Dora Galacatos, executive director of The Feerick Center for Social Justice was featured in Pro Bono Net for her work for access to justice.
As Executive Director of the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School, Dora Galacatos oversees diverse initiatives aimed at combating poverty and addressing common challenges faced by low-income New Yorkers.
The programs developed by the Feerick Center work by leveraging limited resources through volunteer engagement. In addition to overseeing the design and implementation of these efforts, Dora sponsors and coordinates a rotating team of AmeriCorps VISTA fellows, who in turn, are largely responsible for marshalling student, alumni, lawyer, and community volunteers.
One project made possible by Dora’s work with AmeriCorps VISTA fellows is the Unaccompanied Children Resource Center. This website provides curated legal resources and highlights pro bono opportunities for attorneys interested in working with unaccompanied immigrant children. By encouraging and facilitating pro bono engagement, this project aims to address the legal needs of children who would otherwise be forced to represent themselves in immigration proceedings.
“The highlight of my work related to access-to-justice at the Feerick Center is collaborating with extraordinary partners to build volunteer capacity. Through our partnerships we are able to harness the work of volunteer attorneys to carry out social justice work and to make access to justice meaningful for low-income and vulnerable clients. It is such a noble and inspiring effort and I am so very honored and privileged to be able to do it with the community of stakeholders with which the Center is involved.” – Dora Galacatos