CUNY Law launched EJP over 20 years ago in response to the crisis triggered by regressive federal welfare policies that forced thousands of low-income students in the City University of New York (CUNY) to drop out of school to fulfill “workfare” assignments. From its inception, EJP has worked in close collaboration with the Welfare Rights Initiative, a grassroots organization based at Hunter College. Over the years, WRI and EJP have engaged in advocacy, education, and organizing activities, including individual representation that has enabled over 1,500 CUNY students to remain in school, legislative and policy advocacy at the city and state level, and community education and know-your-rights presentations.
EJP students provide direct representation to hundreds of CUNY undergraduates and support the organizing and advocacy efforts of grassroots organizations. EJP students engage in public debate and systemic advocacy related to economic justice, anti-poverty solutions, and the myriad ways that race and class impact access to them.
The combination of targeted individual representation and support for community organizing and advocacy is part of CUNY’s larger mission as the greatest equalizer, promoter of mobility, and urban education system in the country. The Law School shares this dedication to promoting the economic and social mobility that is the cornerstone of a democratic society.
Read more about EJP’s history.
Faculty
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Director, Economic Justic Project and Associate Professor of LawProfessor Lu teaches first-year Lawyering and is the Director of the Economic Justice Project. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from NYU School of Law, where she was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow and Articles Selection Editor for the NYU Review of Law and Social Change. Prior to joining CUNY School of Law, Professor Lu was Associate Director and Acting Assistant Professor of Lawyering at the NYU School of Law. She was formerly Staff Attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, where she handled class-action litigation and policy advocacy to expand access to public benefits; Katz Fellow and Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, where she focused on criminal justice and child welfare reform; and Managing Law Clerk in the Chambers of the Honorable Kermit V. Lipez, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Professor Lu earned her B.A. summa cum laude from Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges with a degree in Women’s Studies and holds an M.A. in English Literature/Critical Theory from Sussex University. Read Lynn D. Lu's full bio.