Prospective RAP Assistants 
In General
What do RAP Assistants Do?
Training
Volunteer Commitment
Read What Students are Saying About RAP
Register To Volunteer
The Resolution Assistance Program (RAP) trains college students, law students and other persons deemed appropriate by the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for New York City Courts to assist unrepresented tenants and owners/landlords, who are appearing in the Resolution Part of Housing Court as parties to nonpayment proceedings.
Nonpayment proceedings are cases where landlords sue tenants to collect rent. In these disputes, tenants and owners/landlords face the possibility of losing their homes through eviction or foreclosure. Despite the high stakes, most litigants appear in court without an attorney to advocate on their behalf.
The goal of RAP is to help litigants who do not have an attorney have a productive court experience through an offering of non-legal support. Participating students work in the courtroom under the supervision of a RAP Coordinator. They have the opportunity to interact with judges, lawyers and litigants, gaining real-world experience. Whatever a student's goal is in volunteering -- helping people in need, making new contacts, learning more about representing a client in court or developing esteem -- RAP sets the stage!
For more information contact: Yacine Barry, Esq., Special Counsel to Hon. Fern A. Fisher, Housing Court Initiatives, at 646-386-5146 or RAP@courts.state.ny.us.
RAP Assistants:
- provide support to unrepresented tenants and owners/landlords, who are discussing their claims or defenses in hallway negotiations;
- encourage unrepresented tenants and owners/landlords to talk about the settlement of their cases with the court attorney or judge, where appropriate; and
- inform unrepresented tenants and owners/landlords about places to go for legal, rental or other assistance in their nonpayment proceedings.
RAP Assistants do not give legal advice or provide legal information, or get involved in negotiations or settlement conferences.
RAP offers a 2 hour training course to volunteers. The Honorable Fern A. Fisher, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for New York City Courts and Director of the New York State Courts Access to Justice Program, and/or her staff provide the instruction. At the training, students receive a program manual and take part in role playing exercises.
Training topics include:
- Housing Court Overview
- Basics of Nonpayment Proceedings
- Interviewing and Communication Skills
Students are trained at their school or at the New York County courthouse.
Students from the following area law schools are participating in RAP: Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, Brooklyn Law School, The City University of New York School of Law, Fordham University School of Law, Hofstra University School of Law, New York Law School, Pace Law School and St. John's University School of Law. Colleges participating in the program include: Bronx Community College and Boricua College.
RAP Assistants volunteer a minimum of 30 hours in the Resolution Part per year. Students are given flexibility with their schedules and may split their volunteer time into hourly blocks over a period of days or months.
If you are interested in becoming a RAP Assistant, please send an email to RAP@courts.state.ny.us or dial 646-386-5146.
