Legal Hand

Legal Hand empowers community residents to support their neighbors with the legal information they need.

Legal Hand trains local volunteers at storefront centers in some of New York’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. These volunteers provide free legal information and referrals to their neighbors. Assistance can take many forms, including help with navigating the social services system, completing online legal forms, and drafting form letters. A legal services attorney is on-site at each Legal Hand office to train and assist volunteers.

Legal Hand operates in Brooklyn in Crown Heights, in Jamaica, Queens, and the Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx. The program is run by the Center for Justice Innovation in collaboration with the New York State court system, the Legal Aid Society, Legal Services NYC, and New York Legal Assistance Group.

Connect with Us

www.legalhand.org

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Photo Gallery

New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore visits Legal Hand Brownsville for an open house event — Judges Pay a Visit

New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, third from left, and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks, third from right, visit Legal Hand in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

A Cadre of Volunteers

Community volunteers are trained to work with visitors one-on-one to help solve their legal issues.

Publications & Digital Media

Publication
Fact Sheet: Housing Justice

Housing is a human right and the foundation for strong communities. Access to a safe and affordable home creates economic and community stability. This fact sheet highlights the challenges and how our staff are working to prevent evictions, help landlords address health hazards, and increase tenant financial and legal empowerment. By addressing issues early, we keep people safely housed and avoid legal system involvement that can affect employment, family security, and future access to stable housing.

Access to Justice
Publication
Eviction Prevention and Mental Health

by Ignacio Jaureguilorda, Faith Laurel, Ruth Lopez, and Merrill Rotter

While eviction is a universally stressful event, people with mental health conditions can face unique obstacles with housing retention for reasons related specifically to their disability. This guide provides a review of housing settings and specific risks of eviction for individuals with mental illness before focusing on housing court and the challenges these individuals and court personnel face therein and identifies junctures at which supportive, problem-solving interventions can ensure the necessary community supports and legal representation.

Placemaking, Reducing Trauma, Reentry
Publication
Fact Sheet: Legal Hand

At Legal Hand, our trained community volunteers provide free legal information, assistance and referrals to help members of low-income communities resolve issues that affect their lives, in areas like housing, family, immigration, divorce, domestic violence, and benefits and try to prevent problems from turning into legal actions.

Access to Justice