Monthly Archives: April 2010

Haitian Immigration Legal Assistance Program (HILAP): Volunteer Attorney Training

Register for this training.

When: WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2010 — 6:00-8:00 pm
Where: Brooklyn Bar Association – Auditorium
123 Remsen Street, Brooklyn
2 MCLE CREDITS: SKILLS
Appropriate for both newly admitted & experienced attorneys

Presentations by:
CAROLYN GEORGE, Supervising Attorney, Dwa Fanm
JOANNE MACRI, Director, Criminal Defense Immigration Project, New York State Defenders Association
PREMILA REDDY, HILAP Volunteer Attorney
SARAH VENDZULES, Immigration Unit Attorney, Brooklyn Defender Services
MARIANNE YANG, Immigration Unit Director, Brooklyn Defender Services

Topics include:
Temporary Protected Status (TPS): Benefits and Risks; Eligibility Requirements; Fee Requirements and Fee Waiver Requests
Clinic Process: Intake; Criminal Check; Filling Out Forms and Exit Procedures

This course is FREE to those who agree to volunteer for a minimum of two three-hour sessions with the Haitian Immigration Legal Assistance Project. Experienced attorneys receive additional MCLE credit for every 6 hours of eligible pro bono service.

Click here to download the registration flyer.

2010 Pro Bono Fair

The VLP invites you to attend the 2010 Pro Bono Fair!

Monday, April 26, 2010
5:30—7:00 PM
Brooklyn Bar Association
123 Remsen Street
Brooklyn, NY

Meet VLP staff, mentors, volunteers, and members of the judiciary at a
special event highlighting the VLP’s many pro bono opportunities.

Learn how you can give back to the Brooklyn community and gain valuable skills through the VLP’s unique projects.

Wine and light refreshments will be served. RSVP requested but not required. Please email probonofair@brooklynvlp.org, or call 718-624-3894, ext. 4.

Current VLP volunteers: share your experiences! We encourage all VLP volunteers, past and present, to attend the fair and share their experiences with prospective volunteers. For more information, contact Pro Bono Coordinator Jessica Spiegel at 718-624-3894, ext. 4

CLE: Civil Court Pro Se Debtor Assistance and the CLARO Program: Basic Training

When: TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2010 – 6:00pm-9:00pm
Where: New York City Civil Court, 111 Centre Street, 11th Floor Jury Room

3 MCLE CREDITS (1.5 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE; 1.5 SKILLS) – APPROPRIATE FOR BOTH NEWLY ADMITTED & EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS

This course is FREE to those who volunteer for 6 total hours with CLARO or 12 total hours with the Civil Court consumer debt pro se assistance programs by October 29, 2010. In some circumstances, experienced attorneys who volunteer receive an additional MCLE credit for each six (6) hours of volunteer service.

TO REGISTER please email vlpcivil@courts.state.ny.us
For more information, please contact: Dora Galacatos of the Feerick Center at galacatos@law.fordham.edu.

Volunteers can serve one of the following consumer debt pro se assistance programs, all of which provide limited legal advice to unrepresented debtor-defendants:

• Bronx CLARO
• Brooklyn CLARO
• Manhattan CLARO (must be a NYCLA member or Fordham Law School alumnus/a)
• Queens CLARO
• The Civil Court Consumer Debt Lawyer for the Day Program, Brooklyn
• The Civil Court Help Center Consumer Debt Advice Program, Manhattan

Presented by: The NYS Courts Access to Justice Program and the CLARO Program Partners: New York City Bar, Bronx County Bar Association, Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, CLARO/SAG Brooklyn Law School, Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School, New York County Lawyers’ Association and Queens County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project

Luis Rodriguez

VLP Volunteer Attorney Luis Rodriguez

VLP Volunteer Attorney Luis Rodriguez

Luis Rodriguez approached the Volunteer Lawyers Project last year in hopes of putting his legal and financial skills to work helping low-income Brooklyn residents. Since then he has been an active VLP volunteer, providing pro bono assistance to clients through the VLP’s Chapter 7 Bankruptcy project.

Below, Luis answers a few questions about his involvement in the VLP.

The VLP: Tell us a bit about your background.

LR: I have a BS and MBA in Finance, JD, and am currently pursuing an LLM in Taxation from New York Law School. I am admitted to practice in New York, and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. For the last ten years I have been a corporate finance attorney documenting various types of derivative transactions for sell-side banking and brokerage firms, and last year I volunteered for the VLP’s Bankruptcy project where the highlight and challenge has been representing clients in their Chapter 7 bankruptcy matters.

