New York State Awards Touro Law $600,000 Grant to Support Sandy Related Litigation
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New York State Awards Touro Law $600,000 Grant to Support Sandy Related Litigation
October 10, 2013Dean Patricia Salkin is pleased to announce that Touro Law Center has received approximately $600,000 from the State of New York through the Governor’s Superstorm Sandy Social Services Block Grant to support disaster relief initiatives at the law school.
“This critical support allows Touro Law to keep our Disaster Relief Clinic open for at least two more years and enables us to better serve the shifting needs of our clients and Long Island residents as claims relief moves from the insurance negotiation phase to litigation. It’s a true win-win for our law students and the community at large,” said Dean Salkin.
The grant includes funding for litigation attorneys to work in the clinic and for another attorney to work on Sandy-related foreclosure issues. In addition, there is a two-year commitment to support a litigation fund needed to enable Touro Law to represent clients appropriately in all phases of litigation.
Touro Law opened the Touro Law Center – Hurricane Emergency Assistance and Referral Team (TLC-HEART) just days after the storm to provide help, referral and assistance to storm victims. To date, TLC-HEART and the newly launched Disaster Relief Clinic, which opened in January, have received more than 1,500 phone calls and/or emails since the storm from community members in need. Legal issues deal with insurance, landlord-tenant problems, mortgage/foreclosure complications among others.
“Thousands of storm victims still need so much help,” said Professor Benjamin Rajotte, Director of the Disaster Relief Clinic. “This money will enable us to continue to help households and bring about positive reforms, while enriching the legal education experience for many law students. We are thrilled and look forward to helping many people reclaim their homes and lives.”
“This critical support allows Touro Law to keep our Disaster Relief Clinic open for at least two more years and enables us to better serve the shifting needs of our clients and Long Island residents as claims relief moves from the insurance negotiation phase to litigation. It’s a true win-win for our law students and the community at large,” said Dean Salkin.
The grant includes funding for litigation attorneys to work in the clinic and for another attorney to work on Sandy-related foreclosure issues. In addition, there is a two-year commitment to support a litigation fund needed to enable Touro Law to represent clients appropriately in all phases of litigation.
Touro Law opened the Touro Law Center – Hurricane Emergency Assistance and Referral Team (TLC-HEART) just days after the storm to provide help, referral and assistance to storm victims. To date, TLC-HEART and the newly launched Disaster Relief Clinic, which opened in January, have received more than 1,500 phone calls and/or emails since the storm from community members in need. Legal issues deal with insurance, landlord-tenant problems, mortgage/foreclosure complications among others.
“Thousands of storm victims still need so much help,” said Professor Benjamin Rajotte, Director of the Disaster Relief Clinic. “This money will enable us to continue to help households and bring about positive reforms, while enriching the legal education experience for many law students. We are thrilled and look forward to helping many people reclaim their homes and lives.”
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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. New York Medical College, Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/media/.
Patti Desrochers
Director of Communications
pattid@tourolaw.edu
(631) 761-7062