In October 2023, the Center welcomed its new Director, Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz. Jeanne arrives at the Center with a background in pro bono, access to justice, and disaster recovery advocacy, having most recently worked at Pro Bono Net. There, she worked directly with legal aid providers, bar associations, and law firms nationwide to develop pro bono programs that leveraged the use of technology. Jeanne is also the Vice-Director of the American Bar Association’s National Disaster Legal Services Program and Co-Chair of the NYC Bar Association’s Pro Bono & Legal Services Law School Subcommittee. You can read more about Jeanne and how she's helping St. John’s Law students serve the greater good online. 

This year, 46 St. John’s Law students dedicated at least 1,100 pro bono hours through the Public Interest Center’s Spring Break Service Program, working with partner organizations on a range of issues from civil rights litigation, protecting the legal rights of elder citizens and undocumented residents, advocating for LGBTQ+ youth, and providing eviction defense to tenants. Several students completed the Program in Kansas City, Missouri, with the Federal Public Defender Office and Legal Aid of Western Missouri. In addition, the Director joined the students in Kansas City and had the opportunity to meet with attorneys and staff at the placement offices. Learn more about the students’ experiences.

“It was an amazing opportunity to expand my understanding of the practice of law and the important role that public defenders play in getting proper legal representation,” says a 2024 Spring Break Service Program Participant.

The Program's Partner and Host Organization shares, “The students were genuinely interested and engaged in all aspects of work and experience, with staff, community organizations, government agencies, and clients. They had a lot of thoughtful questions about the law, work, and issues our clients face. They were not afraid to express their interests and desires. I appreciate their willingness to jump into action, help with tasks, and communicate with clients, farmworkers, and community organizations. They have many gifts to share with the world and will be a true asset to the legal community.” 

After months of coordination and effort, our public interest leaders and students successfully secured a total of 168 donations for the 2024 Public Interest Auction. These donations included experiences contributed by faculty, administrators, family members, students, and alumni. All donations were available for bidding during our online auction on April 2-3 and our live auction on April 4. Additionally, we launched a giving campaign with a goal of securing 100 donors, which alone raised over $17,500. All proceeds from the Public Interest Auction support the Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program and the Spring Break Service Program. At our live auction, we were proud to honor Professor John P. Clarke ‘55CBA, ‘57L with the special Lifetime Achievement Award for his ongoing dedication and contributions to public interest work. We also celebrated Genie Cesar-Fabian '04 who received the Erica B. Fine '82 Public Interest Champion Award in recognition of her generous support for public interest students and programs. 

In line with this year’s auction theme of Superheroes, alumna Rose DiMartino announced that she would match 20 donations of $3,000 each made by fellow alumnae of St. John’s Law. This generous match enabled the Public Interest Center to award an additional 20 fellowships for its Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program.

The Center is proud to have granted 81 Fellowships this summer through our Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program, for a total of $468,838 being distributed in awards. All students who receive the award must show that they have secured an unpaid summer internship with a public interest employer. Fellowship funding was made possible through proceeds from the online and live auctions, the silent auction at the Alumni Association Luncheon in January, endowment funds, the SHEro challenge, Center-specific fellowships, and foundation-supported fellowships. 

The students who receive the summer stipend can dedicate themselves fully to their unpaid summer jobs without the necessity of securing a second paid job to cover their living expenses. As one Fellow shared, “It's an honor to receive this award. This Fellowship will support me in continuing to pursue public interest law and I'm humbled to go to a school that continues to aid me in countless ways in pursuing public interest. Thank you again for this opportunity.”  

This summer, fellows worked across a variety of practice areas, including:   

Collectively, Fellows contributed close to 29,000 hours to social justice and public interest causes this summer. 

This year, students in the Class of 2024 reported a total of 39,394 pro bono hours for the Pro Bono Service Award. Forty students completed over 500 hours of pro bono service, nine of which completed over 1,000 pro bono hours. 

This year, our Center assumed administrative oversight of the St. John’s Law Pro Bono Scholars Program, which included organizing the first information session for students interested in participating in the program. Our Pro Bono Scholars this year successfully passed the bar in February and collectively dedicated over 2,000 hours of pro bono service through their clinic placements:  

For the upcoming academic year, the Pro Bono Scholars class will increase to nine students. Learn more about Seth Goldstein’s experience as a Pro Bono Scholar online.

"I’m very grateful that St. John’s provided the opportunity for me to participate in the Pro Bono Scholars Program," says Goldstein. "It gave me unrivaled real world and real client experience that I can draw on as I start my legal career and that I’ll continue to build on in the years ahead."

