United States Court of Appeals
for the Second Circuit
Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse
40 Foley Square
New York, New York 10007
Debra Ann Livingston, Chief Judge
Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court
June 14, 2021
For Immediate Release
The Criminal Justice Act/Pro Bono Committee is accepting applications for the Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel. The deadline to be considered for appointment in 2021 is July 30, 2021. The Court will continue to accept applications year-round, but applications received after July 30, 2021, will not be considered for appointment until 2022.
Pro Bono Panel members will, at the Court’s invitation or on a litigant’s motion for appointment of counsel, represent pro se litigants in civil appeals that present issues of first impression, complex issues of law or fact, or potentially meritorious claims warranting further briefing and oral argument. Pro bono representation will be provided to litigants who would otherwise be unable to pay for counsel and are ineligible for the appointment of counsel pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act.
Cases in which pro bono counsel will be appointed cover a broad range of legal issues, including prisoner civil rights, labor and employment, discrimination, social security, immigration, and tax law.
Applicants must be admitted to and members in good standing of the Bar of the Second Circuit or have an admission application pending before this Court, and have at least three years of appellate litigation experience. Pro Bono Panel members will serve for a three-year term.
Pro Bono Panel members who were appointed by the Court in 2018 for a three-year term must submit a new application if they wish to remain on the Panel.
An application package containing a resume, a written application (available on the Court’s website at http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov) and three writing samples, preferably appellate briefs on which the applicant was the primary author, must be submitted via email to [email protected] by July 30, 2021 for consideration in 2021.