While not assisting VLP clients, I also serve as an active board member, and former Treasurer, of Manhattan Community Board Five in Midtown (www.cb5.org), in addition to serving as the Treasurer and board member of En Foco, Inc. (www.enfoco.org), a photographic arts nonprofit.

The VLP: How did you become involved with the Volunteer Lawyers Project and what types of pro bono cases have you handled though the VLP?

LR: I was looking to volunteer for pro bono services where I could lever my financial experience and passion for personal service, and as a Brooklyn native, the VLP’s Bankruptcy Project was a great fit. I worked on the Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions of two clients that spoke and read only Spanish.

Like most clients in their circumstances they were embarrassed and fraught with anxiety. After counseling them about the bankruptcy process and walking them through the credit counseling course they walked away more confident that they could begin their financial life anew.

The VLP: Why do you do pro bono work?

LR: It’s one of my core beliefs that attorneys have an ethical obligation to provide pro bono services – it’s not only a good thing to do, it’s the right thing to do as a citizen.

The VLP: How do you balance your private practice with your pro bono work?

LR: It begins with enjoying what I do for a living, then finding pro bono work that I am just as passionate about; however, having someone special in your life that is understanding and supportive certainly is a great advantage.

The VLP: What would you tell other attorneys who are thinking about volunteering with the VLP?

LR: My experience at VLP has been very positive. The VLP staff are friendly, knowledgeable and supportive – a pleasure to work with. VLP’s offices are conveniently near the Bankruptcy court and transportation hubs.

CLE: Advanced Topics in Mortgage Foreclosure – Extenuating Circumstances

Download the registration flyer

When: Thursday, April 22, 2010 – 6:00-8:00 pm
Where: Brooklyn Bar Association – Auditorium
123 Remsen Street, Brooklyn
2 MCLE CREDITS: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Appropriate for both newly admitted & experienced attorneys

Presented by
JAIME LATHROP, ESQ., Director, Foreclosure Intervention Project, Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc.

Program Overview
This lecture is intended to cover complex situations arising within the context of mortgage foreclosures and possible solutions which practitioners can utilize in order to resolve outstanding issues with banks and other adverse parties.

Topics will include:
Questions of Primary Residency; Foreclosures and Divorce; Documenting the Income of the Self-Employed Homeowner; Foreclosure and Unemployed Homeowners; Estates of Decedents; Deeds, Transfers and Chain of Title; Tax Liens; Fraudulent Deeds and Actions to Quiet Title; Short Sales; Deficiency Judgments; Foreclosure in Federal District Court; and Foreclosure Defense and Professional Responsibility

Your Commitment
This course is intended solely for homeowner advocates who plan to volunteer through the VLP Foreclosure Intervention Project. There is no charge for the training. Participants agree to accept at least one pro bono referral for a Foreclosure or other matter from the VLP before July 22, 2010. Experienced attorneys receive additional MCLE credit for every 6 hours of eligible pro bono service.

Register for this training

CLE: Introduction to HAMP and Foreclosure Settlement Conference Advocacy

Download the registration flyer

When: Monday, April 19, 2010 – 6:00-8:30 pm
Where: Brooklyn Bar Association – Auditorium
123 Remsen Street, Brooklyn
2 MCLE CREDITS:
1 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, 1 SKILLS

Presented by
Representatives from the Volunteer Lawyers Project Foreclosure Intervention Program and Representatives from the South Brooklyn Legal Services Foreclosure Prevention Project

Program Overview
This program, intended for homeowner advocates only, is an introductory training regarding the Home Affordable Modification Program and foreclosure settlement conference advocacy. This training will provide an overview of the HAMP program and settlement conference process and basic advocacy tools to successfully resolve foreclosure cases on behalf of homeowners. The program will also include training on the new settlement conference law and rules, revised HAMP guidelines, and Q&A.

Your Commitment
This course is intended solely for homeowner advocates who plan to volunteer through the VLP Foreclosure Intervention Project. There is no charge for the training. Participants agree to accept at least one pro bono referral for a Foreclosure or other matter from the VLP before July 19, 2010. Experienced attorneys receive additional MCLE credit for every 6 hours of eligible pro bono service.

Register for this training