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SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
One important aspect of the
Onondaga County Bar Association's mission is to promote equal
access to the justice system. Providing services to our
community is one way we support that part of our
mission. Listed here are many of the projects the Bar
Association supports and promotes.
 VOLUNTEER LAWYER PROJECT
The Volunteer
Lawyer Project (VLP) provides opportunities for lawyers,
paralegals, and law students in Onondaga County to
participate in meeting the unmet civil legal services needs
of low-income people in our community through pro bono
service. VLP’s projects include an Eviction Defense
Program, Pro Se Divorce Clinic, Free Talk-to-a-Lawyer Legal
Clinics, Refugee Clinic, Tel-Law, Veterans Project, Annual
Elder Law Fair, and Not-For-Profit Advocacy Program.
VLP teams up
with Say Yes to Education – Syracuse (SYTE) to further
assist families with children in the
Syracuse School District with legal issues
that may interfere with their child's ability to succeed in
school. VLP and SYTE are working together to provide legal
clinics in the schools and education for parents through
SYTE’s Parent University.
We are always
looking for new volunteers for all of our projects! If you
are interested in volunteering contact the VLP 471-3409 or
email
scurran@onbar.org for more information.
In the 2011
calendar year, the OCBA VLP benefited 1,807 individuals from
direct civil legal representation. A total of 5,322
individuals benefited from services other than direct
representation. This included callers to the helpline, pro
se assistance and community legal assistance. 300 volunteer
attorneys contributed 1,524 hours of time which has a dollar
value of service of $228,600 based on a $150 per hour rate.
Weekly FREE
Talk-to-a-Lawyer Legal Clinics
VLP and SYTE together provide 5 free weekly
Talk-to-A-Lawyer walk-in Legal Clinics located at community
centers, churches and schools. These clinics provide an
opportunity to speak to a lawyer in a non-threatening
environment, often after regular business hours. Lawyers
provide advice, brief service and referrals. The regular
schedules are as follows:
Brown Memorial Church
228 Davis Street, Syracuse
Mondays: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
St. Matthews Church
229 W. Yates, East Syracuse
Tuesdays: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Westcott Community Center
826 Euclid Ave., Syracuse
Thursdays: 6 PM - 8 PM
McKinley-Brighton Elementary School
141 W. Newell Street, Syracuse
Tuesdays: 2 PM – 4PM
When school is in session
Dr. King Magnet School
416 E. Raynor Ave, Syracuse
Thursdays: 3 PM – 5PM
When school is in session
● Attorneys - If you are interested in volunteering
your time at our neighborhood centers,
link here to download the form.
Fill out and email to
scurran@onbar.org
Pro
Bono Legal Clinic for Veterans & Active Military Service
Members
Located at the Vet
Center in Syracuse, attorneys meet with Vets monthly. The
project is overseen by an attorney volunteer and staffed by
other volunteer attorneys recruited from the OCBA's
membership.
The Clinic takes place
the first Wednesday of every month from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at
The Vet Center, located at 109 Pine St., Suite 101
Syracuse, NY 13210.
Refugee
“Talk to a Lawyer” Clinic
VLP has teamed up with
Interfaith Works to provide a monthly “Talk to a Lawyer”
clinic to help meet the legal needs of the refugee
population in Syracuse.
Amaus
Health Services Legal Clinic
Local
attorneys meet with community members who are seeking health
services to address their unmet legal needs. Please call
Volunteer Lawyer Project at 471-3409 or email
vlp@onbar.org
for more information
Eviction
Defense Program
To meet the needs of unrepresented indigent
tenants facing eviction in Syracuse City Court, VLP
coordinates a “lawyer-of-the-day” program five days a week.
The non-lawyer Program Coordinator attends court, screens
clients for income eligibility, and conducts initial
interviews and then the client is represented by that day’s
volunteer attorney(s). The project is staffed by volunteer
attorneys from four law firms and attorneys in private
practice.
East
Syracuse Justice Court Eviction Defense Project
VLP volunteer attorneys appear in East
Syracuse Justice Court twice a month to assist tenants
facing evictions are not able to afford to hire
representation.
