Programs
- Kyle Davis
Dynamic Opportunities
The College of Law and Pro Bono Advisory Board work hard to find as many pro bono and community service opportunities as possible. Students are also encouraged to create new opportunities. If you are interested in a specific project and need assistance, please contact the Board at probono@law.syr.edu.
Current programs are listed below. Past programs are noted at the bottom of the list to demonstrate the breadth of opportunities and may become available in the future.
Landlord-Tenant
We provide a lawyer-of-the-day in Syracuse City Court every day and defend low-income tenants against eviction for nonpayment or holdovers.
Opportunities to Volunteer
Mondays-Fridays, 8:45-11 a.m.*
*All interested students must undergo an additional training. Contact the student director for further details.
Talk to a Lawyer
Our volunteer attorneys provide free legal advice, information, and referrals regarding any civil legal issue at locations throughout the community.
Opportunities to Volunteer
- Second Tuesday of the month, 2-4 p.m., McKinley-Brighton Elementary School
- Thursdays, 6-8 p.m., Westcott Community Center
- Second and Fourth Monday of the month, 6-7:30 p.m., North Syracuse Library
- Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m., East Syracuse Free Library
Small Business
The Community Economic Development Program’s goal is to provide critical early stage legal and business advice needed to ensure the business’ success. The program provides legal advice and assistance to entrepreneurs and small business owners who are receiving training, support, and business development from community development programs in CNY. We will match individuals, who generally would not have access to specialized legal services, with experienced pro bono business attorneys from a variety of law firms at no cost.
Veterans
Volunteer attorneys who are veterans provide advice, brief service, and referrals to veterans.
Family Court
Volunteer attorneys provide legal advice and assistance with petitions for custody, visitation, child support, and paternity.
Immigration
The Immigration Law Program provides pro bono support to address the unmet immigration legal needs of non-citizens in Central and Upstate New York.
Social Security
Social security is a means of income for some people with disabilities. On occasion, the Social Security Administration will make an error in their disability benefits, resulting in an overpayment to a recipient. When overpayments occur, the SSA sends an overpayment notice to the recipient, informing them of the error and outlining how they’ll need to either pay it back or deduct from future checks (depending on the circumstances). For many Syracuse people with disabilities, this has become an increasing problem over the last few years, resulting in a greater need for lawyers to assist them in addressing their overpayment notices (be it getting a waiver, filling out various paperwork, talking to the SSA, etc).
Students will be assigned to one case. They will pick their own hours/days, go to the Legal Services CNY office downtown, and meet with the client/help with paperwork/talk to SSA/etc to help the client resolve the overpayment issue. Areas of law + skills you can expect to learn more about/acquire include: Disability Law, Admin. Law, Social Security Regulations, Client Interviewing/Skills, Working with a federal agency (SSA), Legal Research.