September 9, 2009
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION PARTNERS WITH NEW YORK
STATE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM TO CREATE INNOVATIVE PRO BONO CLERKSHIP
PROGRAM
Initiative provides opportunities for job seekers
to hone skills while providing vital service
ALBANY –The New York State Bar Association, in conjunction with
the New York State Unified Court System Office of Court Administration,
announced a new pro bono clerkship program that provides lawyers seeking
employment with the opportunity to clerk for judges in courts throughout
the state, including the Appellate Divisions. The program, developed and
spearheaded by the State Bar’s Committee on Lawyers in Transition,
will help lawyers develop new skills until they can find permanent
employment, while providing vital assistance to a court system burdened
with ever-increasing dockets.
“Every day, talented but unemployed attorneys – some
fresh out of law school and others with years of experience but let go
through downsizing – look for opportunities to sharpen their
skills and develop professionally while they continue their job search.
At the same time, judges from western New York to eastern Long Island
require quality legal minds to help with their workload. This program is
a terrific way to match these two needs perfectly,” said President
Michael E. Getnick (Getnick Livingston Atkinson & Priore, LLP of
Utica and of counsel to Getnick & Getnick of New York City).
“I want to thank Committee Chair Lauren Wachtler for her
outstanding leadership in helping to provide this wonderful opportunity
for these attorneys while furthering the State Bar’s proud history
of promoting pro bono service.”
“Over the past year, I have spoken with many struggling
attorneys who simply want to work. We are thrilled to partner with the
Unified Court System on an initiative that will provide the courts with
talented professionals who will give much-needed service while creating
an extraordinary work opportunity for transitioning lawyers across the
state,” said Wachtler of New York (Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp
LLP). “I am confident that this program will be a terrific success
and that the benefits will be mutual.”
Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau said: “The Unified Court
System is proud to partner with the New York State Bar Association to
support both attorneys who have been adversely affected by the economy
as well as the New York State courts. The severe economic downturn
has left many capable attorneys without a job. This innovative new
program offers unemployed lawyers the chance to apply their legal skills
and experience by working with judges even as they continue their search
for more permanent work.”
Court clerks typically perform research, draft opinions and help
prepare judges for conferences with opposing counsel. Lawyers interested
in applying for the pro bono clerkship program must fill out an
application on the Office of Court Administration Web site (http://www.nycourts.gov) indicating
the type of clerkship they are seeking (criminal, civil, family court
etc.), the number of hours they can devote and the geographical location
in which they would like to serve. Once submitted, the information
is channeled to a court where the applicant is best matched with a judge
in need. These are strictly pro bono opportunities and do not take
away from positions that would be filled by paid court employees.
For further information, please visit the OCA Web site or go to the
Lawyers in Transition Web site at http://www.nysba.org/LawyersinTransition.
Chaired by Lauren J. Wachtler, the Committee on Lawyers in Transition
was created in August 2006 by Past President Mark H. Alcott (Paul,
Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP of New York City) to provide
resources and assistance to lawyers who are currently unemployed,
looking to make a career change, leaving a current job or transitioning
back into the workforce after time away from the legal profession.
The 76,000-member New York State Bar Association is the
official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest
voluntary state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, State
Bar programs and activities have continuously served the public and
improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
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