Pro Bono in New York webinar series presents

The Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project and Consumer Debt: An Introduction to the Volunteer Lawyers Project and a Substantive Training on Consumer Debt Litigation in Civil Court

- Recorded Webinar Now Online!
- Consumer Debt Training Materials

Description of Session: This program features the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project and focuses on their many pro bono opportunities, including the successful CLARO (Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office) program, an exciting and innovative advice project for pro se debtors sued by creditors in Kings County Civil Court. You will learn how to find interesting pro bono projects from the VLP in the areas of Family Law, Consumer Law, Foreclosure Intervention and Elder Law. The VLP's services are available to poor and low income residents of Brooklyn, especially those who have particular difficulty in accessing the legal system, including victims of domestic violence, the elderly and the disabled.

The VLP will present substantive training in the workings of CLARO and the tools needed to provide advice and counsel to pro se debtors in civil court. Please note this training does not provide CLE credit.

Presenters: Sidney Cherubin, Supervising Attorney, and Jessica Spiegel, Pro Bono Coordinator, Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project.

About the Brooklyn Bar Association VLP:

The Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (the VLP) is the only borough-wide provider of pro bono legal services in Brooklyn. Cases are staffed by attorneys from the private bar who volunteer to assist indigent clients who cannot afford legal representation. In addition, staff attorneys and legal professionals in the office offer brief advice and counsel to clients, provide information and referrals to other legal services agencies, and mentor and supervise private attorneys as needed. Among the pro bono projects at the VLP are: Senior LEAP (a legal education outreach program for senior citizens), the Consumer Bankruptcy Panel, the Foreclosure Intervention Panel, the Family Law Project, including Pro Se Uncontested Divorce clinics, weekly CLARO clinics and more.

About Pro Bono Net (PBN): Pro Bono Net (www.probono.net) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to justice through innovative uses of technology and increased volunteer lawyer participation. Pro Bono Net's program's include probono.net, LawHelp.org, NPADO.org and Pro Bono Manager. Pro Bono Net's web platforms have been adopted in 30 states and regions, reaching approximately two-thirds of the poverty population and lawyers in the United States.

About Pro Bono in New York: The goal of this new series is to increase the number of attorneys involved in pro bono work in New York. Each webinar will highlight a NYC-based or upstate pro bono program and/or substantive legal topic, offering a virtual orientation session to attorneys wanting to learn how to get involved. This series has been funded by the New York Community Trust.