York City Council Legal Services

Search our website for information about our services; Many things can be done online, for your convenience and to save time: The OCJ Housing Help Helpline is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to provide legal advice and telephone information to New York City tenants who need help with legal questions regarding rent, the lease or other landlord-tenant issues. Legislative sessions are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month, unless this Tuesday is a holiday observed by the city government, the summer holidays, or if the general and/or primary elections fall on this Tuesday, the regular session will be held the next day or any other day determined by the Council. The Council may also meet on other days and at other times. For information on Council actions, meetings and/or orders, or to appear before Council, contact the City Clerk at (717) 849-2246. If you are facing deportation, need help with an immigration matter, are a worker facing wage theft or other workplace violations, or face other legal challenges, you can access free legal assistance through HRA`s Office of Civil Justice (OCJ). We focus in particular on vulnerable populations, including people living with HIV or disabilities, the elderly, families with children, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants and the unemployed. We empower our clients by providing holistic, culturally competent and linguistically appropriate legal services that meet clients` diverse legal needs (e.g., housing and public support, or applying for a protection order during the custody application). Our lawyers strive to make a lasting difference in the lives of the low-income clients they serve by working with residents and providers in the community to identify problems and find solutions to the various problems affecting their communities.

MLS has a long and successful history of working with community organizations in low-income communities in Manhattan, including Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Harlem, Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem and Washington Heights/Inwood. Address systemic issues such as the treatment of people with mental illness through the social assistance system, gentrification and loss of affordable housing, language access for LEP clients, and illegal collection. We are proud to trace our long history back to Harlem Assertion of Rights (later Harlem Legal Services) and MFY Legal Services, two poverty alleviation efforts in the 1960s, and strive to continue that legacy. We provide contact details for individual services (including phone number and email address) so that you can contact our teams directly and receive the most helpful response. Just search for the website through the service you need and the relevant contact information will be added. On one of the richest islands in the world, 85% of Manhattan Legal Services (MLS) clients live on less than $15,000 a year. We fight poverty and fight for economic, social and racial justice for low-income county residents by providing free legal representation, systemic advocacy, and community building. Each year, MLS attorneys represent and advise thousands of low-income Manhattan residents facing crises with basic needs, such as: The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) provides free legal services to low-income New Yorkers through various projects. The JCBC also strives to provide self-defenders with the support they need to successfully protect their legal rights. For more information, call 212-626-7383, Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m.

to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., or you can request help online by filling out the online application form. For OCJ legal advice on tenant housing, please call 311 and ask for the City`s Tenant Helpline. It is illegal for a landlord to evict you without bringing an eviction action against you in court or before there is a court order authorizing a commissioner to evict you. If you believe you have been illegally locked out, you can take legal action (an “illegal lockout” or “restitution of property”) in the housing court. We ensure justice in every district and work tirelessly to make our city a better place. All tenants who are currently subject to an eviction order are eligible, regardless of their postal code, immigration status, or whether the tenant has previously refused or was not eligible for legal representation under the universal access program, and regardless of household income under an income exemption from the CJOC. The City Bar Justice Center`s legal helpline provides legal information, advice, and recommendations to low-income New Yorkers who can`t afford a private lawyer or don`t have access to legal representation.

The helpline can help you with civil law matters, including matrimonial and family law, housing law, domestic violence, bankruptcy, debt collection and benefits. The OCJ has partnered with Legal Services to provide tenants in New York City with free access to telephone legal advice and information. If you are facing an eviction case, the CJO may provide free legal assistance through our non-profit legal service providers to provide you with legal representation or other assistance in your housing court case under city law to a lawyer. Legal advice is free, available in any zip code, and available regardless of immigration status. If you are a tenant and have questions about harassment by your landlord, repairs to your apartment or building, or your rights as a tenant, please call 311 and ask for the tenant helpline or visit the city`s online tenant resource portal for information and resources for New York City tenants. including free legal advice from the non-profit legal service providers of the CJOC. If your landlord refuses to fix a serious or dangerous situation in your home, such as mold, peeling lead paint, or leakage, or if your landlord doesn`t provide the essential services you`re legally entitled to, such as heating, hot water, gas, electricity, or adequate security, you can file a complaint with the housing court (an HP lawsuit) asking a judge to order your landlord to perform these Repairs. LawHelpNY.org provides legal information to New Yorkers who cannot afford a lawyer.

LawHelpNY lists more than 600 free legal services projects and organizations with their contact and admission information, as well as more than 4,000 Know Your Rights and self-help resources covering 16 areas of law. LawHelpNY.org is also available in Spanish. Monday Night Law — the legal advice program held on Mondays at the New York City Bar Association and other days at the New York County Lawyers Association — has been canceled until further notice. Please check here for updates on future program dates. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you believe you have been illegally locked out of your home by your landlord, the OCL may offer free legal services through our non-profit legal service providers to assist you in an “illegal lockout case” in housing court. If you are faced with a request from your landlord to make an eviction order against you, the OCJ can provide you with free legal services through our not-for-profit legal service provider partners under the City`s Right to Counsel Act. Under New York City`s Right to Attorneys Act (RTC), the DSS/HRA Office of Civil Justice (OCJ) offers tenants facing eviction in housing court or NYCHA administrative proceedings free access to legal representation and advice from nonprofit legal aid organizations in all five boroughs. Not regulated by a licensed legal services regulator Through the CJO, New York City has made an exceptional investment in legal services to level the playing field for New Yorkers in need, including renters, immigrants, low-wage workers and other New Yorkers facing civil law challenges. Today, New York City is a national leader in providing legal aid to low-income families and individuals. Our generous donors have proven their commitment to justice for all New Yorkers! Thank you very much. We do not regulate that organization, but it appears on our registry because there are SRA-regulated people working here.

Below is a list of SRA-regulated individuals in this organization. Read the 2020 Annual Report of the Office of Civil Justice.