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Pro Bono Reporter Volume 21 Summer 2016 13
New York TeamWins Trial Victory for Single Mother Whose Truant
Children Were Removed from Her Custody
After a protracted hearing raised by an emergency motion, associate
Shanna
Lehrman
, with supervision from partner
Scott Samay
,
reunited a single mother and
her two teen sons after refuting allegations made by the New York Administration
of Children’s Services (ACS) that she failed to provide themwith adequate education,
supervision, and housing based on the boys’ truancy and behavioral issues.
Through cross-examination of the agency’s key witnesses, the team exposed the
failings of the child’s foster care agency and ACS during their year-long custody
of the younger child. Desperate to return home, the boy acted out and had
repeatedly gone absent from the foster care placement without supervision for as
long as a month. The team highlighted that the child’s behavior had dramatically
declined while away from home, and he had ultimately missed more school under
ACS custody than when he was with his mother. The team also demonstrated that
after being laid off from her job, the client had no choice but to move into a small
one-bedroom apartment with her ailing parents and two children until she could
locate new employment and affordable housing. Ultimately, the court agreed with
the concerns raised by the team and mandated that ACS provide much-needed
resources and services for the family.
SMALL BUSINESSES
NewYorkCorporateTeamOrganizesClinicServingSmallBusinesses
Under the leadership of partner
Bryan Goldstein
and corporate pro bono practice
attorney
Erica Coleman
, New York attorneys and summer associates participated
in a clinic that offered local small businesses brief advice regarding limited liability
status, bylaws, annual meetings, and corporate registration compliance. The
teams also provided a general review of the legal risks posed by operations,
management practices, and risk mitigation strategies. The clinic was arranged by
Start Small Think Big, a public interest agency based in the South Bronx that helps
low-to moderate-income NYC entrepreneurs build and sustain thriving businesses
in order to increase their personal financial security and stimulate economic activity
in underserved communities. Participating attorneys and summers include
Peter
Alfano, Erin Baldwin, Ilya Bubel, Elizabeth Hu, Kelsey Lam, Jason Pachter, Lilli
Scalettar, David Valk, Nikhil Vasudeva,
and
Ryan Walden.
Shanna Lehrman
Erica Coleman
New York attorneys and summers meet small business clients