Finding Free and Reliable Legal Assistance: Tips for Working with an Immigrant Population

Thousands more people seek free legal assistance than is available. In 2009, The Legal Aid Society
helped only one out of nine New Yorkers seeking legal assistance, and Legal Services-NYC was only
able to “fully serve” 12% of those who sought its help. The resources on the LawHelp.org/NY website
try to fill this gap in service.

Problems or questions about immigration are incredibly sensitive, so community members often turn to
religious leaders for assistance. Due to the complexity of immigration cases, providing people with
complete legal information is essential, as is making a referral to a reliable and licensed legal aid
provider. In addition, immigrants often have problems—like with eviction, child support, and name
changes—that they are hesitant to address because of their immigration status. This training will
demonstrate the interactive forms that the courts have developed to assist people with these issues.

This workshop will provide participants with the tools to assist low-income community members with legal problems by teaching community leaders to use the LawHelp.org/NY website to find expert-written information on the legal rights of immigrants, to use LawHelp/NY’s directory of nearly every free legal service provider throughout New York State, and to find information on navigating New York’s court system. All participants with be provided with multilingual fliers and brochures.

When:

Thursday, October 28, 2010
9:00am – 11:00am

Where:

Queens Family Court
151-20 Jamaica Avenue
Part 8, Room 320
Jamaica, NY 11432

Featuring:

Leah Margulies, Esq., Project Director, LawHelp.org/NY
Molly Coe, NYC Outreach Coordinator, LawHelp.org/NY

RSVP at (212) 870-3515 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (212) 870-3515 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or to anushavan@interfaithcenter.org. Please leave your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

The New York LawHelp Consortium, which oversees the LawHelp.org/NY website, consists of organizations
serving low-income people throughout New York State: Legal Assistance of Western New York, the City Bar
Justice Center, Legal Services-NYC, The Legal Aid Society of New York, Pro Bono Net, Volunteers of Legal
Service, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Empire Justice Center, New York State Bar Association,
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley and Nassau/Suffolk Law Services.