Volunteer Lawyers Program - Housing
Prospective Volunteer Attorneys
In General
Training and CLE Credits
Volunteer Service in the Help Centers
Submit an Application
Read Testimonials from Satisfied Volunteers
The Housing Court’s Volunteer Lawyers Program (“VLP”) provides attorneys interested in volunteer service with a rewarding opportunity to provide legal information and advice to unrepresented litigants.
After completing CLE certified training, volunteer lawyers work in the Housing Court’s Help Centers alongside Help Center Court Attorneys. Volunteers meet with unrepresented litigants, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their individual cases, and provide legal information and advice. Volunteers do not represent litigants in court proceedings or file papers on their behalf.
Volunteers need not be experienced landlord-tenant law practitioners to participate in the VLP.
For more information email VLPHousing@nycourts.gov or call 646-386-5428
The Housing Court’s Volunteer Lawyers Program (“VLP”) offers free C.L.E. credit hours in “Fundamentals of Landlord-Tenant Law” to enthusiastic attorneys willing to provide legal information, and advice to unrepresented litigants in the Housing Courts’ Help Centers. The training program is taught by a team of landlord-tenant law experts. Attendance at all sessions of training are a prerequisite to volunteering.
Training topics in previous seminars covered the following areas:
• Nonpayment Proceedings
• Holdover Proceedings
• Rent-Regulation
• HP Proceedings
• Ethical Issues in Providing “Unbundled” Legal
Services
• Introduction to the Help Center
Volunteer Service in the Help Centers
In exchange for the CLE credits, attorneys commit to volunteering in one of the Housing Court’s Help Centers for a minimum of twenty hours over the course of 6 months. Volunteers provide legal information and advice, but do not represent or file court papers for the litigants with whom they consult.
Volunteer lawyers select the dates, times, and court locations in which they wish to volunteer. Every effort is made to accommodate volunteers’ requests.
Volunteers serve in the Housing Court’s Help Centers in New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx and Richmond Counties.
Help Center locations, hours, and directions are available on the Civil Court’s web site.
To register for the next training, please use the on-line application.
For information on the dates for the next scheduled Volunteer
Lawyers Program training, please refer to the Training
Dates.
