Pro bono scholars take the lead as champions for justice

There are wins. And there are win-wins.

But the School of Law’s pro bono scholars program is a win-win-win.

For the students accepted into the program, they can hone their practice-ready skills working full time during their last semester of law school — not to mention take the bar exam early, in February.

For the nonprofit and government employers they work for, the students provide welcome assistance with often crushing caseloads.

And for low-income individuals caught up in the justice system, the pro bono scholars are often a lifeline when they need it most.

The law school’s six pro bono scholars this year — part of a statewide program — were employed “doing very diverse things, everything from housing and banking to criminal public defense work to family and elder law,” says Melinda Saran, vice dean for social justice initiatives, who oversees the program at the law school and teaches the associated seminar course. “It takes a special person to say, ‘I’m going to do this in my last semester and not take regular classes and hang out with my friends.’ They’re giving up their spring vacations. But they become attorneys, and it helps them bridge the gap between book knowledge and practice, while providing another set of hands at legal services agencies.”

Historically, Saran says, about half of the law school’s pro bono scholars have gone on to work in public interest settings, and half have joined law firms. But even the latter, she says, carry with them a commitment to doing pro bono work and championing that work at their firms.

For the students, the decision to become a pro bono scholar sometimes hinges on practicalities. Bethany Cereo, ’18, for example, whose pro bono service was spent with the Center for Elder Law and Justice, says the opportunity to take the bar exam early was a plus for her.

“As someone who was pursuing working at a nonprofit and doing pro bono work as my career, it meant that I could apply to those places earlier,” she says. “A lot of nonprofit and legal services organizations will only accept applications from people who are admitted or who have passed the bar and know they’ll be admitted soon.” The strategy paid off: She’ll be working in the Legal Services and Advocacy Unit of the Mental Health Association of Erie County. “It feels good to already have a legal services job and not have to wait on taking the bar,” Cereo says.

Her supervisor at the Center for Elder Law and Justice, pro bono coordinator Nicole Komin, ’15, says the organization made good use of Cereo’s talents. “Most of our student interns are in the summer straight out of their first year of law school,” Komin says. “They’re still new to research and writing; they’re not familiar with talking to clients. When you get a pro bono scholar, it’s much different. One of the biggest differences is their writing and the level of research and the efficiency with which they can get things done.

“Researching is a science and a skill, especially when you get into more high-level research, and that’s definitely a very strong skill that Beth has.”

Jason Gunning, ’18 spent his pro bono scholar workweeks with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo’s Criminal Defense Unit. One of his major responsibilities was to interview prisoners at the Erie County Holding Center, listen to their stories and work with the attorneys to devise an appropriate court strategy for each.

“Everybody’s got a story,” Gunning says, “and hearing them puts into perspective the underlying causes of criminal behavior. Especially in Buffalo, with the opioid and drug treatment courts, plenty of people seem to be receptive to trying to change. When I talked to people at the center, many seemed genuine about it, and I could tell the attorney that this person is open to getting treatment.”

Gunning, a Long Island native, will be starting in September as an assistant district attorney in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office — “going over to the dark side,” as his boss at Legal Aid, Chief Attorney Kevin Stadelmaier, jokingly puts it.

“Jason is obviously a very bright, talented and dedicated young lawyer,” Stadelmaier says. “We’ve had interns in the past who were not self-starters, constantly asking, ‘What should I do now?’ It wasn’t like that with Jason. He had a schedule that he kept to, and when he was done with that work, he consulted with the other lawyers and helped them with research and writing. He had a lot of enthusiasm.”

UB’s other 2018 Pro Bono Scholars and their spring placements include Senovia Cuevas, ’18, Bar Association of Erie County’s Volunteer Lawyer’s Project; Samuel Dolce, ’18, Western New York Law Center; Allyson Kehl, ’18, Monroe County Public Defender’s Office; and Emily Stoufer Quinn, ’18, Legal Assistance of Western New York.