Kevin Perry

The Project

Through the Northeast Brooklyn Legal Project (NBLP), Kevin (he/him/his) will provide transactional legal services and resources to underserved small business owners, which will stimulate small business enterprises in low-income communities.

The poverty-related challenges with the small business enterprise are not only systemic but have also left communities within Northeast Brooklyn (specifically Brownsville, East New York, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Myrtle, and Bedford-Stuyvesant—zip codes in Brooklyn with the highest poverty rates) economically stagnant. Within these zip codes, there are about 500,000 residents affected by the neighborhood’s poverty with less than 50 registered MWBE certified businesses. Thus, not only would this project provide needed business resources, but Kevin also serves to stimulate the growth of the communities’ economy.

Kevin grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, which motivates him to develop small business enterprise in economically stagnant communities in Northeast Brooklyn.

Fellowship Plans

Kevin will execute outreach by connecting with clients and community partners through virtual workshops as well as legal counsel and education. He will facilitate small business ownership training and establish a network of minority small business owners. To further meet the project’s goals, Kevin will also conduct a legal needs assessment within each of its target areas to determine community needs.

Media

The Project

Through the Worker Protection Program at the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Symone (she/her/hers) provides free legal services to low-income workers for employment-related matters including discrimination claims, wage theft claims, and worker safety issues.

The Capital Region of New York, the BIPOC population earns half the median household income of white families and disproportionately works low wage jobs. Many low-income workers cannot afford to lose their earnings, and so they endure workplace abuse, employment discrimination, and unsafe working conditions. The Worker Protection Program is the first legal services program in the area that focuses exclusively on employment-related matters for low-income and low-wage earners.

Fellowship Highlights to Date

In the first year of the Fellowship, Symone has:

• Served over 90 low-income workers in the Capital Region, providing full representation to more than 15 clients and legal advice to over 70 individuals
• Filed nine complaints to state agencies, including employment discrimination complaints with the New York State Division of Human Rights and the Office for Federal Contract Compliance Programs, as well as wage complaints with the New York State Department of Labor
• Negotiated settlements with employers and secured back wages owed to clients
• Held “Know Your Rights in the Workplace” presentations for community partner participants
• Conducted community outreach to increase awareness about the Worker Protection Program and the resources available to community-based organizations

Next Steps

In the next year, Symone plans to:

• Develop client success stories and compile program data and outcomes to use for promotional purposes, and to apply for funding opportunities to sustain the program
• Increase community outreach efforts and give more “Know Your Rights in the Workplace” presentations to targeted community groups
• Develop a strategy to sustain the Worker Protection Program beyond her Fellowship

The Project

Mary brought much-needed legal knowledge and assistance to trafficking survivors in the Capital Region and worked with existing organizations to create better systems to serve the needs of trafficking survivors in the area. 

In her former legal experiences, particularly with immigrant victims of crimes in the US and abroad, Mary has dedicated herself to learning about and performing a trauma-informed practice and providing holistic representation. Further, in her more than seven years as a member of the Capital Region legal community, Mary has developed an extensive network to draw upon in providing direct services to human trafficking victims or connecting victims with those who can provide pro bono services. Fellowship  

This Fellowship helped close the service gap for trafficking victims in the Capital Region by expanding current resources to offer free civil legal needs assessments by The Legal Project staff and pro bono attorneys; incorporate civil legal services into community-based outreach efforts; refer to other legal services organizations as appropriate; provide training to existing panel of pro bono attorneys on the legal needs of the trafficking victims, expand numbers of attorneys on the pro bono panel and engage Legal Project staff and pro bono attorneys to provide comprehensive and culturally competent civil legal services as needed including representation in the following areas: family law, public benefits, employment law, housing, criminal justice advocacy, consumer credit , immigration, and tax-related. 

Mary helped victims escape human trafficking situations and improved the quality of life for human trafficking survivors through holistic legal representation of victims (direct and indirect) and by shedding light on human trafficking activity in New York’s greater Capital Region through education and collaboration of law enforcement, attorneys, non-profit/faith-based/other community organizations, and the community at large. 

Media

The Project

My project focuses on low-income homeowners who are in foreclosure. My job is to help them defend that foreclosure through obtaining workout agreements, negotiating settlements, bankruptcy or representing the homeowner at trial. I also represent low-income prospective homebuyers in purchasing their first homes.

The Inspiration

The Project

Help individuals, particularly those who are low income, remove barriers to employment. These barriers often include discrimination due to criminal records, race, sex, and sexual orientation.

Many people with criminal records do not realize they have employment rights. This project addresses the large need for people with criminal records to become employed and build a stable life for themselves and their children. Often people are discouraged in their job search because they have a criminal record. I help people overcome that barrier.