| Legal services organizations |
Information detailed in this section focuses on legal services organizations in New York City which provide free legal assistance to low-income women and domestic violence survivors in the areas of matrimonial, family and immigration law.
To view or print some content in this directory, you will need to have Adobe ® Reader TM installed on your computer. Acrobat Reader is free and is available directly from Adobe's website. Download Adobe Reader.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brooklyn Bar Association
Volunteer Lawyers Project
718.624.0843
brooklynbar.org
|
Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project offers free legal assistance to low-income residents of Brooklyn. VLP also assists the self-represented in filing uncontested divorces. The project focuses its work on elder law, family law, battered women's representation, personal bankruptcy and wills. Learn more.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
City Bar Justice Center
212.626.7383
www.citybarjusticecenter.org
|
City Bar Justice Center provides free legal representation, information and advocacy to low-income NYC residents from all five boroughs. The Center focuses on immigration, and economic and family justice.
Programs include: immigrant women and children project, refugee assistance project, consumer bankruptcy project, ederlaw project, legal cinic for the homeless, cancer advocacy project, neighborhood entrepreneur law project and divorce clinics. Learn more.
Contact the Center's telephone Legal Hotline for free legal information, advice and referrals.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
LawHelp/NY
www.lawhelp.org/NY
|
The LawHelp web site helps low and moderate income people find free legal aid programs and resources in their communities, and answers to questions about their legal rights. The site offers detailed legal information to New York residents on the following subject areas: family and juvenile, immigration, housing, public benefits, health, life planning, disability, consumer, education, individual rights, taxes and workers rights.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
The Legal Aid Society of New York
212.577.3300
www.legal-aid.org
|
The Legal Aid Society of New York is the oldest and largest provider of free legal services to low-income individuals living in New York City. Client services are provided through a citywide network of neighborhood offices which offer a range of civil and criminal legal services.
The Civil Practice represents low-income families and individuals in legal matters involving housing, benefits, disability, domestic violence, family issues, health, employment, immigration, HIV/AIDS, prisoners' rights and elder law.
The Criminal Practice provides representation in criminal trials and appeals as well as parole revocation defense hearings.
The Juvenile Rights Practice represents children who appear before the Family Court on child protective, termination of parental rights, PINS (person in need of supervision) and juvenile delinquency petitions.
Visit the Legal Aid Society Self-Help Website for self-help guides for information about housing, benefits, employment and domestic violence issues.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Legal Services for New York City (LSNY)
212.431.7200
www.lsny.org
|
| LSNY is a network of legal assistance programs and offices providing free legal services in civil matters to low-income New Yorkers. LSNY's core practice areas are housing, family and benefits, as well as consumer, education, foreclosure prevention and disability rights.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
MFY Legal Services, Inc
212.417.3700
www.mfy.org
|
MFY Legal Services, Inc. provides free legal advice, counsel and representation to low-income New Yorkers on a wide range of legal issues, including housing, government benefits, employment, mental health, adult home issues, senior issues, consumer problems, employment rights of domestic violence victims, and adoptions and guardianship of related children. Learn more.
View answers to commonly asked questions about housing, public benefits, employment, health care, consumer credit and debt. This page also provides helpful links to related resources. En español.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
New York City Bar Legal Referral Service
212.626.7373
www.nycbar.org
|
New York City Bar Legal Referral Service provides free lawyer referrals within the New York Metropolitan Area. A staff attorney from the New York City Bar will help you to find an appropriate way to handle your legal problem. There is no charge for talking to a staff member. The attorney referral service is free. Learn more.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
New York City Family Justice Center, Brooklyn
www.nyc.gov/html/ocdv/
|
No appointments needed.
Walk-ins accepted 9–5, Monday through Friday
350 Jay St., 15th Floor, Brooklyn, NY
New York City Family Justice Center (FJC) offers Brooklyn domestic violence survivors comprehensive services including criminal justice advocacy, civil legal assistance, social work support, family court advocacy and practical assistance in one centralized location.
