Class of 2019 Standouts: Students give 17,000+ pro bono hours

Alina Hernandez ahernandez4@tulane.edu
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Tulane was the first law school to require pro bono hours, a program that has now recorded more than 255,000 hours of free legal assistance in our community since 1988.

Over three years of law school, the Class of 2019 gave 17,027 hours of service to the community, representing indigent clients who otherwise would not have access to justice in the courts.  Of that class, 47 percent contributed more than 150 hours for a total of 8,008 hours.

But there are always students who go well beyond the 50-hour requirement, performing four, five, six times or more that amount. For their dedication to public service, Tulane Law School awards the Jackson-Ryan Pro Bono Advocate Award to third-years who not only go the extra mile, but show professionalism and initiative in representing the poor. The award is named in honor of former Assistant Dean Julie Jackson and Program Coordinator Eileen Ryan who administered the Tulane Law School Pro Bono Program from its inception in 1988 until 2016.

This year’s recipients are:

  • Madeline Aruffo, 384 hours.  Aruffo worked with Lasky Murphy, LLC's pro bono clients and with the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center. “The experience of working with a woman seeking asylum was very meaningful to me.  Very few people understand how complex and difficult it is to undergo the process of seeking asylum in the USA, but is by no means an easy process.”
  • Courtney Crowell, 344 hours. Crowell worked at Tulane’s Legal Assistance Program (TULAP), and worked for Hon. Robin Giarrusso (NC'74, L'77) at the New Orleans Civil District Court and for the Hon. Joy Lobrano (NC'83), at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal for the State of Louisiana's 4th Circuit Court of Appeals  “Courtney was a pleasure to work with and was always offering to do more than what was required of her,” said Lobrano.” She handles herself professionally and capably, as well as understands the seriousness of court matters and the need for confidentiality. She will be an asset to any future employer.”
  • Eric Novak, 243 hours. Novak worked at TULAP, and for the Hon. Sarah Vance (L’78), Eastern District of Louisiana; Hon. Nanette J. Brown, also with the Eastern District, and the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education Hate Crimes Project, where he assisted with research on state and local laws and resources for victims of hate crimes to create a national, comprehensive digital App.
  • Aliya Rubenstein, 340 hours.  Rubenstein worked at Tulane’s Project for Older Prisoners, and The Advocacy Center where she conducted administrative hearings on issues regarding the Nursing Home Bill of Rights, and met with nursing home residents to discuss SSDI, Medicaid and Medicare legal issues and solutions. “Aliya worked wonderfully with clients.  She was hardworking and dedicated," noted Debra Weinburg, Managing Attorney of the Advocacy Center.
  • Lydia Winkler, 298 hours. Winkler worked at the ELLA Project, the Tulane Project for Older Prisoners and the Innocence Project New Orleans. “Lydia has gone above and beyond the current case.  She not only did a phenomenal job conducting multiple interviews with our client and his family, she also consolidated the information and prepared the client and their family for the hearing,” said Winkler’s supervisor, Suzy Mixakis (L'03). “Her dedication has been amazing.  She did an outstanding job representing our client and was even complimented by two members of the parole board." Winkler is the co-creator of RentCheck, an app that simplifies inspections for renters and landlords and the founder of her own non-profit that will work to prepare clients and family for parole hearings. She and her business partner recently won the top prize at New Orleans’s Entrepreneur Week, making a winning pitch that garnered their startup $50,000.
  • Andrew Taylor, 432 hours, who also received the 2019 LSBA Law Student Pro Bono Award. Taylor worked at the Project for Older Prisoners, the ABA’s Miranda Project,  Rising Foundations/The First 72+, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Gulf Restoration Network and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services – Homeless & Veterans Project,  and the Capital Post-Conviction Project of Louisiana. “Pro bono work benefits you as much as those you help,” said Taylor.  “It’s just part of my makeup and allows me to see the reality of law on a societal basis.”