What Happens After a CLCNY Volunteer Experience?
Tanisha McKnight, Esq.
F
or most of us who have forged a path to CLCNY, at
one point in our journey we have been an intern
or a volunteer and part of a company’s internship
program. In crafting CLCNY’s internship program, I wondered what was going to be the after intern experience and
relationship moment that I could cultivate. I don’t think
anyone within this organization, including myself, could’ve
imagined the speed and volume with which our volunteer
program grew over the past 5 years. When we launched
our official internship program in February 2009, recruitment of interns was slow to say the least. However, by
the time we were ready to launch our first official summer
program we anticipated hosting upwards of 30 students
ranging from high school freshmen to undergraduate students to rising 3rd year law students. Under the leadership
and guidance of our Executive Director, Karen Simmons
Esq., small goals and expectations were set for the volunteer program which was to provide our interns with a true
sense of what it is like to represent children in high conflict
family law matters, the daily operations of a not-for-profit
law firm and, hopefully, a lifelong mentor to help them
navigate his or her career. What I didn’t fully embrace was
that my charge was to develop a well-developed volunteer
program that is the fulcrum for future generations of lawyers, social workers, administrative staff and hopefully the
second generation work force for future child advocates.
As we bring the 5th year of our volunteer program to a
close, the after intern experience is starkly before my eyes.
I am seeing a number of our former interns and volunteers
return to CLCNY in various forms. Some who have transitioned from high school interns to college interns and former law students are now CLCNY staff. I have an alumni
database that sends out updates about CLCNY and I send
along information that may provide career information for
our alums. Keeping the connection is a key component
and one I cherish since I get to hear about the success of
the volunteers who have been with us. Also our alums
know our work and our program and are recommending
CLCNY’s volunteer program to others!!!
organizations first Equal Justice Works Fellow, Michael
Mastrangelo Esq., who would partner with us and implement our very first education project, entitled: Securing
Seamless Education Services Project, SSES (pronounced
Success) from September 2011 thru present and now he is
the SSES Coordinating Attorney.
I would also like to share that we’ve had a fair amount of
former interns and volunteers join the ranks of our CLCNY
team including:
Heather Kalachman, Esq., Bx. Attorney former writing intern
Cassandra Celestin, Esq., Bx. Attorney former volunteer
Ashley Lane, Esq., Bklyn. Attorney former volunteer
Jeffrey Colt, Esq., Bx. Attorney former post graduate fellow
Cecily Castle, Bx. Paralegal former paralegal intern
Taisha Chambers, Esq., Bx. Attorney former pro bono volunteer
Saira Wang, Esq., Bklyn. Attorney former BLS clinic student
Marquita Simon, Esq., Bx. Attorney former pro bono volunteer
Eva Stein, Esq., Bklyn. Attorney former pro bono volunteer
As I reflect on the success of our volunteer program, I am
now beginning to acknowledge, understand and embrace
the impact CLCNY and its phenomenal mentors has had
and continue to have on the volunteers that walk through
our doors. We are shaping the way our volunteers embrace
the role of the attorney for the child, not only by teaching the law surrounding this role, but more importantly
how it is implemented from a legal, social work, paralegal
and administrative perspective through zealous, caring
and thoughtful advocacy. I look forward to continuing to
have a “critical impact” on the lives of the volunteers that
CLCNY takes under its wings!
But what is also exciting to share is reflecting on that first
class of 30 interns in 2009. For example, unbeknownst
to us, within the mix of our first summer class of interns
we were impacting the professional development of the
Fall/Winter 2013 CLCNY? 19?