Project H.E.L.P.

U.S. District Judge Jim Zainey founded Project H.E.L.P. (the Homeless Experience Legal Project) in New Orleans to provide the homeless with free legal assistance. The program has expanded to over 15 U.S. cities.

Project H.E.L.P. sets up legal clinics in homeless shelters that are staffed by local law firms, practitioners, and law students. Activities include helping people apply for social security/disability benefits, maintaining certified copies of identification documents (since an individual will only be admitted to a homeless shelter with a proper ID), and other legal issues.

For more information about H.E.L.P., please visit http://www.homelesslegalprotection.com/.

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New York City Foreclosure Project

In the wake of the recent foreclosure crisis, New York City is attempting to recruit an additional 300 attorneys over the next three months to provide legal assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure.
The plan calls for stationing 100 attorneys at various courthouses throughout the city to screen litigants and give legal advice. An additional 200 would be matched with individual homeowners and represent them through the settlement process.

In a May 12, 2009, letter to bar groups, law schools and the 100 largest law firms, Mr. Bloomberg and Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman urged attorneys to volunteer for the program.

More information about the New York City foreclosure project can be found here: http://www.law.com/jsp/nylj/PubArticleNY.jsp?id=1202447130394&City_Attempts_to_Boost_Pro_Bono_Ranks_To_Assist_Families_Facing_Foreclosures&hbxlogin=1

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FLAG-Ohio

Ohio Chief Justice Thomas Moyer and U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko worked to establish the Foreclosure Legal Assistance Group of Ohio (FLAG-Ohio).

Under the program, low-income homeowners who cannot afford a lawyer can call a toll free number or visit www.ag4ohio.gov to be screened for eligibility and obtain general information about the foreclosure process. Homeowners who meet the income and other criteria are then referred to the legal aid society in their region. The organizations will match attorneys to them.

Participating lawyers receive foreclosure-specific training lasting from half a day to two days, depending on the scope of help the lawyer plans to provide.

Chief Justice Thomas Moyer wrote to all 37,000 lawyers in Ohio calling for more free legal help for Ohioans about to lose their homes. U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko called the response "astounding." The most successful pro bono service in the country has involved the judiciary, keeping polite pressure on lawyers, he said.

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/02/huge_pro_bono_effort_urges_att.html

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Mid-Missouri Access to Justice Project

The Mid-Missouri Access to Justice Project, operated by the state court system, provides assistance to low-income individuals attempting to access the courts in civil matters in the 13th Judicial Circuit. Currently, due to funding constraints, assistance is limited to family law cases, including cases involving domestic violence.

For more information on the Mid-Missouri Access to Justice Project, please click here:  http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=36677