Community Outreach
Cahill and its lawyers support, through financial sponsorship, pro bono work and advisory roles, a number of non-profit organizations whose missions focus on enhancing diversity and equality in the legal profession and the larger community.
Cahill has a long and honored tradition of pro bono work. Each year since 2005, The Legal Aid Society of New York has presented Cahill or our lawyers with the Pro Bono Publico Award "in recognition of Cahill's outstanding commitment to the cause of equal justice through pro bono service." The firm supports the efforts of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York through Volunteers of Legal Service ("VOLS") to provide an average of 30 hours per attorney to qualifying pro bono work annually.
Each summer, Cahill sponsors high school students as part of the internship program designed by Legal Outreach that places motivated tenth grade students from underserved communities into law firms and companies. The program exposes the students to professional practices and professionals who can support their aspirations and enhance their desire to pursue higher education and professional careers. During the program, the group of interns explore Cahill's practices, work on a mock case, tour the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York's courthouse and tour the New York Stock Exchange.
Cahill also sponsors students at Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School in their Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP). Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School is a Catholic high school (part of the national Cristo Rey network) that educates young people of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, purpose, and service. The work study program allows students to earn up to 40% of the cost of their education and gain real world work experiences at law firms, banks, hospitals, universities, and other businesses. Cahill has been participating in this program since it began in 2006, and each year five student interns come into our office one-day a week each to work entry-level roles in our IT department. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cahill continued to sponsor this program through non-profits who provided students with remote work. We hope to resume the program in-person in 2021.
In 2008, a team of Cahill associates pioneered the teaching curriculum "Know Your Rights." Designed specifically for urban students whose schools are heavily patrolled by NYPD safety agents and who are interested in learning about the legal process and how it affects them, the seminar series covers rights under the Constitution such as arrest procedure, search and seizure, juvenile rights, voting rights and free speech rights. "Know Your Rights" has gained national attention by non-profit press, and a teaching manual has been developed to facilitate the continued expansion of the program. Now in its seventh year, "Know Your Rights" workshops are held for students of various Urban Assembly Schools around the five boroughs. The program has recently expanded to include a Media Law course and teaching manual covering IP topics such as trademarks, copyrights, digital infringement, and fair use. Media Law seminars are being held at the Urban Assembly Media High School in Manhattan and potentially other schools in the future.
In addition, Cahill lawyers individually have taught inner city youth law programs, mentored troubled youth, provided advice to not-for-profit organizations and served as volunteers for community service projects in and around New York City.
Organizations supported by Cahill and its lawyers through community outreach efforts in recent years include:
- The ABA Litigation Section’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP)
- The ACLU LGBT & AIDS Project
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Association of Black Women Attorneys
- BYkids
- Children of Fallen Patriots
- CitySquash
- Council of Urban Professionals
- Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School
- DREAM (formerly Harlem RBI)
- Empire State Pride Agenda
- Equal Justice Initiative
- The Fiver Children's Foundation
- Girl Scouts of Greater New York
- GlamourGals Foundation, Inc.
- Harlem School of the Arts
- JDRF - New England Chapter
- Kids in Crisis
- Korean American Community Foundation
- Lambda Legal
- Legal Services Center of The Door
- The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
- Minority Corporate Counsel Association
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
- National Association of Women Lawyers
- New York Asian Women’s Center
- New York Women's Foundation
- NJ LEEP
- Out Leadership
- Practicing Attorneys for Law Students
- SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders)
- Sanctuary for Families, Inc.
- Smile Farms
- Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
- StreetSquash
- Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Women’s Initiative for Self Employment
- Worldwide Orphans
