The Pro Bono Collaborative mobilizes Rhode Island law firms, law students, and community organizations to provide legal assistance within the community.
To date, ten large R.I. firms have teamed with community-based organizations (CBOs) and School of Law students to provide legal assistance to these CBOs and their clients - low-income, at-risk individuals and families.
Our projects, all of which include the pro bono services of RWU law students, are as follows:
Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.
Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. has adopted three projects:
Working with Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc. to help make R.I. tax code consistent with the federal tax code, thereby providing relief to the poor and elderly. (Professor Anthony Santoro is the project's faculty advisor.);
Incorporating the Ecuadorian Association of RI as a 501(c)(3);
Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. will be authoring a short monthly legal column in Street Sights, a local newspaper about homeless issues. Questions regarding legal issues affecting the homeless will be posed by readers or the staff of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP is providing rights education and direct legal assistance to low income urban parents, clients of Children’s Friend & Service RI.
Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP
Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP has adopted four projects:
Incorporating the Mariposa Center as a non-profit organization;
Providing rights education and pursuing a statewide "CourtWatch" program on behalf of clients (Professor Emily Sack is the project's faculty advisor);
Working with the International Institute and RWU law students to obtain political asylum for RI immigrants; and
Doing the legal work necessary to establish a “Dream Center” to serve the daytime needs of Rhode Island’s homeless.
Hinckley will be advising PrYSM’s BRIDGE project (Building Rhode Islander’s Development and General Education) regarding specific administrative and regulatory issues identified by PrYSM that are negatively affecting youth who are either preparing to take the GED exam or transitioning back into high school after dropping out.
Motley Rice LLC
Motley Rice LLC worked with students and the George Wiley Center staff to research, draft, and advocate for utility shut-off legislation (Professor Carl Bogus is the project's faculty advisor).
Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP
Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP is providing rights education and direct legal assistance to parents of at-risk children with special education needs, through Casey Family Services and Meeting Street School.
Ratcliffe Harten Burke & Galamaga LLP
Ratcliffe Burke Harten & Galamaga LLP will be providing educational workshops and legal assistance on criminal expungement issues to clients of McAuley House. In addition to the workshops, the law firm has offered to assist McAuley Ministries, McAuley House's umbrella organization, with business law related advice and counsel, on an as-needed basis.
Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman LLP
Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman LLP is working with Bradley Hospital's Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities and RWU law students to assist parents of disabled children turning 18 to establish legal guardianship of their children.
Nixon Peabody LLP
Nixon Peabody LLP is advising Youth Pride RI on a variety of issues relating to various forms discrimination faced by transgender youth.
Nixon Peabody attorneys working on the Expungement Project are serving clients referred to them by the RI Coalition for the Homeless and the Family Life Center of Rhode Island.
Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP
Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP worked with students to research legislation and draft legal documents to ensure R.I. affordable condominium units would remain affordable. The clients for this project were Church Community Housing Corporation, Housing Network of Rhode Island, and the Community Housing Land Trust. As a result of this project, thousands of condominium units in RI will remain affordable in perpetuity. (Professor Jorge Elorza was the project's faculty advisor).
For additional information about the Pro Bono Collaborative, please contact:
Eliza Vorenberg,
Director
evorenberg@rwu.edu
401-254-4597
