Mayor Bloomberg fulfilled a 2010 State of the City pledge today by providing New Yorker’s with access to free legal services if they are in danger of foreclosure. In the 2010 State of the City address, Mayor Bloomberg pledged to launch the most ambitious home foreclosure prevention effort of any city in the nation. The program will be implemented by NYC Service, and will increase the availability and effectiveness of free legal representation for those facing foreclosure by training and dispatching 300 volunteer attorneys to expand legal services provided by non-profit organizations.
“The City’s legal community has a long, proud history of pro bono work, and we are tapping into that tradition to bolster our comprehensive effort to prevent foreclosures,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
NYC Service Legal Outreach aims to recruit 300 volunteer attorneys over the next three months.
Volunteer attorneys do not need expertise in real estate law to be a part of the program. All volunteer attorneys will be supported by a comprehensive foreclosure and litigation skills training program, an up-to-date website that will include substantial resources on foreclosure work, and daily supervision by experienced legal services staff.
JOIN the NYC Service Legal Outreach
Volunteer attorneys can participate in the program in two ways:
- 100 volunteer attorneys will be stationed at appropriate courthouses to screen homeowners and provide them critical counsel about which legal process to engage in, based on their individual situations. In addition, these screeners will assist families in attaining appropriate free legal representation. The volunteers conducting screening may also provide limited advice and counsel to homeowners wishing to represent themselves. Attorneys will participate in one day of training and serve a minimum of two days volunteering at courthouses.
- 200 volunteer attorneys will be directly matched with individual homeowners and will advocate for individual homeowners throughout the foreclosure settlement process. Attorneys will participate in one day of training and several court appearances over the course of several months.
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