Pro Bono
Opportunities

In the Hudson Valley, thousands of low-income and vulnerable tenants face eviction each year, and outcomes for unrepresented litigants are often dire. LSHV is unable to directly represent each person who seeks our services. To help fill the justice gap, the Pro Bono Unit hosts a Virtual Housing Advice Clinic through which volunteers provide advice and limited-scope assistance to tenants facing eviction or related housing emergencies. The Pro Bono Unit provides clinic volunteers training, mentoring, and real-time support.

This new pro se clinic is designed to help meet the significant needs of immigrants who fear persecution in their home countries. The Pro Bono Unit screens potential applicants for eligibility before the clinic, provides a pre-recorded training to volunteers, and coordinates meetings between asylum seekers and pro bono attorneys to help complete the applications. LSHV immigration attorneys are available to provide guidance and support, and LSHV helps clients sign and mail the applications.

LSHV is always in need of pro bono attorneys to work with clients who would benefit from consultation and/or direct representation in a variety of civil practice areas. For example, we often encounter individuals who have fallen into insurmountable debt due medical bills, loss of income, or an unaffordable mortgage, and greatly need assistance with bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings. We also have clients in need of wills and/or advance directives, estate planning, and aid for kinship or adoption proceedings. Finally, LSHV is open to the possibility of creating a pro bono project or clinic based on a substantive interest or particular population in need.

Consumer Debt Defense Clinic

Hudson Valley residents sued in consumer debt actions face a great power imbalance. They are often unrepresented, do not know their rights in these cases, and are up against large, represented companies. The business of collecting and buying debt leaves litigants to untangle the web of potential creditors, and debt collection actions rarely demonstrate a system of fairness and due process.

The Pro Bono Unit is developing a Consumer Debt Defense Clinic to provide advice and limited-scope assistance to pro se litigants who have been sued for unsecured consumer debt. LSHV will assist with information and document gathering, and will provide training and on-site supervision and assistance during the clinic.