b'ADDITIONAL PRO BONO HIGHLIGHTS (continued)addressfamilylawissues,includingchildsupport,domesticofasylumseekersfromnumerouscountries.AttorneySusan violence, visitation, and custody. The program began in BrooklynCohenservesasPAIRslong-timeboardchair,andattorney FamilyCourtandhassinceexpandedtoManhattan,Queens,Martha Koster has been an Access to Justice Fellow at PAIR for Bronx,andRichmondcounties,withover200participatingmany years. (See our story on page 27.)attorneys from more than 35 major law firms and companies.Inadditiontoindividualrepresentation,MintzattorneysSue The program has helped thousands of families over the years.Finegan,EmilyKanstroomMusgrave,MathildaMcGee-Tubb, Each month, the attorneys involved with the program meet withCourtney Herndon, and Jane Haviland, and former Mintz attorney litigants for one-time sessions that typically last about 30 minutesJoel Nolette, along with project analyst Eduardo Gonzalez and each. Since 2015, attorney Bethany Hickey has coordinated theformer project analyst Kayla Fries, have helped a team of legal program for Mintz. services lawyers prepare a federal lawsuit challenging denials for special immigrant juveniles ages 19 to 21.NYC FIRSTNYC First is a New York-based not for profit organization with aPROJECT CITIZENSHIPfocusonmakingScience,Technology,Engineering,andMathMany people dream of becoming (STEM)educationmorereadilyaccessibletoNew YorkpublicAmericancitizens.However,the school students. Mintz has been providing pro bono corporate andidea of applying for citizenship canKnowing they real estate legal services to NYC First since April 2016, includingbe overwhelming. Some people arehave someone nonprofitadvising,leasenegotiation,preparingcontractsfordiscouraged by language barriers, vendors, volunteers, and participants, and reviewing contractsknowledgeable provided by third parties.thesteepapplicationfee,orthe complexityoftheapplicationhere to help them One way the organization fulfills its mission is through hostingprocess.Othersworrytheyllis important. There robotics competitions for middle and high school students. Theinvite unwanted scrutiny from theare many aspects of students learn to build and program robots in a collaborative teamgovernment, risking deportation. setting under the supervision of dedicated instructors. In additionAlthoughthereareanestimatedthe paperwork that to the robotics events, NYC Firsts current initiative is to establish300,000permanentresidentsincan be confusing if multipleSTEMcentersinNewYorkasafter-schoolprogramsMassachusettswhoareeligible that offer STEM-related courses, hands-on training and use offor citizenship, only 10% of theseyoure not familiar advanced technology, and lab access. legalpermanentresidentsapply.with it. Its fulfilling Attorney Dan DeWolf has served as NYC Firsts main legal counselProjectCitizenshipreducesto be able to have with assistance from attorneys Rachel Gholston and David Alin.barriers to citizenship by offering Allofthemhavecontributedextraordinarytime,effort,andeligibilityscreening,applicationa tangible result passion, greatly enhancing the success of NYC First. assistance,legalreferrals,andat the end of the other support. Since 2011, Project Citizenship has helped more thanworkshop that will POLITICAL ASYLUM/IMMIGRATION6,000 people from 152 countries ofhelp someones life. REPRESENTATION PROJECT (PAIR) originapplyforcitizenship. The The Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR),organizationisalsoabletohelpDEREK CONSTANTINE waive the $725 application fee forAttorneya nonprofit organization, is the core provider of pro bono legalmany people. Mintzservices to indigent political asylum seekers in Massachusetts. This year, dozens of Mintz attorneys and staff worked on PAIRSince 2015, Mintz has collaborated with Project Citizenship to host matters to provide legal services to secure the safety and freedomworkshops in the Boston office and elsewhere. To date, the firm 42 2019'