Education

Subscribe to Education via RSS

Earlier this month, Proskauer was a proud participant in Student Leadership Network’s Cool Careers, Potential Paths day at their Young Women’s Leadership School of Manhattan. At the event, Firm volunteers, including lawyers and business staff, shared their education and career paths with a class of high school seniors. Our panelists discussed how choices they made shaped their successes and failures along the way, and talked about the importance of mentorship, soft skills, teamwork, participating in college activities, and the need for hard work and balance in one’s life. Brad Ruskin, co-chair of the Firm’s Sports Law Group has been a member of Student Leadership Network’s Board since 2014 and Board Chair since 2023.

Last week, Proskauer co-hosted a Nonprofit Board and Volunteer Showcase in its New York Office, an event featuring nonprofit organizations who were looking to engage new volunteers, board members and mentors. The night’s organizations serve students in low-income communities and have a shared goal to help transform young people’s lives through the afterschool experience. There are over 1,000 nonprofit organizations that provide sports, mentoring, tutoring, arts, college preparation, internship opportunities and more to our public school students in New York City, the largest public school system in the country, through afterschool programs.

Pro bono work regularly makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives, whether by securing a favorable outcome for an individual or resolving a class action case affecting thousands. While it’s important to recognize and support pro bono efforts in and of themselves, we also need to be able to take a…

Financial literacy and independence are important for everyone, but even more important for women given the gender wealth gap. According to Forbes, “in the U.S., women-headed families only have 55% of the median wealth as compared to families headed by men.” As part of our observance of Women’s History Month, Proskauer hosted a workshop on the importance of financial literacy with Savvy Ladies, a non-profit committed to empowering women through financial education. Stacy Francis, founder of Savvy Ladies, and Lisa Zeiderman, Board Chair, shared best practices for taking charge of one’s finances, regardless of economic status or stage in life. They explained the difference between financial advisors, consultants and planners, and the mistakes to avoid when seeking a financial advisor. Above all, the pair highlighted the importance of staying engaged, prepared and in control when dealing with finances and not to leave financial matters up to a spouse, partner or family member.

In September, I had the privilege of speaking on a panel at The New York City Bar Association titled “Securing Democracy For Tomorrow.” Moderated by United States Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker, the event focused on the importance of civic education. To start things off, Dawn Smalls, a partner at Jenner & Block, introduced the keynote speaker, Schools Chancellor David Banks. David is a strong supporter of civic education and its capacity to empower students as change agents that have a genuine, lasting effect in their communities. He shared powerful firsthand examples from his career, in which he witnessed the impact of student activism as a positive force for social change in some of our most underserved neighborhoods.

As we recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I recently sat down with our friend Wayne Ho, CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council (“CPC”), to learn more about the community issues the nation’s largest Asian American social service organization is working to address.  Since 2021, Proskauer has partnered with the CPC to host several educational workshop series with CPC teens, centering on social justice and academic enrichment. Proskauer employees volunteer as mentors on a regular basis, through programs like those sponsored by the CPC, imparting their expertise beyond the law to inform and inspire students to succeed in college, their careers and other aspects of their lives.