15th Annual Goods & Services Auction to be held Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Touro Law Center’s 15th Annual Goods & Services Auction will be held this year on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 from 6-8 p.m. at the Law Center in Central Islip, New York.

All proceeds from the auction benefit the Touro Summer Public Interest Law Fellowship Program, which fund summer stipends for students to work in public interest law firms or non-profit organizations. These students defend the victims of domestic violence, guard the legal interests of children and work with advocacy groups on a broad spectrum of poverty and civil rights issues.

How can I help? You can donate an item to be included in the auction. Items for donation might include gift certificates, electronics, jewelry or something even more creative. You may also consider a $1,000 Event Sponsorship which includes recognition at the event and in the auction brochure, as well as ten tickets to the auction.

How Does the Auction Work? Donations of artwork, theater tickets, sporting tickets, travel packages, wine, restaurant gift certificates and many other items are sold in both silent and live bidding. This year’s auction program will also recognize one Attorney of the Year from each of the top law firms on Long Island who best exemplifies public interest legal work performed in the areas of poverty law, civil rights law or public rights law, including representing charitable organizations.

Last year, thanks to our contributors, we raised more than $65,000, making it our most successful auction to date.

Please click here to visit our Auction web page, where you can register to attend, make a donation or become a sponsor. Any questions, contact Aimee Pearlman at (631) 761-7064 or apearlman@tourolaw.edu.

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.

Ethics CLE Program with Dean Raful

Touro Law Center is pleased to present a Continuing Legal Education program on Ethics with Dean Lawrence Raful entitled "The NYS Adoption of the Model Rules." The program will take place on three Wednesday nights: February 25, March 4 and March 18 from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. at the Law Center in Central Islip. The cost of the program is $40 ($25 for Touro Law Alumni), which includes two Ethics CLE credits, materials, a light meal and refreshments.

For more information, please contact Barbara Hakimi at bhakimi@tourolaw.edu or (631) 761-7005. To register online, Click Here.

Christine Malafi '91 named January Alum of the Month

Touro Law Center’s Office of Development, Alumni Relations and Communications is proud to announce that Christine Malafi '91 has been selected as the January Alum of the Month. Christine Malafi D’Amaro has been the Suffolk County Attorney since January 2004, where she acts as the attorney and counsel for the county, and is in charge of all the law business of the county and its agencies. She prosecutes and defends all civil actions and proceedings brought by or against the County and all of its elected officials, and gives legal advice to all elected officials and departments of the County. In February 2006, Christine was named one of Long Island Business News’ 40 Rising Stars under 40, and in October 2008, the Suffolk County Department of Law received the 2008 Children’s Advocate of the Year Award from the Marcie Mazzola Foundation, recognizing the advocacy of Christine’s Family Court Bureau.

Please Click Here to view Christine's full bio. On behalf of the entire law school community, we extend our congratulations to Christine Malafi.