Touro Law Director of Pro Bono Named to the NYSBA Task Force on the Post-Pandemic Future of the Legal Profession

Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center’s Director of Pro Bono, Thomas Maligno, has been named to the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Post-Pandemic Future of the Profession. The task force includes 20 members comprised of attorneys in the private and non-profit sectors and members of the bench.

“I am honored to have been selected for this committee and believe the work we will do will be important to the profession,” stated Mr. Maligno. “My focus on the task force will be specifically on legal education and access to justice issues.” He continued, “There is much to review and reflect upon as the pandemic affected the legal field in so many ways. I am confident the work of this committee will be instrumental in continuing to ensure that members of the bar and bench can achieve success while being effective and efficient and that those seeking justice have the means to obtain it.”

The NYSBA Task Force will review the effects of the pandemic, both short-term and long-term, on the legal profession and the practice of law in general. Task force members will look at the remote practice of law, the increased use of technology, the efficiency of virtual courts and tribunals, changes in client interaction, law practice management, access to justice, the delivery of legal services and the education, training, expectations, and mentorship of law students and newer attorneys.

Thomas Maligno is Director of Pro Bono and Public Interest at Touro Law and Executive Director of its William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center (PAC), which was created by Touro Law in 2007 to bring together non-profit legal advocacy agencies to provide services to the community while providing opportunities for students to participate in pro bono work and gain hands-on legal training. He oversees the Public Advocacy Center and works with its agencies and Touro Law students.

In addition to working with the PAC, Mr. Maligno 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. He is the advisor for the Public Interest Law Organization of Touro (PILOT) and works with the organization in securing summer fellowships. Beyond helping students to fulfill their pro bono requirements, Mr. Maligno has been instrumental in helping students develop an understanding of the value of pro bono work. Student fellows defend the victims of domestic violence, guard the legal interests of children, and work with advocacy groups on a broad spectrum of poverty and civil rights issues. At Touro Law, Mr. Maligno uses the same creative energy for which he is known and applies it to the provision of pro bono work by students and PAC agencies. He serves as a role model for students and those in the community and is a strong advocate for public interest and pro bono work.  

 

During his more than 40-year career in public interest law, Mr. Maligno has received numerous state, local and national awards for his efforts in pro bono and public interest work. Most recently, Mr. Maligno has been a leader in Touro Law Center’s disaster response for both Hurricane Sandy and the COVID pandemic. He helped create our disaster response hotline for Hurricane Sandy which was the predecessor to Touro Law’s nationally recognized Disaster Law Clinic.  

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Patti Desrochers

Touro Law Center Director of Communications

pattid@tourolaw.edu

(631) 761-7062