The Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts recently issued “New York Courts’ Response to the Pandemic: Observations, Perspectives, and Recommendations,” a report summarizing the challenges and opportunities associated with remote court operations. This Commission was created in June 2020 as the court system navigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
LawHelpNY

Announcing the LawHelpNY.org Relaunch: A User Friendly, Easily Accessible Experience for New Yorkers to Get the Legal Help They Need
Pro Bono Net, in partnership with LawNY and with funding from the Legal Services Corporation, is excited to announce the relaunch of LawHelpNY.org in the open source framework, Drupal. The LawHelpNY rebuild project is set to launch on July 27, 2022.
Pro Bono Net engaged a design agency to complete a human-centered design review process …

With a Looming Eviction Crisis, Pro Bono Net Offers Tools that Can Help
On August 3, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) implemented a groundbreaking housing federal eviction moratorium in areas substantially hit by COVID infections, so as to ease the burden on public health control measures in the wake of the pandemic.
As innovative as the edict was, unfortunately the federal order came to an end …
Almost 10 Years After Superstorm Sandy, New York is Now Recovering from Another Major Disaster
Superstorm Sandy was the deadliest hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season, causing $70 Billion in damage and 233 fatalities over the span of eight countries from the Caribbean to continental North America.¹ A snapshot of the hurricane as a Category 2 would later deem it to be the largest hurricane on record, registering a …

Pro Bono Net’s New York Program Director’s Testimony Access to Justice in the post-COVID Legal Landscape
The New York State Bar Association President’s Committee on Access to Justice recently requested testimony from public interest legal services organizations, law firms, solo- practitioners and other providers of legal services to New York’s low-income communities. Areas of focus included developments since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding access to justice in relation to …
Pro Bono Net is Grateful for our LiveHelp Volunteers | Pro Bono Week 2021
Each year, Pro Bono Net celebrates Pro Bono Week by recognizing and thanking the thousands of volunteer lawyers who make a huge difference for those in need. This year, we would like to give a very special thank you to our past and present LiveHelp Volunteers.
As we continue to be immersed in a global …

Pro Bono Net Resources Used to Support Domestic Violence Victims
October was first declared as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1989. A staggering number of Americans experience violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. According to the CDC, “ [a]bout 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate …
LiveHelp Volunteer Spotlight: Jordan Kaufman is Driven by Empathy
For LiveHelp volunteer Jordan Kaufman, the motivation to use his legal skillset to help those in need comes from a place of profound empathy for his fellow New Yorkers. Jordan’s love for New York and its residents has been present his whole life, hailing from Nassau County, Long Island and completing his undergraduate studies with …
LiveHelp Volunteer Spotlight: Safaa Aly is Motivated by Community
Safaa Aly first started volunteering with LiveHelp in the fall of 2020, hoping to find a way to support those in her community with the legal skills that she acquired during her time at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. The COVID-19 pandemic played a huge role in illuminating the importance of community for …
5 Legal Aid Web Usability Insights
Lately we have been working through some new designs for new partnerships as well as redesigning some existing sites. We’ve launched TenantHelpNY.org, a new resource that provides clear and easy guidance to tenants facing eviction. We also have a forthcoming redesign of LawHelpNY.org, a hub of legal aid information in NY state. This …