Practitioner Testimonial

Practitioner Maria Toy

Maria Toy, one of the lawyers participating in a practitioner network run out of City University of New York School of Law, is determined not only to make it on her own as a solo practitioner, but also to help out middle to low-income people in her community.

But Toy, a 28-year old U.S. born, first generation Chinese-American, did not believe she could do good while doing well, especially straight out of law school. She could either work for a non-profit organization and give up her dream of having her own practice or work for a law firm and give up her other dream of helping lower-income people in need. Her lofty goals are not only difficult to achieve separately, but combined together can seem unattainable.

Yet both of her dreams turned to reality, and simultaneously, after she met attorneys through the practitioner network. "Based on the network's success rate I believe I will succeed at building a viable practice and at the same time help people who need it," says Toy, who opened her immigration and civil rights practice in November of 2000.

The practitioner networks, which were created at CUNY Law School, University of Maryland Law School and Northeastern University Law School, are part of the Law School Consortium Project. The Project aims to increase access to justice by supporting law schools to expand their educational and institutional mission beyond graduation to include support and service to solo and small-firm practitioners who are committed to serving low and moderate-income individuals and communities.

With the help of CUNY's network staff and attorneys, she learned how to survive as a solo practitioner while still helping people who might otherwise not be able to afford an attorney. At the start, Toy worked as a per diem attorney at New York City law firms while building her practice. By day she did document review and other litigation support, while by night and on weekends she worked on her own cases. As her practice grew, she reduced the time she worked for law firms and increased the time she worked for herself. Currently, Toy allocates her time assisting clients, conducting presentations and question and answer sessions at community churches, and teaching political science courses at community colleges.

And although she is a sole practitioner, she realized early on that she could not go at it solo. Unlike in a multi-lawyer law firm, Toy did not have anyone around to ask legal, procedural or technical questions. Also since clients with immigration issues often have problems with housing and benefits, Toy needed like-minded lawyers who she could turn to for help. 

The practitioner network was her savior. Now, whenever Toy has a question, she has dozens of like-minded peers who she can call. Whether it is a housing law concern or a computer glitch, network attorneys and staff are ready to help. When she needs assistance researching a case, they point her in the right direction. When her computer refuses to cooperate, they are there with technical support and even free software. If she is searching for an expert, attorneys in her network are there with credible recommendations. 

"The network of solo practitioners has helped me get confidence to take on different types of cases and thus enter new areas of law," explains Toy.

And when working alone feels too isolating, other attorneys in a similar situation are just an e-mail or a phone call away, ready and willing to listen, advise and empathize. As a result of her practitioner network, Toy says she found friends and mentors, has secured referrals and has received advice on anything from case law to software to billing.

"Even though I am a solo, I feel as if I'm in a small firm," she says. "Being part of the practitioner network makes the practice of law very enjoyable."

Written by Victoria Rivkin, a freelance writer in New York City