Selected from 460 applicants, Aura is one of 35 law students who will serve in the 2021 class of the Rural Summer Legal Corps.
Each summer, Equal Justice Works partners with Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to support law students who want to give back to rural communities across the United States and its territories. Program participants, called Student Fellows, spend eight to ten weeks during the summer exploring a career in civil legal aid, by providing direct legal services and building capacity at the organizations where they serve. This Fellowship supports 35 dedicated law students who want to spend their summer addressing pressing legal issues facing rural communities.
“Equal Justice Works is very proud of the work that Aura will be doing to advocate for manufactured home communities this summer as a Rural Summer Legal Corps Student Fellow,” said Aoife Delargy Lowe, vice president of law school engagement and advocacy at Equal Justice Works. “We look forward to seeing the impact of her work at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley.”
Participants (called Student Fellows) have the unique opportunity to explore their passion for public interest, while gaining valuable legal skills and experience at LSC-funded civil legal aid organizations. Following the completion of 300 hours of service in the program, participants earn a $5,000 stipend. You can find additional information about the program here.
Aura Soto ’23
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You can connect with Aura at: www.linkedin.com/in/aurasoto
Hosted at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, Aura will increase the organization’s impact related to manufactured home communities, build on our recent successes in manufactured home litigation, and expand practice in this area.
Aura will develop Know Your Rights bilingual materials, distribute materials by connecting with community organizations, conduct outreach and community education, and assist in broadening and advancing legal work in manufactured home communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic, eviction moratoriums, and NYS shelter-in-place orders have created what will undoubtedly be an increased need for housing legal assistance this year. When the eviction moratoriums lift, and courts scramble to process a backlog of 2020 cases, there will also be an anticipated blizzard of new eviction filings. The need for all available legal resources — legal education, advice, and direct legal representation — is critical in assisting as many households as possible in our catchment area.
As a first-generation college graduate and law school student immigrant woman from a low socio-economic background, Aura has experienced first-hand the importance of bilingual resources in these communities. The Hudson Valley is especially close to her because when she first relocated to the United States from the Dominican Republic, she moved to the City of Yonkers, located in the Hudson Valley. In the future, she hopes to become a resource for individuals in this community who once received her with open arms.