Thomas Maligno Named Director of Pro Bono

December 12, 2012

Dean Patricia Salkin has announced that Thomas Maligno, Executive Director of the Public Advocacy Center, has been named Director of Pro Bono at Touro Law Center. He will continue in his current role at the Center including his responsibilities as Director of Public Interest.

“Tom has dedicated his career to public interest and pro bono work and has made a significant impact in the Touro Law community. He is a national leader and strong advocate for public interest and pro bono work” said Dean Patricia Salkin.

Prior to Chief Judge Lippman’s 50 hour pro bono requirement for admission to the bar, Touro Law was one of only two New York law schools with a pro bono graduation requirement. Touro Law graduates continue to benefit from the robust offering of pro bono opportunities through the Public Advocacy Center. The Center, housed within the law school, includes 12 non-profit agencies working within the community that regularly enlist the help of Touro Law students. Touro Law also offers several public interest internships each year to students and helps students facilitate pro bono work opportunities with outside agencies. Additionally, Touro Law students have started organizations such as the Student Disaster Relief Network and the Public Interest Law Organization of Touro that promote public service and many other student organizations have instituted pro bono requirements of their own. Recently, Touro Law students, together with administration, joined together in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy to form the Touro Law Center Hurricane Emergency Assistance and Referral Team (TLC-HEART). TLC-HEART is an active organization that provides pro bono help to those affected by the storm. The group is planning to continue working with storm victims for months to come.

In his new role, Tom will help facilitate placements for the additional hours of pro bono work required of law students and he will continue to work with the growing number of students and student organizations looking to complete the 50 hour graduation requirement.

Tom Maligno has a national reputation for promoting pro bono representation and is a consultant for the American Bar Association, helping to organize pro bono efforts in numerous communities across the United States. He is also a leader of the organized pro bono effort of both local bar associations; the Nassau County Bar Association and the Suffolk County Bar Association. Tom has developed a wide range of public interest career opportunities for Touro Law students and graduates, and has been a highly visible supporter of pro bono activities at the law school.
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Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center’s 185,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning model for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law, which has a student body of approximately 750 and an alumni base of more than 5,000, offers full- and part-time J.D. programs, several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates. Touro Law Center is part of the Touro College system.

About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris, and Florida. Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro College Los Angeles and Touro University Worldwide as separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/media/.
For more info contact:
Patti Desrochers
Director of Communications
pattid@tourolaw.edu
(631) 761-7062

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