DECEMBER
New French Pop-up Program
The New York State Courts Access to Justice Program is proud to present the first ever trilingual A2J module! With the creation of new French pop-ups, the Tenant Affidavit to Vacate a Default Judgment Program is accessible for French speaking unrepresented litigants, as well as being available in English and Spanish. This is a free program that helps unrepresented tenants make an Order to Show Cause to vacate a default judgment for failure to appear or answer a nonpayment or holdover case in New York City Housing Court. The program is available on the NYC Housing Court website.
New Spanish Feature Added to Support Modification DIY Form Program
The New York State Courts Access to Justice Program has added a new Spanish language feature to the Family Court Support Modification Petition Program for Spanish speaking unrepresented litigants. Every screen of the Support Modification Program has an "Español" link which opens a pop-up window with the Spanish translation of the screen. The program can be accessed through CourtHelp. The program generates instructions and pleadings in English, with a Spanish copy of the instructions for the litigant.
NOVEMBER
New videos for New York City landlords and tenants have been posted on the NYS Courts Access to Justice Program's YouTube page. There is a "how-to" video for landlord/owners to learn how to collect rent in the NYC Housing Court. There is also a two-part "how-to" video for tenants to learn how to get repairs and services in the NYC Housing Court. Check them out!
The New York State Courts Access to Justice Program has published a Nonpayment Eviciton Guide for tenants outside New York City, entitled: Tenant Questions & Answers: Nonpayment Eviction Cases in New York State. This guide is part of a series of landlord and tenant guides for unrepresented litigants in New York State.
In recognition of National Pro Bono Celebration Week, on November 1, 2011, the NYS Courts Access to Justice Program, along with the New York County Lawyers' Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York
held a pro bono awards ceremony to honor our outstanding dedicated volunteer attorneys for their pro bono service. See pictures of the event on the NYS Courts Access to Justice - Volunteer Laywer's Program's Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/NYCourtsVLP.
OCTOBER
New York County Civil Court Civil Clerk's Office wins the DIY Star Award
On October 4, 2011, The NYC Civil Court's Civil Clerk's Office DIY Staff was awarded the NYS Courts Access to Justice Program's prestigious DIY Star Award. The award is presented from time to time to courts and individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the successful development and implementation of the DIY Form programs. The Civil Clerk's Office staff received the award because of their outstanding customer service, their impressive usage statistics of the civil DIY Forms by litigants in the Clerk's Office, and their changes in procedures that led to greater access to justice for unrepresented litigants. Read about the Clerk's Office Staff.
The Chief Judge's 2011 Hearings on Civil Legal Services
The Hon. Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge of the State of New York, is conducting
four public hearings
