As of 2024, New York State's Attorney Emeritus Program (AEP) marks a significant milestone: 15 years of providing crucial civil legal services to those in need. Each year, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers navigate the courts without the assistance of counsel. Through the AEP, attorneys offer pro bono representation in a wide range of practice areas, including housing, education access, healthcare, public benefits, and immigration.
To celebrate this important anniversary, we sat down with the program's longest-serving volunteer, Evelyn Kalensher, who has been a dedicated volunteer with Legal Services of Long Island (formerly Nassau Suffolk Law Services) since the program's inception.
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Question: Evelyn, can you tell us about the volunteer work you do, and how you first became involved with the Attorney Emeritus Program?
Answer: I started at the end of 2009, with a program called the Volunteer Attorneys Program. I go into District Court twice a week in the mornings, Tuesday and Thursday, and I represent clients who are indigent who are being evicted. At that point, but for our program, they would not have representation. Landlord-tenant law sounds easy, but it's not- it's pretty complicated, and if you don't know what the law is, it's easy to not know what your rights are.
Q: Was housing law something you had experience with before volunteering, or was this area of practice new to you?
A: Absolutely not. I had been retired for quite a while. I had done matrimonial law and some real estate, but nothing like this. I went to a program at the Nassau County Bar Association and while I was there, the attorney who was in charge of the program solicited volunteers, and I said, "let me try it." I went and I volunteered, and I said "I don't know this area of law," but I'm not beyond learning, so they taught me, and I learned.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about the work you do, and why have you continued volunteering for all these years?
A: If you believe in the rule of law, you know that a layperson, and especially someone who is not educated, which many of my clients are not, they have no idea what resources are available to them or how to protect themselves if they're being evicted improperly and they have defenses against the eviction. It makes me feel good to be able to offer that service.
Q: Do you have any advice for current volunteers or people who are thinking about getting involved with the program?
A: First, I was amazed to discover that one could still practice law for a living and be an Emeritus volunteer as long as they were over 55 years of age. I think that more people should know that.
Additionally, volunteering is very rewarding for someone who is retired and has a love for the law. It's something that gives you a lot of satisfaction, and a purpose in life besides just playing mahjong or golf or whatever it is you do when you retire. It's something that is needed in this day and age; we need all the experienced help we can get. It's lovely to have young attorneys doing this work, but they need help and they need mentoring and that's what we can offer-our advice and our experience.
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Evelyn Kalensher's dedication and service exemplify the spirit of the Attorney Emeritus Program. For 15 years, she has generously shared her expertise and made a lasting impact on those in need. Her story serves as a reminder of the power of volunteerism and the significant difference that pro bono legal services can make in the lives of New Yorkers.
