Justice Center News

The Justice Center News blog features our advocacy on issues affecting low-income New Yorkers today and the latest CBJC happenings.  For press releases, click here. For publications, click here.

VA’s General Counsel to Address Department’s Efforts to Serve the Needs of Veterans – by Caitlin Kilroy

by CBJC StaffApril 25, 2014

On April 28th, William Gunn, the General Counsel for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), will speak at the New York City Bar Association on the needs of our nation’s veterans. He will be joined by the VA’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Hughes Turner, on a panel moderated by Phil Carter, who served as the National Veterans Director for President Obama’s campaign and is now a scholar at the Center for a New American Security.

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City Bar Justice Center Gala to Celebrate Pro Bono

by CBJC StaffApril 1, 2014

On April 9, the City Bar Justice Center’s 9th Annual Gala will honor the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and the global financial services company UBS with the 2014 City Bar Justice Awards, for their leadership and dedication to pro bono service.

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Three Financial Institutions Help Micro-entrepreneurs at Free Legal Clinic

by CBJC StaffFebruary 24, 2014

On February 12th, the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP) held a small business legal clinic in Harlem in partnership with the Upper Manhattan NYC Business Solutions Center. Volunteer lawyers and legal professionals from three powerhouse financial institutions – Barclays, Goldman Sachs, and UBS – partnered with NELP to provide low-income micro-entrepreneurs with expert legal advice for their small businesses.

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Understanding Medicare’s Hospital Rules: the Perils and Pitfalls for Patients – by Vivienne Duncan

by CBJC StaffFebruary 18, 2014

For most people, being admitted to a hospital will probably raise some level of anxiety, especially if it involves a serious health crisis and likely extended stay. However, the experience may be even more complicated if the patient is on Medicare.

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Russia’s Anti-Gay Legislation and the Sochi Olympics – by K. Scott Kohanowski

by CBJC StaffFebruary 14, 2014

Russia recently passed legislation that bans “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors.” What speech and activities constitute propaganda are unclear, and the law has been implemented to ban not only gay pride parades but also any demonstration raising awareness of the plight of LGBT people in Russia. The law has had the secondary effect of inciting violence against the LGBT community by placing an official stamp of disapproval on it.

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The Legal Hotline’s First 100 Calls of 2014 – by Libby Vazquez

by CBJC StaffJanuary 29, 2014

A mother with a crying child in the background wants to know how she can obtain a divorce from her abusive husband. A caller teeters on the brink of homelessness after being legally evicted from his home. A long-term unemployed father of two wants to know how to file for bankruptcy. These and some 100 other New Yorkers called the Legal Hotline in the first week of the New Year.

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