Students Take on Pro Bono Work Over Spring Break
Over spring break, Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI) organized a trip for six students who were hosted by the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, and worked in support of criminal defense advocacy. Participants were (L to R): Salome Freire ’25 (LL.M.); Zara Khan ’26; Alessandra Moreno ’27; Julianna Berger ’27; Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez; Maia Reeb ’27; Samantha Dumas ’26; and Miami-Dade Public Defender Training and Professionalism Director James DuBray.
With the support of the Public Service Law Center and several Brooklyn Law School pro bono project leaders, more than 40 students embarked on a meaningful spring break this year to devote their week off to pro bono legal opportunities in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Long Island.
Student leaders for each pro bono project identified host organizations and worked with the supervising attorneys to develop an impactful short-term project during the March 10-14 break, according to Public Service Law Center Executive Director Amy Hsieh ’11.
Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI) co-funded a program called BLAST, or Brooklyn Law Alternative Spring Break Trip, in two different locations in Florida. In Jacksonville, five students were hosted by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and helped clients to draft wills and advance directives. In Miami, six students were hosted by the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and worked in support of criminal defense advocacy.
One of the participants in Miami was first-year student Maia Reeb ’27, who enjoyed her Criminal Law class last semester and was interested in learning more about public defense and how courts operate in states other than New York. Throughout the week, the team witnessed several criminal trials, an experience that was both sobering and inspiring, Reeb said.
“Florida has a very punitive criminal legal system, so it was interesting to see the differences between there and New York,” Reeb said. “For example, one day we watched part of a jury selection for a death penalty case, which was very eye-opening. Overall, it was disheartening to witness the perpetuation of mass incarceration in action, as all the defendants we saw throughout the week were people of color, but it was very inspiring to see the public defenders at work. You could feel their passion as they advocated for their clients, which is important since the stakes are so high.”
Dario Arroyo ’27, who joined the pro bono program because he wanted to gain as much experience as possible in different areas of law, joined the Jacksonville group.
“The [Jacksonville Area] Legal Aid team in particular was incredibly helpful and supportive, and the clients themselves were gracious and very engaged with the clinic,” Arroyo said. “It was very professionally satisfying for clients to leave the clinic with completed wills and advanced directives. Altogether, we successfully completed those documents for about 60 clients across a few days.”
The Jacksonville program was new this year. “BLSPI is so glad to continue our partnership with the Miami Public Defender’s Office, and we look forward to continuing to work with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid in the future,” said Maureen Maher-Patenaude ’26, BLAST’s Pro Bono Project Leader.
Nine students took part in the PR Legal Brigade, a pro bono project developed by the school’s Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA), through which they were hosted by the Inter American University of Puerto Rico’s School of Law (UIPR) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They helped to conduct intakes in domestic violence and sexual abuse cases and observed court proceedings on relevant cases. One of the participants was Jimena Pinzón ’26, LALSA’s community action chair, who said that while the PR Legal Brigade trip has taken place in previous years, it was the first time that students worked with UIPR-Law School and its clinics and they were excited to join local professors, students, and lawyers in their efforts.
“The Brigade is a great way for students to connect to their Latinidad, while also providing legal services to underserved communities,” Pinzón said. The group was invited to the Centro Judicial de San Juan, a building that houses all the courts in San Juan, to observe hearings and trials in the gender violence unit and had the opportunity to speak to judges and attorneys who helped them learn about the cases and answered their questions.
“It was also incredibly meaningful to talk to clients about their situations. The team did a variety of client-intake interviews that gave us a look into the social, racial, and economic structures of the island and the role that we as Latine attorneys play in these clients’ lives and in shaping the systems around them,” Pinzón said. It wasn’t all work and no play, however.
“Of course, the food, the beach, and the beauty of the island were highlights as well,” Pinzón added.
Another large group of students stayed closer to Brooklyn, heading to Long Island for their public service work. In Hempstead, N.Y., 23 students supported attorneys at CARECEN to develop Know Your Rights training on immigration and support immigration cases.
One of the students in that group was Julienne Martinez-Alvarez ’27, who wanted to seize the opportunity to learn about immigration law early on as a 1L, and experience face-to-face interactions with clients. The highlights of the experience included learning from the passionate attorneys at CARECEN and collaborating with other students.
“The program with CARECEN gave me a better understanding of the challenges undocumented immigrants face and broadened my perspective on the current legal landscape,” Martinez-Alvarez said. “It also inspired me to keep seeking opportunities to help immigrants through legal support in the future. It was so rewarding to speak with real clients, and feel like I was contributing, even if just in a small way, to their immigration journey.”
For more information about Brooklyn Law School Pro Bono Projects, visit the Public Service Law Center’s website.