Volunteer Lawyers Program
Unrepresented Litigants

In General
How do I Meet With A Volunteer Lawyer?
What is the Difference Between a Volunteer Lawyer and a Help Center Court Attorney?
What Should I Bring to the Help Center?
How Do I Get To The Civil Court’s Help Center in New York County?
Read What People Say About the Volunteer Lawyers Project

In General

Get free legal advice for your Civil or Small Claims case through the Civil Court’s Volunteer Lawyers Project. If you don’t have a lawyer, the Volunteer Lawyers Project can help. Volunteer Lawyers can:

review your court papers
discuss your case
help you fill out forms
help you plan what to do with your case
tell you where to find a lawyer to represent you in your case

The Volunteer Lawyers can’t represent you in court or file legal papers for you. If you seek help from the Volunteer Lawyers Project, you are still responsible for all court dates and filing deadlines.

How Do I Meet With A Volunteer Lawyer?

Meet with a Volunteer Lawyer in the New York City Civil Court’s Help Center located at 111 Centre Street. No appointment is necessary. Select the month below to see when a volunteer attorney will be in the New York County Help Center

Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

If no Volunteer Lawyers are scheduled in the Help Center on the day you want to go, you can get help from a Help Center Court Attorney who can give you free legal and procedural information.

What is the Difference Between a Volunteer Lawyer and a Help Center Court Attorney?

Help Center Court Attorneys work for the Court. They can explain court procedures, legal terms, and provide general legal information. They can provide referrals to government agencies, social service organizations and legal services providers. But as Court employees, the Help Center Attorneys can’t give you legal advice.

Like the Volunteer Lawyers, they provide these services for free.

Volunteer lawyers provide legal advice and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your case.

What Should I Bring To The Help Center?

When you go to the Help Center to meet with a Volunteer Lawyer or Court Attorney, bring all court papers and any letters, bills or other documents that are related to your case.
Some examples are: