The New Jersey State Bar Foundation is providing grant funding to nine New Jersey-based nonprofit organizations to fund summer law associates. This program provides an opportunity for law students to serve the public in the nonprofit community and develop advocacy and other legal skills. The associates will work for a host nonprofit organization this summer.
Summer associates will assist in important nonprofit work, including creating community education materials for children and families; working with pro bono attorneys to prepare cases; providing direct representation to victims of domestic violence and those who need school-based advocacy; and working with youth who face discrimination in housing, credit applications and age discrimination issues.
“This grant allows us to provide more legal services, which can make all the difference in a young person’s life,” said Julia Einbond, CEO of Covenant House New Jersey. “For some youth facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking in our communities, legal challenges are the obstacles preventing them from exiting homelessness and moving forward with their goals.”
Priscilla Monico Marín, executive director of New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) said, “The grant support from NJSBF will meaningfully increase NJCIC’s internal capacity and deepen our ongoing commitment to helping build a more robust pipeline of immigration lawyers serving immigrant children and youth in New Jersey. We look forward to mentoring our 2025 summer associate and the incredible impact their time with us will have on young immigrants and their support networks.”
Grant funding from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation gives nonprofit organizations opportunities to engage law students who are passionate about public service.
Dennis Abate, a 2024 Summer Associate at Covenant House, worked with at-risk populations. He shared this about his experience, “As a summer associate, I was given a unique opportunity to review and draft court documents and attend court sessions in a broad range of legal practice areas including family, immigration, traffic/municipal, and trusts and estates. I am grateful to have had such a diverse set of experiences. I will forever carry the lessons, ideals, and skills I learned while there. I recommend this internship to any law student, especially those with a passion for community service and outreach.”
The nonprofit organizations that have received funding for summer associates this year include:
- American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey
- Community Health Law Project
- Covenant House New Jersey
- Disability Rights New Jersey
- Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey
- Make the Road New Jersey
- New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children
- SPAN Parent Advocacy Network
- Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
The NJSBF Summer Associate grant program is made possible through funding from the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey. More about the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s grants and cosponsorships can be found at njsbf.org.
Originally published March 17, 2025
Bar Report of the New Jersey State Bar Association