This course provides comprehensive debt collection defense training for attorneys. Debt collection and debt harassment are dramatically on the rise, yet these cases are often not sufficiently understood by many attorneys. This course has been designed to increase your knowledge and skills for practice in Civil Court.

This course has also been designed to provide training for lawyers who wish to volunteer for the CLARO (Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office) project. CLARO is an exciting and innovative advice project to assist pro se debtors who are being sued by their creditors in Kings County Civil Court. It is at the forefront of a strong pro se advice movement in the legal community. Volunteer attorneys are in a unique position to provide information and advice that can dramatically improve access to justice for the underrepresented.

Topics:
Introduction-6:00-6:05 P.M.
Ethics of Working with Pro Se Litigants & Unbundling Legal Services-6:05-6:30 P.M.
Debt Collection Process-6:30-6:55 P.M.
Court Process-6:55-7:20 P.M.
Substantive Defenses-7:20-8 P.M.
Discovery Devices-8-8:30 P.M.

This program is FREE to attorneys who agree to volunteer for a minimum of two CLARO sessions, and to legal services organization staff. CLARO sessions are provided Thursday evenings from 6-8 P.M. at Kings County Civil Court in downtown Brooklyn.

GINA CALABRESE, Assoc. Director and Assistant Prof., St. John's Law School Elder Law Clinic; RICHARD A. KLASS, ESQ., The Law Offices of Richard A. Klass; APRIL NEWBAUER, ESQ., Attorney-in-Charge, Legal Aid Society, Queens Civil Practice; Chair, N.Y. City Bar Association Civil Court Committee; KARUNA PATEL, ESQ., MFY Legal Services, Inc.; ISAAC TUCHMAN, ESQ., Law Firm of Tuchman & Tuchman.