Community Matters: Legal Outreach

What it does

Founded in 1983, Legal Outreach prepares urban youth from underserved communities in New York City to compete at high academic levels by using intensive legal and educational programs as tools for fostering vision, developing skills, enhancing confidence and facilitating the pursuit of higher education.

Their programs include the Summer Law Institute (SLI) internship program and College Bound, a four-year comprehensive academic enrichment and support program.

How we got involved

In 2005, former litigation associate Jeremy Cohen, then a mentor at Legal Outreach, brought in a group of four students from the SLI to intern at the firm. Today, our internship program, coordinated by litigation associates Seth F. Schinfeld and Aaron L. Webman, and Director of Professional Development and Pro Bono Programs Jamie Porco, hosts eight rising high school sophomores every summer and involves more than 50 attorneys and summer associates.

What we do for the interns

During the four-day SLI program, interns dig into case law research and receive coaching from Kramer Levin attorneys and summer associates, culminating in a mock oral argument. Practice overview presentations include simulated depositions and deal negotiations. Our recruiting team helps interns practice their interviewing skills.

Every day, the firm takes the group out for a power lunch. “We love doing it,” says Seth Schinfeld. “We encourage them to try new foods. They’re not just experiencing work within a law firm, but they’re also trying new things they might not otherwise be able to.”

Many Kramer Levin attorneys serve as year-round mentors to Legal Outreach students, and the firm assisted the organization with the legal and financial aspects of securing its current headquarters in Long Island City. The building boasts the Kramer Levin Moot Court Room as well as areas named after partners and associates at the firm.

Why it’s great

Claudene Roye was a public school student being raised by a single mom in the Bronx when she was accepted to Legal Outreach in eighth grade. “I did not have help or resources,” she recalls. “I only had self-motivation.” Claudene participated in the SLI and the College Bound programs, and went on to the University of Rochester, where she earned a B.S. in marketing. This fall, she will be pursuing a masters in marketing analytics at the U of R’s Simon Business School.

“The most important part of Legal Outreach for me is just the feeling of family and support that I don’t think I could have gotten anywhere else,” Claudene notes. She’s spending this summer as an intern at Kramer Levin, evidence that the organization’s commitment to its students doesn’t end when they finish the program. “I’m still part of that community,” Claudene says.

It’s a community Kramer Levin is happy to be a part of too. “The students are just amazing,” notes Seth Schinfeld, who admires their willingness to give up free time after school, on weekends and over the summer to participate in the program. “They are now my LinkedIn contacts,” he says proudly. “It’ll be great to be able to say, ‘I knew them when’ when I’m working for them in the future.”

How Legal Outreach feels about our work

“When it comes to the commitment to diversity and the pipeline, few can match Kramer Levin and the attorneys who organize and play a major role in conducting the firm’s program each year,” says James O’Neal, Legal Outreach’s co-founder and executive director. He praises Legal Outreach Advisory Board members Seth Schinfeld and litigation partner Dani R. James for their consistent guidance and support to the organization and encouragement of the program’s interns, many of whom have matriculated to selective colleges upon completing the four-year Legal Outreach program. “I’m sure this year’s interns will be equally as inspired to follow in their footsteps,” James says.

Learn more about our nonprofit and community development initiatives.