The School of Law has been at the forefront of several innovative community partnerships to further social justice.
Pro Bono Collaborative
With generous support from the Rhode Island Foundation, the Pro Bono Collaborative (PBC) partners attorneys, law students, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to work collectively on discrete legal projects that serve these CBOs and their clients - low-income, at-risk individuals and families. Started as a pilot project in 2006, the PBC is growing strong, currently facilitating pro bono partnerships with Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, Hinckley Allen Snyder LLP, Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C., Motley Rice LLC, and Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman, LLP. Our current partnering CBOs are Meeting Street School, Casey Family Services, Housing Network, R.I., Church Community Housing Corporation, Community Housing Land Trust, Children's Friend & Service, RI, the Liberian Association of RI, Mariposa Center, the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, Women’s Center R.I., the George A. Wiley Center, the RI Medical Legal Partnership for Children, the ACLU, the International Institute, the Ecuadorian Association of RI, and the Friends of RI Commission on Women.
Rhode Island Medical-Legal Partnership for Children
In 2002, the School of Law was a founding partner of the Rhode Island Family Advocacy Program - now called Rhode Island Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (RIMLPC) - a medical-legal collaborative that offers legal services to low-income families in health care settings.
Through the Feinstein Institute’s externship program, students work under the supervision of an attorney from R.I. Legal Services to provide legal assistance to families at Hasbro Children's Hospital. In this interdisciplinary setting, law students collaborate with doctors, social workers, and medical students from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Students conduct legal intakes, assist in the casework, and prepare legal education workshops for health care providers on issues, such as housing, public benefits, family law, and educational rights.
The School of Law offers a course to RIMLPC participants and other interested students, entitled "Poverty, Health, and Law," taught by the Feinstein Institute’s Director of Public Service and Community Partnerships, Liz Tobin Tyler, and faculty from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. In joint classes held with students from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, students work together on case simulation and explore interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving.
Street Law
The School of Law initiated its Street Law program in 2002 and currently partners with the Thurgood Marshall Law Society to send law students and attorneys into urban high school classrooms to teach students about their legal rights and responsibilities. In late 2006, the School of Law was selected as one of just ten law schools to participate in the Diversity Pipeline Initiative, a Street Law, Inc. initiative funded by the Law School Admissions Council. The Diversity Pipeline Initiative helped to support the law school in its efforts to incorporate activities and mentoring for young people of color geared toward encouraging them to consider legal careers.
Racial Justice and Civil Rights in Rhode Island
The School of Law is committed to promoting racial justice and civil rights in Rhode Island. In 2004, the law school sponsored a Racial Justice Colloquium to bring together local lawyers and representatives from community organizations to build partnerships to promote racial justice in Rhode Island. From 2004-2007, the School of Law facilitated the Racial Justice Task Force to promote access to justice for communities of color. The Feinstein Institute’s Pro Bono Collaborative was created as part of this work. In 2007, the Racial Justice Task Force joined forces with the Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory Coalition and the Rhode Island Civil Rights Roundtable. ULMAC is a coalition of over 25 non-profit and faith-based organizations committed to developing a legislative agenda benefiting communities of color. The Rhode Island Civil Rights Roundtable brings together organizations and agencies to develop a consensus agenda on civil rights issues. Students, staff, and faculty support ULMAC and the Civil Rights Roundtable through offering assistance with legal and policy research and advocacy.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program
The Feinstein Institute partners with several local agencies, including the John Hope Settlement House and the International Institute, during tax season to offer tax assistance to low-income individuals and families, primarily to help them take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
