What We Do

 

In 2016, Court Square Law Project was created by the New York City Bar Association and the City University of New York School of Law to provide high-quality civil legal services to moderate-income clients. We provide sliding scale legal services to people who may not otherwise be able to afford an attorney. We train attorneys to develop the skills necessary to carry our mission forward in their own practices, after completing a one to two-year Fellowship. Nineteen of NYC's leading law firms donated funding to support the venture.

 

Our Mission

PROVIDE client-centered, collaborative, and affordable sliding scale legal services to underserved, moderate-income individuals.

PREPARE new lawyers, under the supervision of experienced attorneys, with the skills, tools, and resources to launch sustainable, mission-driven legal practices serving moderate-income clients.

CONDUCT a research project measuring the effectiveness, sustainability, and scalability of its business model. 

Designed to address issues raised in the report of the City Bar’s Task Force on New Lawyers in a Changing Profession, Developing Legal Careers and Delivering Justice in the 21st Century, the project helps address serious gaps in access to civil legal services for individuals with moderate incomes. Nationwide, fewer than four in ten moderate-income individuals faced with a serious legal issue seek professional assistance, and almost one quarter do nothing. It is difficult to find legal counsel at an affordable price, and there are competing priorities for limited resources.

“The Court Square Law Project represents the first coalition among the legal academy, the largest law firms in the country, and the organized bar to develop a scalable, research-driven model to address both the chronic civil justice gap and the underemployment of recent law school graduates.”
— Michelle Anderson, former Chair of the Executive Committee of the Court Square Law Project

Executive Committee

Mary Lu Bilek, Chair
    CUNY School of Law

Elizabeth Dickinson
    CUNY School of Law

Bradley J. Butwin
    O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Carey R. Dunne
    General Counsel Manhattan District Attorney

Donna Lee
    CUNY School of Law

Mark C. Morril
    Morril ADR LLC

Bret I. Parker
    New York City Bar Association

Alizabeth Newman
    CUNY School of Law

Eric J. Friedman
     Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Brad Karp
      Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP