Sept. 28: LLM Pro Bono Information Session with Sidney Austin LLP

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Sidley Austin will be hosting virtual informational session regarding a pro bono opportunity on Wednesday, September 28.

To RSVP, click here.

Zoom link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/94409865647

If you are unable to attend, please contact us for a recording.

Major international law firm Sidley Austin seeks several NYU LLM students for a pro bono legal volunteer placement with their award-winning Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program.

Launched by Sidley in 2012, the Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program provides free legal support to eligible small and medium-sized for-profit enterprises, market-focused NGOs and non-profits that have a clear social impact in developing countries across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, with a particular interest in supporting enterprises that are led-by or provide opportunities for women, the disabled, marginalized groups, and rural communities.

The Program focuses on assisting the market-based growth of local businesses in order to boost local economies, increase job opportunities, increase incomes and other social benefits, and ultimately improve the lives and livelihoods of the world’s poorest people. Sidley provides a wide variety of legal assistance to these enterprises to expand operations, lower costs, increase profits, successfully access new markets and become attractive partners for investors.  Sidley advises pro bono clients on a wide range of legal issues, including:

  • Addressing and removing trade barriers for products in regional and international markets;
  • Compliance regulatory requirements for health, safety, packaging and product standards, financial services, exports and contracts;
  • Increasing the value of local products in regional and international markets by registering the brand and origin, by using trademarks or by protecting local technology using intellectual property rules;
  • Reviewing and negotiating investment and shareholder agreements for growth and success;
  • Creating formal structures such as cooperatives and franchises to ease enforceable contracting throughout the supply chain, and increase bargaining leverage and prices.

Further information and examples of current pro bono projects can be found on the program website: https://www.sidley.com/en/us/probonolanding/sidley-emerging-enterprises-pro-bono-program/

Students will be assigned to a pro bono client team (consisting of a Supervising Partner and a group of Associates located in one of Sidley’s offices) or will be asked to conduct research for larger projects, and given supervised work in a variety of practice areas with substantive responsibilities, which may include legal research, preparing documents, and interacting with clients.

Candidates must be qualified lawyers in one of the countries covered by the program in sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa), less-developed countries in Asia (excluding China), Central and South America (including Mexico), or the Caribbean.  Fluent written and oral English language skills are essential.  Proficiency in French, Spanish, Portuguese or other local languages is desirable.

The pro bono internship placement will commence in Fall 2022.  It is estimated that students may complete around 50 hours of pro bono work within 6 months, but flexibility is required due to the nature of the projects.  It is suggested that students work on an extra pro bono project elsewhere if they want to guarantee completion of 50 hours for the New York State Bar.

To apply, please send a brief letter of interest and resume to Phuong Tran at pt58@mercury.law.nyu.edu by Friday, September XXX

Note: This is posted as an opportunity to perform volunteer legal work.  Whether the work qualifies toward the New York State Bar 50-hour pro bono requirement is a determination made on a case-by-case basis by the Character and Fitness Committee that processes bar admission applications. For more information about the 50-hour pro bono requirement, links to the rule and FAQ document, and who to contact if you have any questions, visit the Public Interest Law Center website here: http://www.law.nyu.edu/publicinterestlawcenter/forstudents/nys-bar-pro-bono-requirement.

Posted in: PILC Archive.