Robin Steinberg Named Touro's 2009 Distinguished Public Interest Lawyer in Residence

Touro Law Center has named Robin G. Steinberg, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, as the 2009 Distinguished Public Interest Lawyer in Residence. On Thursday, March 5, Ms. Steinberg will meet with student leaders, guest lecture in classes and interact with students and faculty. In addition, there will be a community lecture and reception to honor Robin Steinberg at the Law Center at 6:30 p.m., which is free and open to the public.

Through the Distinguished Public Interest Lawyer in Residence program, Touro Law Center recognizes attorneys who have made significant contributions to society by representation of individuals or groups historically denied access to justice. Honored by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association for her “exceptional vision, devotion and service in the quest for equal justice,” by the New York Bar Association for her “outstanding contribution to the delivery of defense services,” and awarded Harvard Law School’s Wasserstein Fellowship in recognition of her “outstanding contributions and dedication to public interest law,” Ms. Steinberg is a leader and pioneer in the field of indigent defense.

She has been a public defender her entire career, starting as a criminal trial lawyer with the Legal Aid Society, continuing her career as a founding member and deputy director of The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, and ultimately creating The Bronx Defenders in 1997. From 1999 through 2001, she was a participant in the Executive Session on Public Defense, a series of conferences and meetings conducted by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and Harvard University to discuss how to organize and reposition the "industry" of indigent defense. Today, Ms. Steinberg advocates nationally and internationally for holistic representation and the community defender movement, delivering papers, conducting trainings and hosting visitors from around the world.

For more information about this program, or to RSVP to the community lecture and reception, please Click Here or contact Aimee Pearlman at (631) 761-7064 or apearlman@tourolaw.edu.

Touro Named One of the 10 Most Innovative Law Schools

The National Jurist and preLaw magazines have named Touro Law Center as one of the 10 most innovative law schools in the United States. The story is featured in the Winter 2009 edition of preLaw and the January 2009 edition of the National Jurist. Touro was chosen as part of this list for its innovative Court Observation Program, as well as the William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center.

“It is quite an honor to be chosen as one of the most innovative law schools in the country,” said Dean Lawrence Raful. “At Touro, we work hard to ensure our students are receiving the best possible legal education and that our graduates are proud of their law school.”

To read the article, please click here.

"Refusenik" Documentary Showing Sunday, March 8

Touro Law Center will be hosting the Long Island premiere of the documentary film "Refusenik," directed by Laura Bialis. "Refusenik" is the first retrospective film to chronicle the 30-year international movement to free Soviet Jews. What started as a small grassroots movement bold enough to take on a Cold War superpower blossomed into an international human rights crusade that engaged the disempowered and world leaders alike. Told through the eyes of activists on both sides of the Iron Curtain - many of whom survived punishment in Soviet Gulag labor camps - the film is a tapestry of first-person accounts of heroism, sacrifice, and ultimately, liberation.

The film will be shown at Touro Law Center in Central Islip on Sunday, March 8 at 3 p.m., followed by a question and answer session with writer and producer Laura Bialis at 5 p.m. There is a requested donation of $10. Please RSVP to Aimee Pearlman at (631) 761-7064 or apearlman@tourolaw.edu.

For more information, please click here.

Jeffrey Goodstein '97 named February Alum of the Month

Touro Law Center's Office of Development, Alumni Relations and Communications is proud to announce that Jeffrey Goodstein ’97 has been selected as February's Alumni of the Month. Jeff was an active member of the Touro community while attending law school and remains engaged through Touro Law Center’s Alumni Council, Mentor Program and Career Services Programs; as well as attending various alumni and student events throughout the years.

Jeff is currently the Principal Law Clerk to the Hon. Anthony Marano, Administrative Judge of Nassau County. He is the coordinator of the Judicial Internship Program for all the Courts in Nassau County, and is President of the Nassau County Law Secretary and Court Attorney Association. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John’s Law School where he teaches in their Externship Program and has lectured at Touro Law School and Hofstra University School of Law.

In 2008, Jeff was appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Nassau County Bar Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Confide Drug and Alcohol Counseling Center and is a Trustee of Temple B’nai Sholom in Rockville Centre.

Please click here to read Jeffrey's entire bio. On behalf of the entire law school community, we extend our congratulations to Jeffrey Goodstein.