In April 2024, the Center announced its new Fellowship Program, and four students will be selected as Fellows for the 2024-2025 academic year. Fellows will support the Center’s initiatives, with a primary focus on the annual Auction. The Program stems from a restructuring of the Center and PILSA to enhance clarity, efficiency, and support for student leaders involved in Public Interest Center activities. The program will also allow fellows to connect with experts in the field, granting them access to resources and opportunities that foster professional development in public interest law.  

On April 15, 2024, the Center and the Public Interest Law Students Association (PILSA) celebrated a successful year of programming and fundraising at their End-of-Year Celebration. It was also an opportunity for students to connect with each other, our Faculty Advisors, and welcome our new cohort of Summer Public Interest Fellows. At the event, Christine Bella '96 and Caroline Pizano '18 were also recognized for their commitment and dedication to the cause of justice.

Christine Bella, an adjunct professor at St. John’s Law, is a senior attorney with the Wrongful Conviction Unit of The Legal Aid Society and has served on numerous nonprofit boards serving incarcerated youth. Caroline Pizano, also an adjunct professor at St. John’s Law where she teaches Human Trafficking Law, is a senior litigation associate at Latham & Watkins. She maintains an active pro bono practice representing survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking, primarily in immigration and criminal record clearing cases. 

Our Faculty Advisors and PILSA’s Pro Bono Coordinator continued organizing and offering volunteer training this year to support pro se litigants in consumer debt cases, with our spring training having over 80 student sign-ups. 

In May 2024, the Director attended and participated in the 2024 Equal Justice Conference in Detroit, MI, including the Law School Pro Bono Advisors Program Pre-Conference. The event is hosted by the American Bar Association and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and gathers legal services and pro bono advocates to share and learn about developments and innovations in providing legal services to low-income people.  

In partnership with the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice and other law schools, the Center co-designed a session and provided CLE credit for a virtual conference held on April 11, 2024. The event, “Let’s Talk AI and A2J: How Law Schools, Civil Legal Services, and the Courts Together Can Harness Technology to Address the Justice Gap,” gathered approximately 400 stakeholders from New York’s law schools, civil legal services, courts, community organizations, and other partners to explore how generative AI can be leveraged to enhance access to justice.  

On April 3, 2024, the Public Interest Center co-sponsored the symposium, “Unmasking Deed Theft in New York: Assessing the Problem and Possible Solutions” with the St. John’s N.Y. Real Property Law Journal and Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law. Leaders in the field presented two panels to discuss the problem of deed theft in New York, the effectiveness of existing laws, and steps that can be taken to address the issue.   

On February 16, 2024, the Center hosted an info session, “The Pro Bono Scholars Program: A Pathway to Early Bar Admission and Community Impact,” for rising 2Ls and 3Ls interested in becoming a Pro Bono Scholar.   

On February 5, 2024, the Center hosted “Pathways in Public Interest,” an info session in partnership with Equal Justice Works, a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a strong network of law students, attorneys, legal service organizations, and advocates committed to public service and equal justice. Students learned about fellowship programs, applications, and resources available to them.  

In early February 2024, the Center supported St. John’s Law students attending the 47th Annual Public Interest Legal Career Fair organized by NYU Law. Coordinated through our Career Development Office, this event offered interviews, networking opportunities, and avenues for students to secure summer positions with public interest employers. Over 300 employers participated, with more than 100 of our students in attendance.  

In December 2023, the Director attended and participated in the National Association for Law Placement Virtual Public Service Conference. The event was attended by approximately 100 law school administrators and included sessions discussing trends and updates in criminal justice, diversity and inclusion, and public service loan forgiveness.  

In October 2023, the Public Interest Law Students Association (PILSA), with support from the Center, hosted four events to celebrate Pro Bono Week, a national celebration to draw attention to the need for pro bono:  

The Center is pleased to announce the launch of a new pro bono initiative in partnership with the St. John's Law Alumni Association Alumnae Leadership Council Chapter and the Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law. The Center will pair alumni and law students to work together on answering civil legal questions posted by low-income New Yorkers via the American Bar Association (ABA) Free Legal Answers Program.  

The ABA Free Legal Answers Program is a virtual legal advice clinic where qualifying users post their civil legal questions to their state's website. Attorney volunteers, who must be authorized to provide pro bono assistance in their state, log in to the website, select questions to answer, and provide legal information and advice. In New York, the most common questions are related to family law and housing issues. The initiative will kick-off with a pilot event in October 2024 in honor of the National Celebration of Pro Bono. 

The Director of the Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law and our Director are working together to propose a new seminar focused on disaster law and environmental justice. The seminar will examine the effects of climate disasters on low-income communities. 

We extend our gratitude to Law School faculty, administrators, students, alumni, and staff who have supported the program’s initiatives over the past year:  

Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz 
Director, Public Interest Center
ortizorj@stjohns.edu
718-990-6948