If you are a low income household, you may be eligible for free legal help. Various organizations across New York City provide legal aid services for different matters.
You can also contact your local bar association’s lawyer referral service. Other resources include online services like LegalZoom that provide legal documents at affordable prices.
Legal Services NYC
Legal Services NYC is one of the country’s largest non-profit organizations that is exclusively devoted to providing free civil legal services to low income families and individuals. It receives an LSC base field grant of more than $14 million in 2008 and has additional non-LSC funding totaling over $30 million.
Its offices are located throughout the city. They help people with a variety of issues including foreclosure prevention, landlord-tenant problems, wrongful termination of employment, government benefits denials, illegal debt collection practices, utility shut offs and other civil rights violations. They also provide assistance with elder care and protection of assets.
In addition, LSNYC is working to develop more effective ways to respond to a new and growing need for housing assistance. Among other things, it is developing an eviction prevention program and expanding its Family Center. It is also conducting a comprehensive needs assessment to identify priority areas and legal gaps.
The organization has implemented extensive internal restructuring to make it more efficient. It has also expanded its private attorney involvement programs and initiated community resource development events. This effort has improved the quality of LSNYC’s legal work and raised its profile.
Legal Services NYC is the largest LSC grantee in the United States and a national leader in helping low-income residents of New York City. Its staff works tirelessly to challenge poverty and seek justice for all New Yorkers. In addition to providing housing, immigration and labor law services, it also fights for the rights of single parents, seniors, workers with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, immigrants and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Despite these accomplishments, LSNYC is still grappling with its organizational structure. Its existing intake systems vary significantly from office to office, resulting in applicants having difficulty determining where to go for assistance. These systems need to be examined and, within the next year, a minimum set of uniform city-wide procedures must be developed to improve access to legal services. LSNYC is also undertaking a 2008 Needs Assessment Study and should develop an implementation timetable by the first quarter of 2009. This will require serious, well-managed changes in its resource allocations and practice areas across the city.
Volunteer Lawyers Project
If you need legal help but don’t have the money to pay for an attorney, there are a number of options available to you. Many bar associations and law schools have volunteer lawyer programs that can match you with an attorney who will take your case on a pro bono basis. You can also find attorneys who will represent you on a reduced fee or contingency fee basis.
The Volunteer Lawyers Project is a nonprofit organization that matches people with civil legal problems with lawyers who will provide free or low-cost legal services. Its mission is to ensure that all citizens have access to the legal system, regardless of ability to pay. The project operates throughout the state and connects with other volunteer and legal aid organizations. In addition, the project connects with private attorneys who are willing to take cases on a pro bono basis.
In New York City, the Volunteer Lawyers Project provides free legal advice and assistance to people who are representing themselves in civil (non-criminal) cases in New York City Civil Court’s Resource Center. Typically, volunteers spend full days or part of days at the courthouse meeting with self-represented litigants in consumer debt and housing cases.
Another source of legal assistance is the Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Project, a program of the Brooklyn Bar Association. The program offers free legal assistance to financially eligible low-income residents of Brooklyn. Staff attorneys offer brief advice and counsel, give information and referrals, and co-counsel or supervise private attorneys who are taking cases. The program also provides a variety of clinics, including Senior LEAP, a pro se bankruptcy and consumer law clinic, and CLARO, a consumer debt collection law clinic.
To qualify for the VLP, you must have a family income below 200% of the federal poverty guideline. You can apply by calling the intake line and setting up an appointment. The program also provides services to non-profit groups that assist the elderly, disabled, and other disadvantaged populations. Intake advocates speak both English and Spanish. Interpretation services are available for other languages. The VLP also provides assistance to people with foreclosure matters, mainly through the modification process and the court conferences that are scheduled around this issue.
Urban Justice Center
The Urban Justice Center is a non-profit legal services organization that is known for being an incubator for progressive programs and initiatives. Founded in 1984, the UJC fuels social change by empowering bold advocates. It has worked with individuals and communities throughout New York City to end discrimination and abuse. Its work includes direct civil legal assistance, community organizing, political advocacy, and policy education. In addition, the UJC fights to ensure that vulnerable communities have access to affordable legal aid.
The organization’s clients include survivors of domestic violence, refugees and displaced people, homeless or street-involved youth, and veterans. Their services are offered at no cost or on a sliding fee basis. Additionally, they are able to provide legal representation for low-income people with immigration issues. They also have eleven projects that focus on different legal areas, including housing, community development, and racial justice.
If you are having trouble affording a lawyer, you can contact your local legal aid office to find out if you qualify for pro bono legal help. These organizations serve low-income Americans and are usually staffed by volunteers. They can assist you with a variety of legal problems, including evictions, custody disputes, and debt collection. Some even have programs that provide free or low-cost family law services.
In addition, many law schools have legal clinics that offer free or low-cost legal assistance. These clinics are supervised by experienced attorneys and are a great way to get experience working with real cases. They also give future attorneys the opportunity to gain a real-world understanding of the challenges faced by underprivileged people.
Another great resource for legal assistance is a religious organization or house of worship. Many churches and other houses of worship have legal departments that can help with a wide range of legal problems. In addition, some of these organizations have partnerships with law firms that can provide pro bono help for qualified applicants. You can also contact your local courthouse to see if there are any legal assistance programs available in your area. Many court administrators have found that cases move more quickly and smoothly when everyone has a lawyer.
Quinnipiac University School of Law Legal Clinics
Law students at Quinnipiac University School of Law are able to gain valuable practical experience through legal clinics. These clinics allow students to work with real clients on actual cases under the guidance of an experienced faculty member. They are also able to build and enhance the skills they have learned in their first year of law school. They are also able to develop relationships that can benefit their future careers.
The School of Law has a diverse range of clinics that can accommodate a variety of interests and experience levels. These clinics include the Civil Justice, Immigration, Family, Tax and Prosecution Appellate Clinics. The Prosecution Appellate Clinic allows students to represent the State in criminal appeals, while the Tax Clinic helps low-income taxpayers.
Unlike many other law schools, the Quinnipiac University School offers a wide range of clinical programs that allow students to develop a well-rounded legal education. The law school also offers a number of externship opportunities. In addition, it has a large and active student community. This includes competition teams, student-run journals and symposia on legal topics of the day.
The law school’s clinical program is a core part of its curriculum and teaches students how to serve the needs of the public. Its commitment to educating the “whole lawyer” emphasizes ethical values, thought leadership and a holistic approach to client service. It is a small, highly collaborative community dedicated to preparing lawyers who make a difference in society.
The School of Law’s goal is to ensure that all qualified applicants are admitted to its educational programs without discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, handicap, religion, sex, national origin or ethnicity, ancestry or sexual orientation. In addition, the School of Law supports equality of opportunity and affirmative action in employment. Quinnipiac University has a long history of supporting equal opportunity for women, minorities and disabled persons in its workforce. This is evident in the university’s diversity initiatives, which include the Women’s Institute and the Disability Resource Center. It also supports women’s business ownership and the advancement of women in leadership positions.