Law School Consortium Project in the United States

As a joint venture of four law schools, the Law School Consortium Project was designed to promote the formation of professional networks of solo and small firm practitioners and to provide support services to network attorneys who work with low- and middle-income clients and underserved communities (Luz E. Herrera, Training Lawyer-Entrepreneurs, 89 Denv. U. L. Rev. 887, 921 (2013)). The support took many forms, from training to discounted malpractice insurance to mentoring. It also included free or discounted access to subscription databases and, at CUNY Law School, the assistance of a dedicated research librarian (Deborah Howard, The Law School Consortium Project: Law Schools Supporting Graduates to Increase Access to Justice for Low and Moderate-Income Individuals and Communities, 29 Fordham Urb. L.J. 1246-56 (2002)).

As one network attorney who used the law library service observed, “Through help with research [from the CUNY network’s staff librarian] and the ability to discuss cases, through email and directly with other members, I can do things more quickly and thoroughly, thereby saving my clients money and representing them more aggressively” (Deborah Howard, The Law School Consortium Project: Law Schools Supporting Graduates to Increase Access to Justice for Low and Moderate-Income Individuals and Communities, 29 Fordham Urb. L.J. 1259 (2002))