Who We Help

Our clients have many faces – mothers who need child support to provide for their children; families whose food stamps have been improperly terminated or who face eviction as a result of improper benefit reductions; parents accused of child neglect because their landlords have failed to repair housing code violations; elderly people faced with foreclosure or who must choose between medical care and food to eat; or victims of domestic violence for whom protective orders may be a matter of life or death.

We help:

• Families
• Children
• Seniors
• People with Disabilities
• People with HIV
• Consumers
• Communities

Families

Our family law practice focuses on family preservation where feasible, and dignity for clients and their children. We help victims of domestic violence obtain orders of protection and other relief; we prepare guardianships or adoptions for dependent children; and we represent parents in abuse and neglect cases and at termination of parental rights proceedings. Our matrimonial work includes divorces, separation agreements, annulments, child custody and child support claims.

We also help families by assisting clients in preserving their homes and averting homelessness. In fact, the largest part of our caseload is housing matters. We defend clients in nonpayment and other eviction proceedings as well as in mortgage foreclosure proceedings. We help clients pursue rent overcharge claims and actions to improve housing conditions so they can stay in their homes and communities.

Children

Our clients are often children who are struggling with the school system. We work to: advance their right to decent and appropriate education; ensure the city addresses students with special education needs; and ensure that students' rights are protected in disciplinary and other proceedings.

Seniors

Elderly persons on fixed or limited incomes have unique legal problems. We help these clients by securing and retaining rent subsidies, social security, and other public benefits and private retirement benefits on their behalf and helping them secure appropriate home care and health care. We also help them fight discrimination.

People with Disabilities

We help people with disabilities by assisting them in retaining and obtaining disability benefits, helping them assert their right to be free from discrimination, and advocating for fair access to public accommodations.

HIV Advocacy

Our HIV projects help persons with HIV and AIDS navigate the complex maze of legal issues they face related to their condition in the areas of: permanency planning, including wills, health care proxies and advance directives for parents who are terminally ill; government benefits and programs for which they are eligible as a result of their HIV status; eviction; access to medical care; and discrimination.

Consumers

We help our clients with consumer law problems: obtaining federal bankruptcy protection where appropriate, stopping unlawful debt collection practices, overcoming illegal sale contracts or warranties, and preventing or overcoming utility terminations.

Communities

We represent community-based client groups that are involved in efforts to improve the quality of life in their communities. We act as counsel, helping non-profit community organizations to incorporate, helping community development corporations to navigate the complex maze of tax laws, government subsidies, real estate laws and the like, and helping client groups assert their rights to habitable homes, decent schools and adequate health care.

Our services are available to eligible low-income people. Contact our central office for more information.

Illustrative Cases

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