Paul, Weiss Leverages the Coronavirus Relief Center to Deliver Critical Pro Bono Legal Services With Pro Bono Partners

The Paul, Weiss Pro Bono team and Coronavirus (COVID-19) Relief Center team collaborated with three legal services organizations to create programs that deliver crucial legal services to unemployed individuals and small businesses negatively affected by COVID-19, leveraging materials from the Relief Center. The firm’s strategy for mobilizing the Relief Center as a resource for the delivery of pro bono legal services was developed by litigation partner Audra Soloway, Pro Bono Counsel Emily Goldberg and Pro Bono Attorney Emily Donohoe, in partnership with Volunteers of Legal Services (VOLS), the City Bar Justice Center and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI).

Paul, Weiss was vital to the launch of VOLS’ Unemployed Workers Project Hotline, which assists New Yorkers affected by COVID-related layoffs in accessing unemployment benefits. Utilizing the resources produced for the Relief Center, the team developed hotline training materials and produced a virtual training webinar. Paul, Weiss is the first firm to staff the hotline.

Additionally, Paul, Weiss was among a small group of firms to facilitate the City Bar’s launch of two initiatives: the COVID-19 Legal Hotline, which connects low-income individuals with a pro bono attorney for a consultation to address coronavirus-related civil legal concerns, and the Small Business Remote Legal Clinic, which offers free consultations to small businesses. The Relief Center team was integral to these initiatives.

Last, our firm recently advised NYLPI on how to best inform and educate nonprofit organizations about their lease options in light of the new challenges posed by COVID-19. Real estate partners Sal Gogliormella and Meredith Kane produced written guidance for nonprofits, Commercial Lease Questions during the Pandemic, an essential resource that will be widely shared by NYLPI to nonprofits throughout New York City, as well as to our existing nonprofit clients with urgent real estate questions during the pandemic.

The VOLS unemployed workers’ hotline project materials were created by associates Pietro Signoracci, Deniz Gurbuz, Eli Adelman and Jenna Glicksman. Zuleika Coombs in IS Support Services assisted in producing the training webinar. Some 36 attorneys have signed up to assist with responding to calls for the hotline. Staffing for the hotline is being coordinated by Emily Donohoe and pro bono coordinator Jessie Pace.

The City Bar hotline project was led by associates Nora Ahmed, Pietro Signoracci, Deniz Gurbuz, Ethel Amponsah, Eli Adelman, Jenna Glicksman and Sondra Saporta. Corporate partners Eric Goodison and Bruce Gutenplan are supervising 22 corporate attorneys who have signed up to staff the Small Business clinic. The clinic is being coordinated by Emily Donohoe and Jessie Pace.

» view the City Bar Justice Center’s COVID-19 Legal Hotline
» view the City Bar’s Small Business Remote Legal Clinic