As we return from the holiday break and start the new year, I’m delighted to bring you the latest edition of Justice in Action, sharing five highlights from a busy Fall 2025 semester at the St. John’s Law DiMartino/Smith Public Interest Center.  

Engaging more than 250 students across multiple programs, we connected classroom learning to community-based service, strengthened our pro bono initiatives, and elevated student leadership.

I look forward to what we will accomplish in the spring semester and throughout 2026.

Warmly,

Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz   

This fall, Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum proudly announced that the Public Interest Center at St. John’s Law will be named the DiMartino/Smith Public Interest Center in honor of alumna Rose DiMartino ’81 and her spouse, Karen Sue Smith, whose multimillion-dollar gift will endow the Center’s programs and initiatives. It’s the largest naming gift in the Law School’s 100-year history. Read more about this Center milestone.

The Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office (CLARO) once again served as a cornerstone of the Center’s pro bono work. Throughout the fall semester, over 40 student volunteers received training and staffed weekly clinics assisting community members with consumer debt and financial legal issues. 

During National Pro Bono Week, the Center’s affiliated student organization, the Public Interest Law Students Association (PILSA), partnered with the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review to co-host a Pro Bono in Bankruptcy Panel. St. John’s Law alumni and other panelists shared how they provide pro bono services as bankruptcy lawyers, discussed career pathways, and offered practical advice on how students can get involved in pro bono matters. 

PILSA also hosted and co-hosted a series of events highlighting public interest career pathways, legal advocacy, and community service. Programming included a Summer Fellows Coffee Chat; Case Closed, a well-attended panel discussion examining the Supreme Court’s decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo and its impact on advocacy and the Latino community; and a hands-on volunteer event assembling Halloween goodie bags for children supported by the nonprofit H.E.A.L.T.H. 4 Youths.

Over 100 attorneys and students came together for the Law School’s second annual Pro Bono Working Lunch. They spent the afternoon providing legal support to low-income New Yorkers through the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers Program, which the New York State Bar Association operates locally as New York Free Legal Answers. Read more about this special event that was generously sponsored by Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Partnering with Paladin, the Center has launched a pro bono platform that offers students a centralized, technology-driven system for exploring, applying for, and tracking their pro bono hours. Each year, St. John’s Law gives its Pro Bono Service Award to graduates who complete over 100 hours of pro bono service during their time in law school. Learn more about the new platform.

Throughout the fall, Center Fellows, PILSA students, and other students engaged in advocacy, civic engagement, and service initiatives addressing local, national, and global issues, including:

Our 117 2025 Summer Public Interest Fellows continued to make an impact during the fall semester as they participated in 25-plus public interest activities. Through panels, pro bono events, fundraisers, and volunteer initiatives, the Summer Fellows reinforced the importance of public interest engagement within our Law School community. 

Our Public Interest Center Fellows play an important role throughout the academic year—supporting programming, mentoring peers, and serving as ambassadors for public interest work. Please join us in congratulating the following 2025-2026 Center Fellows on their selection to the program and for their ongoing leadership:

Three St. John’s Law community members have been named to the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Pro Bono Honor Roll, recognizing those who expand and support pro bono service in law schools nationwide. They are:

Read the Honor Roll.

St. John’s Law alumni are vital Center partners. Here is just a sampling of their support of our programming and for public interest in the field:

A volunteer group of alumni leaders have come together as the 2026 Alumni Auction Committee to support our annual Public Interest Auction. They include:

Public Interest Center Fellow Hannah Stubbs ’26 conducted a featured interview with Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr. ’57, a civil rights advocate and pioneer in public interest law. In the interview, Dunnaville shared reflections on his pathbreaking career—including his experience as the first lawyer of color hired by the Internal Revenue Service—and offered insights on advancing justice through sustained advocacy and service. Read more about the interview. 

Nicole Castillo Guiracocha ’25 earned a prestigious Immigrant Justice Corps Justice Fellowship, launching a two-year placement with the City of Atlanta Office of the Public Defender. Her selection exemplifies the impact of public-interest-focused legal education. Learn more about Nicole’s Fellowship.

Makousse B. Ilboudo ’16 is Executive Director of the newly established Mayor’s Office to Facilitate Pro Bono Legal Assistance. The Office is dedicated to protecting New Yorkers’ constitutional and civil rights by connecting them with free, existing legal services and resources throughout the five boroughs. Read the press release.

Two former Summer Public Interest Fellows, Liz Nealon ’26 and Katherine Ratner ’27, attended the New York Bar Foundation’s 75th Anniversary Gala, celebrating its longstanding commitment to advancing access to justice, legal education, and public service. As an event sponsor, St. John’s Law is especially grateful for the Foundation’s continued support of the Catalyst Public Service Fellowship Program, established through the generosity of Hon. Janet DiFiore ’81, former Chief Judge of the State of New York. Together with funds raised through our annual Public Interest Auction, this support provides $6,000 stipends that enable students to pursue formative public service experiences through unpaid judicial internships during their 1L summer.  

The Law School’s Public Interest Auction on March 19, 2026 will be particularly special as we celebrate our 100th anniversary, the Auction’s 30th anniversary, and the Center’s 15th anniversary. We will continue to preview items and experiences on our Auction website as donations come in, and you will be able to buy tickets to attend the Auction soon. In the meantime, please support the Auction by:

Thank you!

Comments, Suggestions, or Content Ideas?
Please email Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz, Director of the Public Interest Center, at ortizorj@stjohns.edu.

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