Public Service Fellowship Awarded for Work with Legal Services NYC-Bronx

Legal Services NYC is pleased to announce that Alexander “Andy” Artz, a
third-year student at New York University School of Law, has been
awarded a Kirkland & Ellis New York City Public Service Fellowship
to work with Legal Services NYC-Bronx’s Education Law Project. Andy’s
focus will be on increasing access to quality representation for
students facing suspension and reducing the use of suspension as a
disciplinary method.

Full press release follows.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 18, 2009

CONTACT:

    Edwina Frances Martin

    Director of Communications and Government Relations

    Legal Services NYC

    646-442-3586

    646-442-3587 (fax)

    [email protected]

 

Kirkland & Ellis Public Service Fellowship Awarded for Work with Legal Services NYC-Bronx Education Law Program

New York, NY, February 18, 2009— Legal Services NYC is pleased to announce that Alexander “Andy” Artz, a third-year student at New York University School of Law, has been awarded a Kirkland & Ellis New York City Public Service Fellowship to work with Legal Services NYC-Bronx’s Education Law Project. Andy’s focus will be on increasing access to quality representation for students facing suspension and reducing the use of suspension as a disciplinary method.

In New York City, more than 10,000 students face long-term school suspensions every year. A disproportionate number are students with disabilities and nearly all are low-income students of color. Students who have been suspended risk falling behind, failing, and dropping out of school. New York’s Education Law gives students facing a suspension the right to bring an advocate to a suspension hearing; however, the vast majority of these students have no access to legal assistance.

As a student at NYU Law, Andy co-founded and serves as a director of the Suspension Representation Project, which trains law students to represent public school students at suspension hearings.  The Kirkland & Ellis Fellowship will enable him to continue his work as part of Legal Services NYC-Bronx’s Education Law Project, where he will focus on the following areas:

• Representing students in school suspension hearings
• Developing a pro bono panel of attorneys and law students to represent students
• Creating guides and self-help materials for parents and students
• Advocating for systemic change in the way the Department of Education responds to students in the school suspension process.

“Legal Services NYC-Bronx has long felt the need to expand its work in the area of education law services, as the demand far exceeds its resources,” said Steven B. Telzak, Legal Services NYC-Bronx Project Director. “Andy’s fellowship will provide a sorely needed complement to our education law advocacy, and through his work help shape and enhance our advocacy in future years. We are delighted that Andy will be joining our Education Law Unit.”

"I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the Education Law Unit to address superintendent's suspensions next year, “said Andy.  “So few parents and students who would like to find representation are able to do so; I am hopeful that this fellowship will make progress toward changing that."

The Kirkland & Ellis New York City Public Service Fellowships were established in 1995, when the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP made a gift of $1 million to New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School. Each year, one outstanding student is selected from the graduating class of each school. The Fellows are selected for their personal integrity and potential to make a contribution to the New York community. A Fellowship provides funding for one year of post-graduate public services.

Andy is the first NYU Law student to be awarded a Kirkland & Ellis Fellowship to work with a program of Legal Services NYC. In 2007, Jennifer Friedman of Columbia Law School was selected to work with our South Brooklyn Legal Services (SBLS) office to combat predatory lenders who prey on low income home owners, focusing on “exotic” mortgage structures in the subprime mortgage market. And in 1999, Ranjana Natarajan, also of Columbia Law School, was awarded a Fellowship to work with SBLS advocating on behalf of people with disabilities at risk of losing their homes.

Legal Services NYC provides free help on cases involving housing, family, domestic violence, public benefits, income tax, employment, education, consumer rights and economic development.  For more information please visit us at http://www.legalservicesnyc.org.

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