 1 and priority slots only last for the first 30 days.
“To have that constant stress over their head to not be able to pay their rent, not knowing if they’re going to get thrown out into the streets, has been a real point of stress for families,” Wango said.
Welcome Cherise Bollers and Kerry Huyben to the LASNNY team!!
Cherise Bollers works in the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) as a Paralegal in Albany County. Cherise has a Bachelors in Graphic Design, an undergraduate in Digital Marketing and now pursuing a graduate certificate in Organizational Communication. Cherise previously worked for the Capital District Center for Independence as a Healthy Living Coordinator and encouraged individuals with disabilities to achieve Independence through selfcare practices. Cherise continues to use her creativity and passion to enhance the lives of those with unique circumstances. She enjoys cooking, baking, spending time with family and her two energetic yorkies.
Kerry Huyben is the Nutritional Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) Coordinator for Washington county. Kerry earned her A.A.S in Paralegal studies at Schenectady County Community College. Prior to LASNNY Kerry worked in bankruptcy and personal injury law. Kerry lives in Ballston Spa with her husband, two dogs, a cat and various chickens, fish and bees.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible families and households who are struggling to stay connected during the COVID19 pandemic. Qualifying households on Tribal lands can receive a discount of up to $75 per month for service.
Eligible households can also receive a discount of up to $100 for the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
New York’s unemployed are going back to work after record numbers of unemployed throughout the state in 2020. Two local organizations said people are still reporting problems navigating the world of unemployment.
The organizations said people are still looking for help connecting with someone at the New York State Department of Labor (DOL), claim denials, and appeals for overpayments.
To accommodate the large number of New Yorkers that found themselves without a job at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a year ago, the DOL worked with Google to create a new app and made other changes to help people with claims including expansion of work hours for DOL employees along with extended call center hours.
Local organizations also stepped up to assist people with unemployment claims. The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) began a pro bono partnership with volunteer attorneys to help people navigate through the unemployment system last April.
Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today named its 2021 class of Equal Justice Works Fellows. Each of the 77 law school graduates, in collaboration with a legal services organization, has designed a two-year Equal Justice Works Fellowship project to address the unmet legal needs of the community where they will serve.
“We take great pride in launching the careers of passionate public service leaders through an Equal Justice Works Fellowship,” said David Stern, executive director at Equal Justice Works. “We look forward to supporting our new Fellows in bringing critical legal services to communities still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, and in their work responding to ongoing racial injustice throughout our country.”
Each year, Equal Justice Works selects a class of public interest lawyers who have designed one-of-a-kind projects in partnership with legal services organizations. These projects are funded by law firms, corporations, private foundations, and individual supporters.
Selected from 466 applications, the 2021 class of Equal Justice Works Fellows includes graduates from 47 law schools who will work at 70 legal services organizations across 20 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Among this year’s sponsors are 26 leading law firms recognized in the Am Law 200 and 22 Fortune 500 corporations.
Equal Justice Works Fellows in the 2021 class have created projects to address a wide range of legal issues.
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York is honored to be hosting Symone Wango (she/her/hers), a graduate of Albany Law School. During her Fellowship, Symone will provide direct representation to low-income workers of color for employment discrimination claims, wage theft claims, and workplace safety issues. Symone will launch a “know your rights in the workplace” campaign by engaging low-income workers in the area and coordinating with local community-based organizations and service providers that serve low-income workers. Symone’s Fellowship is cosponsored by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Morgan Stanley.
Over the past three decades, Equal Justice Works has awarded more than 2,000 Fellowships to lawyers who are committed to ensuring equal access to justice for underserved communities. Our Fellowship programs are designed to effect change in communities and throughout our country by mobilizing Fellows to work on key issue areas such as disaster resilience, housing equality, and crime victims’ rights, as well as through the opportunity for a Fellow to work with a legal services organization to design and implement a unique project in response to a specific or emerging need. On average, 85% of Equal Justice Works Fellows remain in public service positions, continuing to help fulfill our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.
Click here for a full list of the 2021 Equal Justice Works Fellows, host organizations, and sponsors.
This tool will help us learn about how LGBTQ+ students across NYS have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey will stay open until May 31, 2021.
Please share this far and wide!
Who should take this survey:
K-12 Students
College / grad students
Parents / guardians
Teachers
GSA coordinators
School counselors
School administrators
Outside Providers (e.g., social workers, therapists, doctors, etc.) who work with and support LGBTQ+ students
It should take about 20-30 minutes to complete.
