The City Bar Fund

the City Bar justice center (cbjc) furthers access to justice by addressing unmet civil legal needs of New yorkers struggling with poverty and other systemic socioeconomic barriers. Cbjc mobilizes law firms, corporate legal departments, and other legal institutions to provide pro bono legal services; educates the public on pertinent legal issues; fosters strategic community relationships; and impacts public policy. Cbjc's dozen civil justice projects, including a comprehensive civil legal hotline that handles upwards of 1,000 inquiries each month, are led by a staff of dedicated attorneys and professionals who benefit nearly 25,000 New yorkers in need each year by providing high-quality, free civil legal services through brief advice and information, referrals, and both limited scope (continued in schedule o) (continued from page 2) and extended representation. In 2022-23, cbjc also assisted nearly 9,000 individuals through community outreach; reached over 90,000 individuals through online resources and information; leveraged over $23 million in pro bono legal services by 1,800 volunteer attorneys who provided 35,000 hours of pro bono service; helped clients directly obtain over $9 million in benefits and monetary awards; and helped clients save $2.1 million by resolving debt, and by obtaining or maintaining housing, employment, and government benefits.

Together with more than 163 signatory law firms and corporate legal departments, the office for diversity, equity,inclusion & belonging (odeib) works to drive equitable access to the legal profession. Odeib's work starts with the pipeline to the profession - assisting underrepresented high school, college and law students to prepare for a career in law. Odeib believes that the pipeline continues into an associate's early career and thus devises workshops and institutes to support practicing professionals across all levels of the industry. We create community and in-roads through our committee work, leadership training, speaking opportunities, and events.

the vance center advances global justice by engaging lawyers across borders to support civil society and an ethically active legal profession. the vance center is a unique collaboration of international lawyers catalyzing public interest innovation. We bring together leading law firms and other partners worldwide to pioneer international justice initiatives and provide pro bono legal representation to social justice ngos within the human rights and access to justice program, the environment program and the good governance program. the vance center's strengthening the legal profession program engages law firms, Bar associations, law schools, and pro bono clearinghouses with innovative diversity, rule-of-law, and public interest initiatives, including women in the profession, (continued in schedule o) (continued from page 2) african legal fellows, the lawyers council for civil and economic rights in the americas, the access to justice practicum, total law prep, and the pro bono promotion program, including co-managing the pro bono network of the americas and through it the keep families together initiative, providing pro bono legal support in central america and elsewhere to children and families separated by u.s. immigration policies. the vance center leverages approximately $8 million worth of revenue that the vance center estimates is the value of the pro bono work of law firms on its projects.

One component of other program services is the lawyers assistance program (lap). Lap's work seeks to improve the health and well-being of the legal profession. Lap regularly presents about mental health, substance use disorder, grief, trauma and other wellbeing topics to law students, law firms and nonprofits. Lap also works closely with the first and second departments of the appellate division, as it provides monitoring and assessment services to support their character & fitness and attorney grievance committees. Recently, lap has established a wellbeing professionals forum which brings together personnel in the private and public sectors whose primary responsibility is to provide wellbeing resources to the lawyers and staff of their respective workplaces. Contribution to related party is reported as a grant expense, $2,159,276, under other program services.