Volunteer Program Descriptions
Housing VLFD (New York County Only) | Consumer VLFD | Housing VLP and Consumer VLP | Guardian Ad Litem | Family Court VAP | Uncontested Divorce Program | Resolution Assistance Program
VOLUNTEER LAWYER FOR THE DAY PROGRAM (VLFD)
Housing VLFD (New York, Kings and Bronx Housing Courts)
Volunteer attorneys provide limited representation for unrepresented litigants in their nonpayment cases in the Housing Court’s Resolution Part. The representation begins and ends the same day. This program is conducted in partnership with CUNY School of Law's Community Legal Resource Network in New York and Kings counties. The program was recently expanded to Bronx County Housing Court.
Contact: Yacine Barry, Esq.
Special Counsel for Housing Court Initiatives
(646) 386-5146
email: VLFDHousing@courts.state.ny.us
website: http://nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/housing/vlfd_housing.shtml
VOLUNTEER LAWYER FOR THE DAY PROGRAM (VLFD)
Consumer VLFD
Volunteer attorneys will provide limited representation for unrepresented consumer debtors in Civil Court. Volunteer attorneys will represent litigants in vacating default judgments and during settlement negotiations. This program is soon to be launched in partnership with NY Appleseed and New York County Lawyers Association.
Contact: Ameela Mohamed
(646) 386-5420
email: VLPcivil@courts.state.ny.us
website: http://nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/civil/vlp.shtml
VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROGRAM (VLP)
Housing VLP and Consumer VLP
Volunteer attorneys provide advice to unrepresented Housing Court litigants and Civil Court Consumer Debt litigants under the supervision of the Civil Court’s Help Center Court Attorneys. Volunteer lawyers meet with unrepresented litigants on a walk-in basis in the Court’s Help Centers. This is an advice-only program. Volunteer lawyers do not represent the litigants in court or file papers on their behalf. The Housing VLP operates in all counties of New York City, with an additional site for the Housing VLP in the Harlem Community Court. The Civil VLP operates in New York and Kings Counties only.
Housing Court Contact: Yacine Barry, Esq.
(646) 386-5146
email: VLPHousing@courts.state.ny.us
website: http://nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/housing/vlp.shtml
Civil Court Contact: Ameela Mohamed
(646) 386-5420
email: amohamed@courts.state.ny.us
website: http://nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/civil/vlp.shtml
GUARDIAN AD LITEM - Housing (GAL)
The Civil Court’s GAL Program recruits, trains, and supervises a pool of GALs who are appointed by Housing Judges to advocate on behalf of mentally or physically impaired litigants facing eviction in landlord-tenant cases. Attorneys and non-attorneys are eligible to participate.
Nyiela Ayub
(646) 386-5429
e-mail: GALcivil@courts.state.ny.us
website: http://nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/housing/GAL.shtml
FAMILY COURT VOLUNTEER ATTORNEY PROGRAM
Volunteer lawyers provide legal advice on support, paternity, custody,visitation, family offense and guardianship matters to unrepresented litigants in Family Court.
Contact:Court Attorney, at (347) 401-9233
UNCONTESTED DIVORCE PROGRAM
UNCONTESTED DIVORCE PROGRAM
While under the supervision of the Supreme Court’s Help Center’s Court Attorneys, volunteer attorneys will assist unrepresented litigants in the preparation of uncontested divorce papers to enable them to accomplish divorce through the State Supreme Court. Volunteer lawyers do not represent the litigants in court or file papers on their behalf.
Contact: Baila Kamman, Esq. (New York County)
email: bkamman@courts.state.ny.us
Kwaku Agyeman, Esq. (Kings County)
email: kagyeman@courts.state.ny.us
Gail Adams (Queens County)
email: gadams@courts.state.ny.us
RESOLUTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM - Housing (RAP)
Started in 2007, the Civil Court recruits, trains and supervises volunteer law students and college students to accompany unrepresented housing litigants at their court appearances. The RAP volunteers provide support and encouragement to the litigants to voice claims and defenses during negotiations with attorneys, and in settlement conferences before Judges and court attorneys. A major goal of this program is to encourage an unrepresented litigant to settle his or her case with court assistance instead of negotiating with an attorney without court assistance when the litigant is encountering difficulties in a negotiation. Volunteers do not interject into either a conference or a negotiation. Volunteers in this program also explain courtroom procedures and available resources to aid litigants with their cases. This program is currently running in every Housing Court except Harlem.
Contact: Yacine Barry, Esq.
(646) 386-5146
email: RAP@courts.state.ny.us
website: http://nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/housing/rap.shtml
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