Touro Law Opens First Law School Incubator on Long Island
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Touro Law Opens First Law School Incubator on Long Island
Community Justice Center to Provide Mentorship to New Attorneys, Access to Justice for Underserved
November 13, 2013Touro Law Center hosted a ribbon cutting at the Community Justice Center, the first law school incubator project to operate on Long Island, on November 12 at the newly opened law offices located in Hauppauge, NY.
The Community Justice Center provides onsite space for 10 Touro Law graduates to launch their solo practices for a period of 18 months. Much like medical internship and residency programs, Touro Law’s program will help strengthen the professional skills of its members through mentoring and practical ongoing training while also assisting them to learn how to develop solid solo or small firms that are both financially and professionally satisfying.
“This initiative in support of Touro Law graduates and the community at large places Touro Law at the forefront of the new legal incubator movement which was developed by our director Fred Rooney,” said Dean Salkin. “We are grateful to have Fred at the helm of the Center and look forward to great outcomes from this venture for all involved.” Rooney, recently designated “Father of Incubators” by the American Bar Association Journal, continues to travel extensively at home and abroad promoting the creation of law school incubators that help to address the unmet legal needs of individuals of moderate to low-incomes. Touro Law’s model assists graduates develop and sustain economically viable law practices that serve the needs of Suffolk County residents from all walks of life. However, particular emphasis is placed on the unmet legal needs of individuals and families of modest means.
Judge Fern Fisher, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, New York City Courts, attended the ribbon cutting and stated, “I am proud of my relationship with Touro Law and am delighted that Touro Law has engaged Fred Rooney to head up its community justice center. Fred is the father of the international incubator movement and I’m confident that he will provide the leadership necessary to ensure the success of the Center. I am also pleased that Touro has taken the necessary steps to not only provide access to justice for families of our community but will ensure that the practicing lawyers continue to receive the training necessary to become successful lawyers while giving back to the community.”
Incubator participants will pay a low monthly rent as they learn how to balance the need to “do well in order to do good.” The business skills they learn help prepare them to run their own practices and the lawyering skills they gain augment their legal education at Touro Law.
Touro Law graduates involved in the project include: Dennis Amore ’11, Tracy Auguste ’10, Rosemarie Barnett ’01, Glenn F. Campbell ’09, Dominick Cattrano ’11, Bruce McBrien ’13, Tiffany Moseley ’12, Bikram Singh ’09 and Maurice K. Williams ’12.
“This project and the Touro Law graduates who participate in it will improve the quality and quantity of legal services offered to low and moderate income individuals and communities by addressing their unmet legal needs, while providing much needed support to lawyers who want to succeed in their own practice,” said Fred Rooney. “I am thrilled to be launching this incubator and look forward to watching it grow and flourish in years to come.”
The Community Justice Center provides onsite space for 10 Touro Law graduates to launch their solo practices for a period of 18 months. Much like medical internship and residency programs, Touro Law’s program will help strengthen the professional skills of its members through mentoring and practical ongoing training while also assisting them to learn how to develop solid solo or small firms that are both financially and professionally satisfying.
“This initiative in support of Touro Law graduates and the community at large places Touro Law at the forefront of the new legal incubator movement which was developed by our director Fred Rooney,” said Dean Salkin. “We are grateful to have Fred at the helm of the Center and look forward to great outcomes from this venture for all involved.” Rooney, recently designated “Father of Incubators” by the American Bar Association Journal, continues to travel extensively at home and abroad promoting the creation of law school incubators that help to address the unmet legal needs of individuals of moderate to low-incomes. Touro Law’s model assists graduates develop and sustain economically viable law practices that serve the needs of Suffolk County residents from all walks of life. However, particular emphasis is placed on the unmet legal needs of individuals and families of modest means.
Judge Fern Fisher, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, New York City Courts, attended the ribbon cutting and stated, “I am proud of my relationship with Touro Law and am delighted that Touro Law has engaged Fred Rooney to head up its community justice center. Fred is the father of the international incubator movement and I’m confident that he will provide the leadership necessary to ensure the success of the Center. I am also pleased that Touro has taken the necessary steps to not only provide access to justice for families of our community but will ensure that the practicing lawyers continue to receive the training necessary to become successful lawyers while giving back to the community.”
Incubator participants will pay a low monthly rent as they learn how to balance the need to “do well in order to do good.” The business skills they learn help prepare them to run their own practices and the lawyering skills they gain augment their legal education at Touro Law.
Touro Law graduates involved in the project include: Dennis Amore ’11, Tracy Auguste ’10, Rosemarie Barnett ’01, Glenn F. Campbell ’09, Dominick Cattrano ’11, Bruce McBrien ’13, Tiffany Moseley ’12, Bikram Singh ’09 and Maurice K. Williams ’12.
“This project and the Touro Law graduates who participate in it will improve the quality and quantity of legal services offered to low and moderate income individuals and communities by addressing their unmet legal needs, while providing much needed support to lawyers who want to succeed in their own practice,” said Fred Rooney. “I am thrilled to be launching this incubator and look forward to watching it grow and flourish in years to come.”
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PHOTO CAPTION: Front row: Touro Law Professor Meredith Miller, Judge Fern A. Fisher, Dean Patricia Salkin, incubator participant attorneys Rosemarie Barnett and Tracy Auguste. Back Row: Director Fred Rooney, incubator participant attorneys Maurice Williams, Dennis Amore, and Dennis McBrien.
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