The information will be kept anonymous, and what we learn will be shared with you all — friends, families, attorneys, allies, and accomplices across the state who serve, support, protect, and fight for LGBTQ+ students — so that we can all have more information to advocate more effectively for this population.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email [email protected].
Today, April 21, 2021, New York State Senators Sean Ryan, Neil Breslin, and Michelle Hinchey, and New York State Assemblymembers Patricia Fahy, John McDonald, and Phil Steck, announced that the state budget for FY 2021-2022 includes $3.5 million in funding for civil legal service agencies operating in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany. The funding for upstate agencies makes up 85 percent of the new $4.13 million committed to civil legal service providers in the state budget.
This funding will help support local agencies that provide legal services or public safety programs to help low-income families and individuals access basic necessities such as housing, government benefits, employment, domestic violence orders of protection, custody issues, and educational services. In the Albany area and surrounding region, the funding will support the work of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Rural Law Center of New York, The Legal Project, and The Justice Center at Albany Law School.
Senator Sean Ryan said, “The agencies receiving this funding dedicate extraordinary efforts to providing services that help members of our communities overcome unexpected hardships before they lead to long-term financial burdens. The funding will not only benefit the people who are in need of these services; assisting them will in turn help lessen the lasting effects of the pandemic on our local economy.”
Senator Neil Breslin said, “The Legal Project, the Justice Center at Albany Law, The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, and the Rural Law Center are indispensable supports for upstate families in need. The additional $3.5 Million for upstate civil legal services in the State Budget will go a long way to help low-income families and individuals retain housing, file orders or protection, handle custody issues, access government benefits and so much more.”
Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “As COVID-19 continues to take its toll on our communities, more New Yorkers than ever need access to fair and affordable legal assistance as they face job loss, unlawful evictions and foreclosures, or protection from domestic abuse. Civil legal services are an especially important line of defense that protects our working families who otherwise could not afford legal representation, and I was proud to work with my colleagues to secure sustainable funding through this year’s state budget for the vital services delivered by our local agencies.”
Assemblymember Patricia Fahy said, “Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York was a key partner in responding to my constituent’s needs, and has continued that partnership throughout this crisis. This year’s state budget provides new funding to LASNNY and other nonprofit legal aid providers throughout Upstate New York to help the hardest-hit among us; low-income New Yorkers, communities of color, and those most at-risk of eviction or homelessness. I thank Senator Ryan for his leadership on this issue in the Senate, my colleague Assemblymember John McDonald for his support in the Assembly, and lawmakers who supported this request in the state budget, and I commend LASNNY for the critical work they do in communities throughout Upstate New York in particular.”
Assemblymember John McDonald III said, “Our civil legal service providers are a lifeline for many who are unable to afford their own attorney to represent them and navigate them toward necessary services. Thank you to Senator Ryan for his leadership on this funding and for moving forward on efforts that my colleagues and I have strongly supported throughout the years. This additional funding will provide the necessary resources for our Upstate providers to expand on and continue their important work.”
Assemblymember Phil Steck said, “As a civil rights attorney who represents employees, I appreciate the fact that getting legal representation is very hard because many people just plain cannot afford it. I am pleased that we are increasing funding to support the vital work that Civil Legal Services Agencies do to make sure that people are not overrun by the legal system. Indeed, their work of securing basic needs, protecting and preserving legal rights, and providing equal access to justice has only become more critical due to the pandemic.”
Lillian M. Moy, Esq., Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York said, “We are enormously indebted to our supporters in the Legislature, especially Senators Ryan, Breslin and Hinchey and Assemblymembers Fahy, McDonald, Steck and Woerner for recognizing the stability that civil legal services brings to all of Upstate. Across the range of all our practice areas and vulnerable clients, we are delighted that we are recognized as the linchpin we are for ensuring access to justice whether it’s a secure home, personal safety, economic justice or the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
Gail Brown, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York client said, “I am so grateful for all the assistance received from Legal Aid that changed my life for the better and helped me achieve stability for my children and grandchildren that live with me.”
