NYS Chief Judge Continues Push For "Attorney Emeritus" Program To Bring Free Legal Help To Poor New Yorkers In Civil Cases

In New York City, the New York Law Journal reports:

• The New York court system has enlisted more than 120 retired lawyers since January to offer free legal advice and representation to poor New Yorkers in foreclosure, debt collection, housing, family and other civil cases -- the first of what could be "thousands" of attorney volunteers, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman said last week.

• Lippman announced the appointment of an advisory council of 30 attorneys to develop a blueprint for his "attorney emeritus" program, which aims to achieve a "quantum jump" in pro bono activities by tapping a growing number of baby-boomer attorneys. The attorney emeritus program is intended as "a permanent piece of the puzzle" of providing adequate legal representation for the poor. It is designed to complement efforts to develop more reliable financial support from Albany for legal assistance organizations.

• Participants -- retired lawyers in good standing who are at least 55 years old and have practiced law for at least 10 years -- pledge a minimum of 30 hours of unpaid assistance to low- and moderate-income clients each year. They are not subject to the state's $350 attorney registration fee or mandatory CLE requirements. They also receive free training and malpractice insurance coverage from the agencies or under the state Public Officers Law. Most important, Lippman said, they will get "a gold star on their chests" for taking on a role that has "status and meaning."

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• So far, 126 retired attorneys have signed up and are being connected to 53 participating legal services and pro bono activities around the state. But Lippman said that "it would not be overly optimistic" to project a corps of volunteers "in the thousands." [...] Lippman said that the graying of the bar presents a "window of opportunity" for encouraging pro bono, something he said that the courts previously have attempted only "on the margins." Many retirees "want to do something meaningful," he said, "but they don't know how to do it."

For the story, see N.Y. Chief Judge Boosts Efforts to Tap Retired Lawyers for Pro Bono (Judge Jonathan Lippman said that the graying of the bar presents a 'window of opportunity' for encouraging pro bono).