Ted De Barbieri inaugural member of Association of American Law Schools’ Pro Bono Honor Roll

Associate Professor of Law and Director Community Economic Development Clinic within the Justice Center at Albany Law School Ted De Barbieri is an inaugural member of Association of American Law Schools’ (AALS) Pro Bono Honor Roll.

“The AALS Pro Bono Honor Roll acknowledges and highlights the exceptional work of individuals engaging in, expanding, and/or supporting their law school community in providing pro bono legal services,” the organization wrote as it released the list.

Overall, 58 law schools from around the country submitted nearly 140 individuals for inclusion on the 2022 list, which is here.

Beyond clinic work, De Barbieri and The Justice Center oversee much of the pro bono programming at the law school which has a deep and abiding commitment to pro bono service.

While New York State requires anyone who successfully passes the bar examination to demonstrate that they have performed 50 hours of qualifying pro bono service before applying for admission to practice, many Albany Law School students go far beyond this requirement. The Class of 2022, with 165 members, completed a record 56,572 reported hours of pro bono and public service during its time at Albany Law School including legal assistance to small businesses, farmers, veterans, immigrants, tenants facing landlord issues, community members filing taxes, non-profit organizations, schools, and many more.

The honor roll recognition is just the latest highlight in the school’s prolific work in the pro bono space. In the past year alone:

Albany Law School students and local attorneys joined forces to aid scores of Capital Region veterans for the 2022 Veterans Pro Bono Project with in-person one-on-one legal consultations.

The Immigration Law Pro Bono Society at Albany Law School was selected for a New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) President's Pro Bono Service Award for its work assisting the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) for providing critical legal services to Afghan refugees resettling in Albany County.

A group of student volunteers, Professor Danshera Cords, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, and United Way of the Greater Capital Region helped people in the Capital Region through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program where certified volunteers helped of taxpayers prepare and file their taxes for free.