David Curry and Laura K. Fallick Pro Bono Work Featured by Lawyers Alliance for New York

Chalkbeat has been highlighting the stories and issues plaguing the education system for over a decade.  It has grown to become a leading national voice in education journalism, interrogating the status quo of educational structure and implementation.

Through rigorous investigation and powerful storytelling, Chalkbeat holds people in power accountable for their decisions and ignites conversations that lead to increased access and quality of education for historically marginalized communities, especially economically disadvantaged children and children of color. Through its stories, Chalkbeat impacts the lives of educators, policymakers, students, and families, all of whom are key players in determining students’ educational outcomes. By providing a platform dedicated to independent education journalism, Chalkbeat has increased transparency within the education system at both the local and federal level, improving the lives of students nationwide.

In May of 2021, Chalkbeat requested assistance negotiating a sublease agreement to allow them to exclusively lease one floor of a centrally located New York office.

David Curry and Laura K. Fallick of Farrell Fritz assisted Chalkbeat by reviewing and negotiating its sublease agreements both with the landlord and sublessor.  With this pro bono legal help, Chalkbeat has been able to ensure that its agreements with these organizations are to Chalkbeat’s best advantage and that it will not encounter any unexpected complications in the future.

Kendra Irving, Chalkbeat Chief Financial Officer, noted that David and Laura were “instrumental in negotiating a favorable sublease for Chalkbeat and relayed and represented Chalkbeat’s needs through every step of the process. [Their] knowledge and expertise made the process smooth and easy to understand for us. David helped minimize Chalkbeat’s obligations which resulted in more reasonable terms with our sublessor and landlord. It was very comforting to know exactly what we were signing for and the details and risks of our agreement.”