NYLAG routinely offers one-day legal clinics in the community to address urgent and other large-scale needs. In addition, NYLAG has recently launched a free legal clinic for pro se litigants in the Southern District of New York and is piloting a program to assist parents of children with special needs.
Participants undergo training in the legal issues addressed in the clinics and are supervised by NYLAG staff attorneys.
- Special Education Parent Partner Initiative Volunteer Opportunity (New!)
- Immigration Relief Screening Clinics
- Mobile Legal Help Center Volunteer Opportunities
- SDNY Legal Clinic for Pro Se Litigants
Please fill out the forms (linked below) as soon as possible if you are interested in joining us at one or more of these clinics. Due to space limitations, we can only accommodate the indicated number of volunteers at each site, so we cannot accept everyone who might be interested in participating on a given day.
You may contact me for questions, but
the only way to sign up for the clinics is via the online forms, listed below.
Due to the high volume of interested volunteers, only those who are confirmed for clinics will be contacted. NYLAG will confirm volunteers within 3-5 business days. All volunteers who are not confirmed will automatically be added to our waitlist.
Please wait for confirmation before making plans to go to a site.
Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to serving those in need in our community.
Best regards,
Caprice Jenerson
Director, Pro Bono and Volunteer Unit
New York Legal Assistance Group
7 Hanover Square, 18th Fl. | New York, NY 10004
ph:
212.613.5092 | fax:
212.714.7491
cjenerson@nylag.org |
www.nylag.org/probono
Special Education Parent Partner
Initiative Volunteer Opportunity
NYLAG has received funding from the UJA Federation to create a new pilot project to assist families navigating the Department of Education to obtain special education services for their child. During the months of June through August, volunteers will be paired with a parent who has received a placement letter from the DOE. During the site visit, the volunteer will assist the parent in asking all of the necessary and appropriate questions of the school personnel and will record vital information for the parent. Volunteers may be college graduates, graduate students, law students/graduates, and attorneys.
NYLAG will conduct a training for volunteers on:
June 2, 2017
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
NYLAG's headquarters
7 Hanover Square
Financial District, Manhattan
The training will include a review of special education law, as well as the type of questions (and follow-up questions) that should be asked of school personnel.
This project was made possible by funding from UJA-Federation’s Time for Good. Please visit the
Time for Good website to sign up.
Immigration Relief Screening Clinic
NYLAG conducts general immigration screenings for a variety of immigrant populations to determine eligibility for various forms of immigration relief, including family based petitions, deferred action, naturalization, T and U visas, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). Clinic volunteers with immigration experience are needed to help conduct the screenings. NYLAG staff will be on site to provide direct supervision to volunteers. Pro bono attorneys, law grads and law students are welcome to participate.
**If you are interested in volunteering for the Immigration Relief Screening Clinic, please use this online form.**
Immigration Relief Training Resources
- NYLAG’s Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Training. This 2-hour webinar training provides information about SIJS, a form of immigration relief available to unmarried individuals under the age of 21 who are in the United States and have been abandoned, abused, or neglected by one or both parents. This training addresses both Family Law and Immigration Law issues necessary to SIJS applications. A portion of the training also addresses special issues involved in representing immigrant youth, including effective communication and how to establish a good rapport and create a trusting environment, as well as working with youth who have experienced trauma and how to identify and overcome communication barriers.
- NYLAG's Asylum Law Training. This 1.5-hour webinar training will provide an overview of asylum law and other humanitarian relief, including how to prepare an effective asylum case; how to work with potential applicants for asylum; and recent developments in asylum law, including a discussion on the recent BIA ruling recognizing domestic violence as a basis for asylum.
- NYLAG's Naturalization & Citizenship Training. According to the United States Citizenship & Immigration Service, only 40% of eligible immigrants in the New York City metro area have applied for naturalization. Citizenship provides immigrants with many benefits, including: voting rights, expanded opportunity to petition for foreign relatives within the United States and abroad, as well as access to medical and other benefits available to low-income individuals. This training will provide an overview of the Naturalization process and how to help low-income clients complete the application.
Mobile Legal Help Center Volunteer Opportunities
The Mobile Legal Help Center (MLHC) is the country’s first-ever legal services office and courtroom on wheels. On the MLHC, NYLAG staff provide counseling, advice, and direct representation on a variety of legal issues—from public benefits, family and matrimonial law, employment law, immigration and more—without leaving the vehicle. A video link with the courts enables access to judges for emergency hearings, including domestic violence and eviction cases.
We invite participation from volunteer attorneys, law graduates and law students to help us provide legal services. Volunteers conduct intake interviews with MLHC visitors, and provide information and brief advice on a variety of legal issues. All volunteers are supervised by a NYLAG staff attorney who assists with evaluation of the legal issues raised during intake, and provides any guidance and support volunteers may need. Volunteers will have access to a recording of a webinar training on the MLHC intake process (links below) and will be sent additionaly training materials and intake guides before their volunteer date.
**If you are interested in volunteering for the Mobile Legal Help Center, please use this online form.**
Mobile Legal Help Center Training Resources
- Click here to view a recording of the webinar training on conducting intakes aboard the MLHC and clinic logistics.
- Click here to view/ download a printable PDF of the presentation handout.
SDNY Legal Clinic for Pro Se Litigants
The
NYLAG Legal Clinic for Pro Se Litigants in the Southern District of New York provides free limited legal assistance to individuals who are representing themselves or planning to represent themselves in civil lawsuits in federal court in Manhattan and White Plains. The SDNY Pro Se Legal Clinic provides a variety of volunteer opportunities for law students, law grads, new and experienced attorneys. Opportunities for attorneys affiliated with our pro bono partners include conducting intakes, client interviews, drafting discovery documents and limited scope representation for depositions and mediations. Opportunities for law student and law graduates include conducting research, drafting manuals for pro se litigants, conducting intakes and more. All volunteers are provided with onsite supervision and training materials.
**If you are interested in volunteering for the SDNY One-Day Legal Clinics, please fill out this form.**
- Client Intake SDNY–Manhattan (Open to all)
- Client Interviews SDNY–Manhattan (Open to litigators with at least one year practice or clerkship experience)
- Client Intake SDNY–White Plains (Open to litigators with at least 3 years experience)
- Limited Scope Deposition Assistance SDNY–Manhattan (Open to litigators admitted to S.D.N.Y. with at least two years experience)
- Limited Scope Mediation Assistance SDNY–Manhattan (Open to litigators admitted to S.D.N.Y. with at least two years experience)
- 50-hour pro bono opportunities for law students and law graduates