Heidi Dennis, Esq., Executive Director, Rural Law Center of New York, Inc. said, “The need for greater legal assistance throughout upstate New York cannot be overstated. The funds that have been dedicated in this year’s budget will ensure the provision of increased legal services that will profoundly impact the rural communities we serve. Senators Ryan, Breslin, Hinchey, Assemblymembers Fahy, McDonald, Steck and Woerner have tirelessly advocated to achieve this upstate support. The Rural Law Center is so pleased to be a part of improving services for the otherwise unmet needs of our clients.”
Michele Pollock Rich, Esq., Executive Director, The Legal Project said, “We are sincerely grateful for this funding, which will directly benefit victims of domestic violence and their children in the Capital Region in need of legal assistance to maintain their safety and security. Requests for assistance are at historic highs, and thanks to the efforts of Senators Ryan, Breslin, Hinchey, Assemblymembers Fahy, McDonald, Steck and Woerner, and the entire Legislature, we will be able to help them get the justice they so rightfully deserve.”
Sarah F. Rogerson, Esq., Professor of Law; Director, The Justice Center at Albany Law School said, “Albany Law School is excited to partner with this regional effort to continue our work connecting undocumented New Yorkers with the benefits they deserve.”
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York stands for a just America.
We join Americans across the nation in mourning the recent police murders of Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, Ma’khia Bryant, Andrew Brown Jr., and Mario Arenales Gonzalez. We want our country to stop the attacks against all our neighbors, family, and friends, including our clients.
The violence perpetrated against communities of colors is relentless but with the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin, we can take a breath.
This moment brings encouragement and hope that change is possible. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning, and we know that our Black and Brown friends are still being killed by excessive policing at disproportionate rates. We must continue our small part in the work of changing institutions and systems that condone and perpetuate these injustices alongside our Black Lives Matters communities and all our other partners.
We will continue to fight for racial and gender equality alongside our Black Lives Matters communities and all our other partners.
None of us are free until we all are.
La Sociedad de Asistencia Legal del Noreste de Nueva York aboga por una America just.
Nos unimos a los americanos a través de la nación que están en duelo por los recientes asesinatos de Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, Ma’Khia Bryant, Andrew Brown Jr., y Mario Arenales Gonzalez. Queremos que nuestro país pare las agresiones contra nuestros vecinos, familia y amigos, incluyendo nuestros clients.
La violencia perpetrada contra las comunidades de color es incesante, pero con el veredicto de culpabilidad de Derek Chauvin podemos respirar por un moment.
Este momento trae aliento y esperanza de que el cambio es posible. Desafortunadamente, este es sólo el principio, y sabemos que nuestros amigos afroamericanos y gente de color siguen siendo asesinados en forma desproporcionada por excesos policiales. Debemos continuar nuestra pequeña parte del trabajo de cambiar las instituciones y sistemas que toleran y perpetúan estas injusticias al lado de nuestras comunidades de Black Lives Matter y todos nuestros asociados.
Seguiremos la lucha en favor a la equidad racial y de género al lado de nuestras comunidades de Black Lives Matter y todos nuestros asociados.
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York stands for a just America. We want our country to stop the attacks against all our neighbors, family and friends, including our clients.
We mourn and condemn the recent and continuing acts of hate and murder against Asian American and Pacific Islanders. We will continue to fight for racial and gender equality alongside our AAPI communities and all our other partners.
Our mission embodies this commitment to a society which is inclusive and equitable for all. We will always use the law to “address individual and systemic wrongs and inequities” and to ensure fairness, dignity, and justice for those living in poverty.
뉴욕 북동부 법률 구조 학회(Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York)는 미국 사회 정의 구현을 위해 부조리에 맞서는 기관입니다. 저희는 고객을 포함한 우리 이웃과 가족, 친구들 모두에 대한 공격이 우리나라에서 종식되기를 바랍니다. 저희는 최근 아시아계 미국인과 퍼시픽 아일랜더(AAPI)를 대상으로 발생하고 있는 지속적인 혐오 범죄와 살인에 심심한 조의를 표하며 이러한 행위를 규탄합니다. 저희는 AAPI 커뮤니티와 모든 파트너 사회에서 인종 및 성적 평등을 실현하기 위해 계속해서 싸울 것입니다. 저희는 모두에게 포용적이고 평등한 사회를 위한 헌신을 행동으로 실천하는 것을 사명으로 삼고 있습니다. 저희는 항상 법률의 힘으로 “개인적, 조직적 부정과 불평등을 해결할” 것이며 어려운 환경에 있는 분들에게 공정성, 존엄성 및 정의가 구현될 수 있도록 할 것입니다.