Uncontested
Divorce Clinic
The VLP Uncontested Divorce Clinic provides
free assistance to low-income people in Onondaga County
seeking to obtain an uncontested divorce pro se. Intake and
orientation for the Clinic is provided by Legal Aid Society
of Mid-New York. Divorce paperwork preparation and follow-up
meetings with clients are conducted by VLP. The project is
staffed by volunteer lawyers, paralegals and law students
with support from the VLP staff. Please call the Legal Aid
Society of Mid-New York for an intake to determine
eligibility; at 877-777-6152.
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Tel-Law
On the second Wednesday of
each month, two attorneys from a local law firm
volunteer from 1pm to 4 pm to answer calls to the VLP
call-in line. They are able to assess an issue and then
immediately refer a caller to the appropriate help. For
a schedule of times attorneys are available call our
Lawyer Referral line at 471-2690.
Not-For-Profit
Advocacy Program
The VLP found that
throughout the 5th Judicial District the basic elements
of not for profit incorporating are not readily
available or affordable. The officers and directors of a
new not-for-profit usually need guidance with respect to
their duties and responsibilities. VLP recognized that
when a troubled n-f-p collapses it may create shock
waves throughout the community. The assistance of
volunteer counsel at any stage might prevent this from
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SERVICES
FOR SENIOR CITIZENS
Annual Elder Law
Fair
Senior citizens on fixed and
limited incomes need education about such matters as wills,
trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, and living
wills, with place and opportunity to execute such documents.
For the last ten years the Elder Law Fair has been a
collaborative effort between VLP, AARP, the Legal Aid
Society of Mid-New York, Legal Services of Central New York,
and the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth and
the NYS Attorney General’s office. The Fair provides
community education on topics of particular interest to
seniors including: catastrophic care, grandparents rights,
estate planning for special needs, consumer protection,
identity theft, avoiding exploitation, estate planning for
unmarried couples, basic estate planning, payment options
for long term care, health care proxies and living wills,
Medicare and supplemental insurance, Medicaid in plain
English, Social Security and from independent living to
nursing home care. The Fair also include a free
Talk-to-A-Lawyer Legal clinic sponsored by the OCBA Senior
Lawyer Section. The Elder Law Fair is held each May. Last
year fifteen volunteer attorneys were available for
twenty-minute free consultations
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SERVICES FOR
HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS
Law
Week
For information on
the 2011 Law Week Activities, click here.
Law Day was instituted
by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1961 to celebrate
the profession of law. It is celebrated nationwide
on May 1st of every year. In Onondaga County, we
have expanded this day to include the entire first week
of May. Law Day itself includes a Law Day Ceremony &
Luncheon, poster, photography, and essay contests, as
well as courthouse tours. The remainder of the week
consists of attorneys visiting area classrooms and
hosting students in their law offices. The week
is a wonderful opportunity for students and the legal
profession.
If you are a student in grades 7 through
12, and are interested in participating in one of these
contests or shadow opportunities, please contact the Law Week Coordinator at
471-2667 or
info1@onbar.org.
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Teens
& The Law Booklet
As part of a Law Week
project, attorneys, judges, and leaders of the Syracuse
community, worked together to form a “Teens & The
Law” Booklet. The booklet was created to prevent
teens, through education, from committing crimes.
The booklet highlights areas such as Assault, Drug
Possession, Emancipation, DWI, Date Rape, Employment of
Minors, Searches & Seizures, Hate Crimes, Sexual
Harassment, and Weapons in Our Schools. Each category
has an example scenario, definition, consequence
section, and a list of resources of where to go for
help.
If you would like a copy of this
booklet, simply forward a request to
vlp@onbar.org or call
471-2667.
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Mock
Trial Competitions
Every
year, the Onondaga County Bar Association hosts a mock
trial competition for local high school students.
The New York State Bar Association creates a mock case
and distributes it to Bar Associations throughout the
state. School teams then compete at the county,
regional and state levels where one school team emerges
as the champion.
For more information regarding meets
or how to get involved, please contact us
at
471-2667 or
info1@onbar.org
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