| The Social Justice Project is a community service program of Touro Law Center. Working with the project's attorneys, students become part of a team addressing legal issues of vital importance to the low-income community on Long Island. The project's mission is to represent individuals who do not qualify for legal help from other agencies.
By providing legal assistance in cases involving the basic necessities of life—food, shelter and medical care—the Social Justice Project protects children and families in urgent need. Without stable housing, for example, a family often faces a chaotic existence. It becomes almost impossible to maintain adequate nutrition, education, and appropriate medical care for the children as well as for the parents. The project's ability to protect the legal rights of these clients often is the difference between a secure family and a shattered family.
Volunteering in this project, Touro students discover the personal rewards of pro bono service and fulfill one the highest ethical precepts of the legal profession: to ensure access to justice. They learn, also, important practice skills by assisting in interviewing clients and witnesses, drafting court documents, performing legal research and factual investigations and observing a wide array of court and administrative proceedings.
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