LaunchPad for Justice Fellows makes legal support accessible to hundreds of New Yorkers while providing recent CUNY Law graduates with immersive and experiential legal practice.
This year, LaunchPad partners with programs under the Center for Court Innovation: Legal Hand, to provide legal advice in the areas of consumer debt, family law, housing, and benefits; Red Hook Community Justice Center, to assist tenants; and the Harlem Community Justice Court with Housing Part Actions, non-payment, and holdover cases. New in 2022, Launchpad will also offer participation in the Court’s Consumer Debt program. All programs are working to be responsive to legal challenges from the pandemic and its wake.
For more information about the LaunchPad for Justice program, take a look at our video, and visit the program page.
Eric Graf ’22
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Eric Graf is a strong believer in the need for bold systemic change to bring about true political and economic democracy.
During law school, Eric participated in the Equality and Justice Practice Clinic through which he was proud to assist clients in their cases challenging police misconduct.
Eric would like to continue to expand his knowledge and practice of Constitutional and Civil Rights Law and is also interested in criminal defense.
Madison Griffin ’22
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Madison Griffin’s primary focus throughout her academic career has been to understand how impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education can effectively work together to address the concerns of the communities they serve.
Madison is a proud first-generation college student and plans to always center that part of her identity in everything she is given the opportunity to do, hoping to eventually do civil rights litigation.
She is excited to be a 2022 LaunchPad Fellow and to be working with community members from the Red Hook Community Justice Center and Legal Hand.
Jonathan Silva ’22
Jonathan Silva brings a wealth of client interaction experience to the LaunchPad program.
Before law school, he spent three years as a paralegal. In his last year of law school, he collaborated extensively with the Disability & Aging Justice Clinic.
As a recent law graduate and Native New Yorker fluent in Spanish, he seeks to start and expand on his legal career by engaging in work that increases accessibility to justice in all communities.
In his spare time, he enjoys bike riding, reading, and weightlifting.
Kyle Smith ’22
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Kyle Smith’s experience is centered on direct services and civil rights.
Through the fellowship, he hopes to continue to develop his public interest lawyering skills in various areas of law and network with other public interest lawyers, while assisting underserved populations in his community.