Every October, St. John’s Law marks the National Celebration of Pro Bono with a series of programs. To kick off this year’s celebration, the Law School’s Public Interest Center partnered with the Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law, the Public Interest Law Students Association, and the St. John’s Law Alumni Association Alumnae Leadership Council Chapter to host a Pro Bono Working Lunch.
The daylong event brought 100 alumni and students together at St. John’s Law to provide legal support to low-income New Yorkers through the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers Program, which operates locally through the New York State Bar Association as New York Free Legal Answers. Responding to questions submitted online, 30 student-alumni teams worked on issues related to employment, immigration, constitutional rights, estates and probate, tenant’s rights, and more. In all, they provided free legal help and guidance to at least 40 New Yorkers, addressing their questions and offering helpful resources.
“After learning about the uses of Free Legal Answers Program in an academic setting, I explored how to integrate it at St. John’s, by assessing the needs in New York and consulting with other law schools about effective approaches,” says Public Interest Center Director Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz. “Even though this was a pilot event, we aimed high, envisioning a room full of students and alumni eager to do pro bono and support our communities, something that strongly aligns with our Law School’s core values.”
It was a call to service that resonated with Audree Maldonado ‘09C, ‘12L, a senior associate at Clyde & Co. “I’m trying to become more intentional about giving back to my community and knew that this program would be an excellent opportunity to do just that,” she says.” As a St. John’s undergraduate, Maldonado was involved in Campus Ministry and its service initiatives. At the Law School, she participated in the in-house Elder Law Clinic (now the Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic), where she helped to represent a victim of mortgage fraud. “All of these experiences, and more, cemented how important it is to use our gifts for good,” she shares.
Maldonado was also excited to reconnect with current St. John’s Law students. “It was very meaningful to work with the students on the questions,” she says. “Their curiosity and willingness to help find links to resources and relevant law was admirable. We also exchanged stories about our respective law school experiences.” Dayra Rivas ‘25 and Palek Singh ‘26, the students who teamed with Maldonado to answer questions, also found it a meaningful experience.
“I participated in the Pro Bono Working Lunch due to my experience with pro bono work—as a current student advocate in the Law School’s Economic Justice Clinic and through my family’s experiences with free legal access,” Rivas explains. “I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of accessible, competent legal aid.” Together with Maldonado and Singh, Rivas answered questions involving labor and employment law and tort law.
While she enjoyed the legal aspect of their teamwork, Rivas also appreciated the personal connections she made with Singh and Maldonado. “I discussed 1L mistakes and helpful study aids with Palek, and Audree was encouraging and shared positive insights about St. John’s. It was also great to connect with them over our shared experiences as women and persons of color.”
Singh agrees that it was a formative collaboration and a unique opportunity to do impactful work as a first-year law student. “I was exposed early on to the disproportionate distribution of resources and opportunities allocated to vulnerable communities, which motivated me to strive towards maintaining equity,” she says. “So, when deciding to go to law school, I knew I wanted to prioritize pro bono and public interest work, regardless of whatever field of law I choose to pursue. I don’t view public interest as a field of choice. Rather, I see it as a duty to uphold in the legal profession.”
Ortiz-Ortiz is delighted that Singh, Rivas, Maldonado, and the other student and alumni participants had such a positive experience at the Pro Bono Working Lunch, which included remarks from Denise M. Miranda ’96, Acting Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights, who spoke about the importance of pro bono work. St. John’s Law Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum also spoke at the event, encouraging students and alumni to stay actively engaged in public interest and pro bono initiatives as a way to uphold and embody the Law School’s ethos of excellence, prominence, and impact.
“We’re grateful for the support of colleagues at St. John’s Law and at the New York State Bar Association,” Ortiz-Ortiz says reflecting on the program’s success. “But, most of all, I want to congratulate all our alumni and students who spent the day making a tangible difference in our community.”