Evictions, Foreclosure, Consumer Debt To Be Addressed By NYC Legal Outreach Pro Bono Effort

In New York City, The New York Law Journal reports:

• With foreclosures and evictions on the rise and consumers increasingly saddled with debt, New York City officials are enlisting attorneys to volunteer their time for a new pro bono effort. Approximately 40 representatives from pro bono organizations, the court system, several bar associations and city law schools gathered [last week] at City Hall to kick off "NYC Legal Outreach."

• "This bottom line . . . is to figure out a way to harness pro bono legal help to those who really need it," Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo told the group. [...] The city does not want to "reinvent the wheel" but rather "galvanize" more volunteers and add the "mayor's bully pulpit" to existing efforts, Mr. Cardozo said.

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• Specifically, NYC Legal Outreach will focus on four "key" service areas: evictions, foreclosures, consumer debt and immigration, all areas that have mushroomed as a result of the financial crisis.

For more, see City Launches Program to Boost the Ranks of Pro Bono Attorneys.