The Free Legal Clinic was conceived by the New York State Courts Access to Justice Community Outreach Program as part of the American Bar Association’s “Celebrate Pro Bono” initiative, taking place nationwide during the final week of October (October 24-28). The objective of the “Free Legal Clinic” was to provide free legal counseling to underserved sectors of New York City’s diverse communities. This was to be achieved by partnering with a different local organization in each of the five boroughs each day of the week, and create temporary consultation spaces where needy community members could receive free services in the form of:
Private one-on-one legal consultations with attorneys
Public informational sessions with court clerks.
The Clinic was held at the following locations:
Monday, Oct. 24: Staten Island – Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Tompkinsville.
Tuesday, Oct. 25: Brooklyn – The Upper Room Baptist Church, Bedford Stuyvesant.
Wednesday, Oct. 26: Bronx – Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, South Bronx.
Thursday, Oct. 27: Queens – Interfaith Harmony and World Peace, Jackson Heights.
Friday, Oct. 28: Manhattan – St. Mark’s in the Bowery, Lower East Side.
Above: The Free Legal Clinic team in Manhattan.
A majority of the volunteer attorneys came to the project courtesy of New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG). Over the course of the week,171 people received private legal consultations, while 75 people took advantage of the public information sessions. In total, 246 people received services from the Free Legal Clinic.
Above: The Free Legal Clinic team in the Bronx.
As the Interim Program Associate who facilitated this event, I can offer an observation that helps put the Free Legal Clinic’s effectiveness into perspective. About midway through the week, I spoke with a group of volunteer attorneys, and showed them the previous day’s stack of evaluation forms. Virtually every client reported being “very satisfied” with their consultation, and now felt “much better” about their legal situation.
The lawyers were clearly moved and pleased to think they had been so helpful. But they also downplayed their role. One lawyer observed that he had rarely given clients any new information. “Most people” he said, “just want to know if they have considered all their options. They need an outsider to confirm that, yes, it will be possible for them to pick up the pieces of their lives.” The other attorneys nodded in agreement. One attorney picked up an evaluation form at random and read the client’s comment:“Now I can move forward to do what I need to do.”
This single comment illuminates what could be the most important contribution the Free Legal Clinic may have made: that it helped people regain their sense of self-control and direction.
Above: The Free Legal Clinic team in Queens.
