Cherub Improv Partners with New York City Bar Association

Will Provide Offbeat Interactive Role Play and Workshops for Lawyers and Lawyers-To-Be
 
NEW YORK - Sept. 8, 2014 - PRLog -- “This bill is outrageous!” “You don’t return my phone calls!” “I thought I was hiring you, not a junior lawyer!” These and other zingers may soon be flying amidst the raucous sounds of laughter as Cherub Improv, the world’s largest all-volunteer improv troupe serving underserved communities, hosts what may be the first-ever event of its kind: an improvised role-play, inspired by client concerns as reported by the all-lawyer audience, to be held during the NYC Bar Small Law Firm Symposium at the New York City Bar Association on November 13, 2014.

While the volunteer performers of Cherub Improv, or “Cherubs” as they are affectionately known, typically perform for hospitalized adults and children, people living with HIV/AIDS, people living with cancer, veterans, and senior citizens, the event for solo practitioners and attorneys at small law firms could also be viewed as a vital public service, according to Jonathan Evan Goldberg, President and Co-Founder of the non-profit organization -- and an attorney himself.

“Studies show that lawyers experience depression and substance abuse at higher rates than the general population,” explained Goldberg. “I believe Cherub Improv can make a huge difference for the profession.”

Cherub Improv will also partner with the New York City Bar Association as part of its upcoming “Boot Camp” Basic Training for Lawyers, leading an improv workshop in Manhattan for current law students and recent law school graduates on October 2, 2014. This unique event will feature improvisational exercises to help participants develop essential skills for securing a job, practicing law, and developing business, including “listening, teamwork, confidence, empathy, creativity, and the ability to think on one’s feet,” according to Goldberg, a litigation and employment law partner at Vandenberg & Feliu, LLP. In between exercises, Goldberg will mentor participants and provide tips and insights based on his nearly 20 years of law practice.

Goldberg says the idea for this workshop developed organically. “Earlier this year we partnered with the Hope Program in Brooklyn to begin providing monthly interview training for unemployed people from all walks of life, many of whom have wrestled with substance abuse or been formerly incarcerated; we also recently provided such training through the New York City College of Technology,” explained Goldberg. “The job market for newly-minted lawyers is extremely challenging and I believe we are in a unique position to help.”

Goldberg is excited by Cherub Improv’s partnership with the City Bar. “Despite their proximity in the dictionary, the words ‘lawyer’ and ‘laughter’ are not often associated - - LA Law and Boston Legal notwithstanding -- and everyone deserves the opportunity to de-stress,” he added. “We’re hoping these lawyer-focused events will spark a positive revolution within the profession and translate into support for our mission.”

Indeed, on the heels of the organization’s successful August 9th “Funny Fair” benefit at The Triad Theater, Cherub Improv will host its Fourth-Annual Winter Gala on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 -- Veterans Day 2014 -- at the venerable Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, in downtown New York. The Gala, to feature a live and silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting, and an improv show, will raise funds to help the Cherubs travel throughout the greater New York City area, including to Kessler Rehabilitation Center in West Orange, New Jersey (one of the nation’s premiere physical rehabilitation facilities), The Fortune Society in Long Island City (an alternative to incarceration for teenagers), Kittay House of the Jewish Home and Hospital in the Bronx (a home for seniors), and The Children’s Village in Westchester County (a shelter for runaway and homeless teenagers).

“We recently celebrated our 7 year anniversary and have just begun to scratch the surface of making a positive difference in the world,” said Goldberg.

For more information on Cherub Improv and its Fourth-Annual Winter Gala, please visit: http://www.cherubimprov.org/#!donate/c1mhs.

For information on the New York Bar Association’s “Boot Camp” Basic Training for Lawyers, please visit: http://www.nycbar.org/bootcamp2014.

For information about the NYC Bar Small Law Firm Symposium and the improv role play and panel discussion for solo law practitioners and employees of small law firms, please visit: http://bit.ly/1wb0C4E.

About Cherub Improv:

Cherub Improv, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, delivers comedy to places where residents often do not have the opportunity to attend off-site cultural events. Through ongoing partnerships with hospitals, youth development groups, retirement communities, cancer support organizations, and others, Cherub Improv’s volunteers perform interactive comedy shows and lead educational workshops for audiences including veterans, senior citizens, runaway teens, hospital patients, and adults and children living with cancer. Since its inception in April 2007, over 200 volunteer performers have successfully completed over 1,000 free improv comedy events for over 10,000 audience members. Cherub Improv was founded in 2007 by attorney Jonathan Evan Goldberg, Dr. Steve Van Ooteghem, and producer Joy Copeland Purver.

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Location:New York City - New York - United States
Subject:Partnerships
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Page Updated Last on: Sep 08, 2014
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