THE CASE

A 20-Year Vision Realized

The Greater Rochester area is served by four legal services organizations—Empire Justice Center, Legal Aid Society, Monroe County Legal Assistance Center, and Volunteer Legal Services Project—as well as the Monroe County Bar Association and the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar. Until recently, these providers—the "Partners"—were housed in different locations throughout downtown Rochester. Now these organizations are housed under one roof, a functional office building located at the heart of the legal community in downtown Rochester, convenient to public transportation and the courts. Bringing the Partners together will result in better and more efficient legal services for low-income clients and the community.

A Rich History of Service

For more than 100 years, the Greater Rochester community has been served by the Partner agencies. Together, the Partners provide a full range of high-quality, comprehensive legal services to the of Greater Rochester community. From helping a battered woman secure a restraining order against her abuser to ensuring that lawyers are well-trained, to providing critical grant support to community based projects, the staffs of the Partner agencies touch all races, ages, abilities and issue areas. The combined strength and expertise of the staff ensures that a low-income person struggling with a civil matter in the Rochester area will be able to connect with the right provider for prompt and professional help; that an attorney seeking to enhance their legal skills can attend a cutting edge training session; that the public will gain a greater awareness and appreciation of the good work that legal professionals perform for our community.

An Opportunity for Equal Justice

The Partners are embarking on a major fundraising effort—The Partnership for Equal Justice—designed to raise $1.2 million to improve community access to legal services by reducing the overall, long-term facility costs of each partner and by increasing efficiencies and opportunities for collaboration. This Campaign will allow the Partners to obtain very low, fixed rents at their new building, which will leave more money for vital programs and legal assistance for the clients they serve.

The Partnership for Equal Justice will help to ensure that civil legal services in Monroe County are client-centered by providing a unified, appropriate, and respectful environment in which those services are delivered. The Partnership for Equal Justice will help to ensure that all who need civil legal services in Monroe County will have their needs met as effectively and efficiently as possible. The Partnership for Equal Justice will help to ensure that those who provide legal services in Monroe County are well-informed and well-trained.

The Partnership for Equal Justice seeks support in the amount of $1.2 million over the next three years to provide funds:

• toward building lease and renovation costs so that each partner will have significantly reduced rental expenses in space that is appropriate and up-to-date;
• toward fund future grants to benefit the programs and clients of the principal legal services agencies;
• toward relocation expenses for all partners.

A Unique National Model

Recently named in honor of the Honorable Michael A. Telesca, a universally-respected senior federal judge who has spent his entire career in the legal profession committed to the rights of individuals, The Honorable Michael A. Telesca Center for Justice is located in the heart of the Rochester legal community at 1 West Main Street. The Telesca Center for Justice is a unique, national model, housing all of the community’s civil legal services agencies with the Bar Association and Foundation in one central location. This Partnership positions Rochester as a visionary leader with respect to the delivery of legal services and access to justice as well as education for clients, lawyers, and the community.

Building Opportunities For Everyone Improving and Expanding Access to Justice

Frequently, low-income clients have more than one legal problem. Before The Telesca Center for Justice, clients had to travel around the city for services. This is no longer the case. The Telesca Center for Justice, located on a main bus line, has a common reception area where clients receive information and are directed to the appropriate floor and service provider. The reception area also has shared intake rooms where attorneys and paralegals can meet confidentially with their clients, enhancing collaboration between providers when the client’s legal problem involves more than one agency.

Investing in the Future

The Partners will realize substantial savings and cost benefits as a result of collaborative efficiencies such as shared common areas, personnel, and services. By moving to The Telesca Center for Justice, the partners benefit from a fixed, low, long-term rent. From these savings alone, it is estimated that each organization will save an amount equal to that of the salary of a new attorney, providing funds that can then be channeled into improving existing programs and services and meeting new and emerging issues.

Advancing the Legal Profession

As the centrally-located "core" facility, The Telesca Center for Justice will make participating in trainings, special events, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes and pro bono activities easier and more convenient for attorneys and staff. The shared state-of-the-art Center for Education, as well as meeting and board rooms, will ensure the effective facilitation of these events.

Revitalizing Our City

The Telesca Center for Justice will contribute to the revitalization of downtown bringing more than 110 lawyers, paralegals, and civil legal service professionals into the area, and ensuring full occupancy of a critically-located downtown building for the next fifteen years.