Blog

Legal information is complex, and in our quest to simplify it for our visitors the first, crucial task is helping people find what they’re looking for. To that end, a lot of thought has gone into LawHelpNY’s navigation structure over its history. We are rolling out our latest attempt to make our materials more intuitive to explore by addressing a particular blind spot: while LawHelpNY’s site navigation provides a lot of guidance to folks who arrive at the homepage and begin looking for material from the top down, many people don’t arrive via the homepage.

New York City housing court can be challenging. It might even make you feel like a tourist in your own city. And it can be especially tricky without legal representation (going “pro-se”). Luckily there are a number of resources available, like LawHelpNY’s NYC housing court mini-portal, to help you navigate housing court. For instance, the portal includes advice from Angela Pham, a volunteer with the Metropolitan Council on Housing, who shares her 10 tips on navigating housing court.Also, additional support for Spanish-speakers now available via Housing Court Answers.

It’s hard to believe time has gone by so quickly, but earlier this month I attended my fourth LawHelp Interactive (LHI) annual technical summit. This 2-day summit has served as a time to meet in-person with the full LHI team which spans from Coast to Coast, as well as with various LHI field partners, funders, technology partners and stakeholders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=339Dcb5_sZw Learn how to file a complaint with DCA, Department of Consumer Affairs and reasons why you would want to file a complaint. DCA licenses 55 types of industries, like contractors, used car dealers, parking garages. Remember to work with licensed businesses. Even if a business is not licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs they must comply with the law. The law prohibits businesses from engaging in illegal behavior, false advertising, and more. Two ways to file a complaint: 1. Online

Under the NYC Human Rights Law - and as emphasized by Mayor Bill de Blasio's Executive Order on Monday - transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers can use single-sex facilities that correspond with their gender identity.The Commission has compiled - and corrected - some common "myths" about this aspect of our Law, as seen in the following graphics.To get all the Myths and Facts on one sheet, with additional elaboration, visit on.nyc.gov/1R0KRW98 Myths vs. Facts on Gender Identity below:

Know your rights about immigration laws.

When you need to know about unemployment insurance.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUKkSW1WjsI

“New York City has reached its highest levels of homelessness since the Great Depression,” according to Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner in an article on CityLimits.org.  With one out of every nine students in New York City public schools experiencing homelessness in the past four years, the impact on children’s education cannot be overstated.

If you work in New York this free video will help you understand your rights if you are being evicted from your home in New York City.A free video created by Legal Aid Society of New York.

Get acquainted with the basics of "No Fault Divorce," with the video below.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22O3nQYYIrMIf your divorce is "uncontested" (see the definition in the link) you can use the NY Court System's Uncontested Divorce self-help form to produce divorce papers that you can file in court. Click on the accompanying video that explains this form. Follow all the instructions on the form. If you need further help, go to www.LawHelpNY.org and click on the LiveHelp button." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1_yUwv--3QFiling for an uncontested divorce?