Touro Law Student Receives Prestigious Elder Law Scholarship

January 4, 2017

Touro Law student Jessica Klersy has been awarded the Joel K. Asarch Scholarship of New York State Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Section. 

The prestigious award is given to a student who has participated in an Elder Law clinic or who has shown a special interest in providing representation to the elderly and disabled. The ultimate goal of the scholarship is to create a network and cultivate relationships among lawyers whose practice focuses on elder law and special needs planning and law students planning to practice in these areas to encourage the practice of elder law and special needs planning among lawyers throughout the State of New York.  

“The Touro community is proud of Jessica for this distinguished and well-deserved recognition,” stated Dean Harry Ballan. “Her future is bright as she has the intellect and character to ensure her to success while making a difference for those whom she serves.”
 
Jessica is a third-year student who participated in the Elder Law Clinic at Touro in Fall 2016, assisting clients with matters relating to public benefits, estate concerns, senior citizens tax exemptions and guardianships. She is a Pro Bono Scholar and after the February 2017 bar exam will work at Nassau/Suffolk Law Services for low-income clients.

Joel K. Asarch was a Justice of the New York Supreme Court in Nassau County who handled guardianship matters with sensitivity and creativity, in the interests of preserving the dignity of individuals subject to guardianship proceedings. He was an adjunct member of Touro Law Center’s faculty.

Touro Law Center is positioned as a leader in the Aging and Longevity field of law. In 2013, Touro Law established its Aging and Longevity Law Institute and began offering a concentration in Aging and Longevity Law for J.D. students. This past spring, ALLI began publication of on online interdisciplinary journal, the journal of Aging, Longevity, Law and Policy. Additionally, a new online LL.M. program in Aging and Longevity Law has received approval from the New York State Education Department and will begin offering classes in Fall 2017.
 
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Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center’s 185,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art law school 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 650 and an alumni base of more than 6,000, 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.

Touro Law’s newly implemented Portals to Practice is a cutting-edge, experiential learning program that reconceives and restructures the law school experience. Portals to Practice expands the scope and quality of legal education by focusing on the development of legal professionals, from pre-law through post-graduation. 

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 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 29 branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/news/

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Patti Desrochers
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(631) 761-7062

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