FJC provides free legal representation to eligible clients in immigration, matrimonial and family court matters. The key feature of the Center is the on-site presence of the entire Domestic Violence Bureau of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. The Center is also supported by representatives from nine government agencies, 25 community based and organizations and programs, six faith-based organizations, and six universities.
FJC also helps domestic violence survivors obtain information about and access critical social services. These include: public benefits, child care, emergency shelter and housing, safety planning, individual counseling, support groups, language interpretation, and services for the elderly and/or disabled. Learn more.
View and download information about FJC's services. (PDF format, 127k, 1 page)
En español. (PDF format, 148k, 1 page)
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
New York Family Justice Center, Queens
www.nyc.gov/html/ocdv/
|
No appointments needed.
Walk-ins accepted 9–5, Monday through Friday
126-02 82nd Avenue at Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY
New York City Family Justice Center (FJC) offers Queens domestic violence survivors comprehensive services including criminal justice advocacy, civil legal assistance, social work support, family court advocacy and practical assistance in one centralized location.
FJC provides free legal representation to eligible clients in immigration, matrimonial and family court matters. The key feature of the Center is the on-site presence of the entire Domestic Violence Bureau of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. The Center is also supported by representatives from nine government agencies, 25 community based and organizations and programs, six faith-based organizations, and six universities.
FJC also helps domestic violence survivors obtain information about and access critical social services. These include: public benefits, child care, emergency shelter and housing, safety planning, individual counseling, support groups, language interpretation, and services for the elderly and/or disabled. Learn more.
View and download information about the Queens FJC's services. (PDF format, 816K, 2 pages)
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
New York Legal Assistance Group
212.613.5000
www.nylag.org
|
New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) provides free legal assistance and direct representation by staff attorneys and law student advocates in areas relating to public benefits, matrimonial and family law, immigration, child advocacy, HIV and elder law. Learn more.
Get help.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
New York State Bar Association
518.463.3200
www.nysba.org
|
New York State Bar Association's (NYSBA) free Lawyer Referral and Information Service will help you find a lawyer in your area. The web site also includes a directory of lawyers in other states and guidelines on when and how to hire a lawyer.
To learn more about legal resources in your area, call the Department of Pro Bono Affairs at 518.487.5641.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Safe Horizon
718.834.7430
www.safehorizon.org
|
Safe Horizon's Domestic Violence Law Project provides free legal information and advice to low-income domestic violence victims with family matters involving child custody, child support, visitation, orders of protection and divorce. Learn more.
Safe Horizon's Immigration Law Project provides free and low-cost services to victims of crime, torture and abuse in immigration proceedings. The program represents battered women in Violence Against Women Act self-petitions and status adjustment proceedings and gender-based asylum claims. Learn more.
Assistance in the courts
Safe Horizon operates more than 30 court-based programs throughout the five boroughs that assist victims in navigating the court system by providing advocacy, information, resources and access to private waiting rooms for victims. Safe Horizon's Children's Centers, located in court houses in all five boroughs, provide free, supportive, educational child care for child victims and witnesses and other children of adults who must appear in court. Learn more.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, crime, rape or sexual assault, call a Safe Horizon hotline for immediate assistance.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Sanctuary for Families
Center for Battered Women's Legal Services
212.349.6009
www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org
|
Sanctuary for Families' Center for Battered Women's Legal Services offers domestic violence victims free legal advice and direct representation in matters related to divorce, child custody and visitation, child support, immigration, orders of protection and criminal court matters related to domestic violence. Learn more.
Get help.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Urban Justice Center
Domestic Violence Project
646.602.5600
www.urbanjustice.org
|
Urban Justice Center's Domestic Violence Project provides direct legal representation to domestic violence survivors in Brooklyn Family Court in matters involving family offense, custody, visitation and child support. Services also include free legal advice and counseling on matrimonial and immigration concerns, legal advocacy with law enforcement personnel and social service agencies, immediate and on-going crisis counseling, and referrals to legal and social service providers. Learn more.
Get help.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
WomensLaw.org
646.602.5600
www.womenslaw.org
|
The WomansLaw web site provides bilingual information on navigating the court system in New York and other states, including detailed information on divorce, child custody, parental kidnapping, orders of protection and a listing of resources for immigrant battered women.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|