Summer Associates from Morristown-based law firm Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP participated in the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) “Summer Associate Research Program,” in which the summer associates completed pro bono legal research projects on cutting edge civil rights issues. The topics researched arose from factual scenarios that the ADL’s national and thirty regional offices encountered over the last year, including whether restrictions can be placed on public school teachers who wear religious garb while in the school environment, and what legal issues are implicated in religious speeches by students at school graduation ceremonies.
“ADL’s Summer Associate Program affords tomorrow’s lawyers an opportunity to explore today’s pressing civil rights questions,” said Etzion Neuer, ADL Director, New Jersey Region. “Thanks to their work, we are able to make more informed decisions on the policy and legal issues that ADL addresses on a regular basis and the students were able to learn about the importance of pro bono service. This is a model of the cooperation between the professional and non-profit sectors that ADL is working to achieve.”
Riker Danzig attorneys, organized by partner Lance Kalik, supervised seven summer associates in researching topics that included discrimination, free speech, immigration, and religious freedom. "We were delighted to work with the ADL on this wonderful program,” said Mr. Kalik. “It not only gave us an opportunity to contribute to ADL's efforts to protect the civil rights of all citizens, but it also allowed us to train our summer associates using real life and cutting-edge issues that confront the ADL on a daily basis. We hope to continue to be part of this program in the future."
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. At a reception on October 25th in honor of New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice James Zazzali, the ADL will recognize Riker Danzig and its other Summer Associate Research Program Partners.
