DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The 10th-anniversary celebration of the City Bar Justice Center’s Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project was held in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, in the building’s third-floor atrium on the evening of March 27.
The Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project (Fed Pro) of the City Bar Justice Center provides free, limited-scope legal services to pro se litigants (plaintiffs or defendants) who cannot afford to hire an attorney with cases in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of New York.
A great benefit
Kurt Denk speaks. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
Fed Pro can assist litigants by providing brief legal counseling, advising litigants about whether they should file a federal lawsuit, interpreting and explaining federal law and procedure, and reviewing draft pleadings and correspondence with the court.
The project annually serves an average of 370 litigants with more than 400 individual matters. Judges and the Pro Se writ clerks have informed litigants about the project, contributing to an annual average of 200 new litigants receiving assistance.
Director of the Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project for the Eastern District of New York, Jean Soo Park, told the Brooklyn Eagle that one of the key objectives of the project is education.
“A lot of people don’t know the federal litigation process — they don’t know the judicial process — they don’t know what it’s like to come here before a judge, and we are helping them understand,” Park said.
Chief Judge Margo Brodie underlined that this has been a great benefit to judges — “but also an incredible gift to our pro se litigants who now have access to expert legal advice and guidance for free,” she said.
Executive Director of the City Bar Justice Center Kurt Denk pointed out that their “services have benefitted a massive chunk of our fellow New Yorkers — and we are keeping at it.”
In 2014, Magistrate Judge and current Chief Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom and the Board of Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, with additional support from the Eastern District Civil Litigation Fund, created a Pro Se Project to provide limited scope assistance to self-represented litigants who have a civil case or are thinking of commencing a case in federal court. Since opening its doors on March 26, 2015, the City Bar Justice Center’s Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project has contributed to serving the public.
City Bar background
The City Bar Justice Center — the largest division of the New York City Bar Association’s charitable affiliate, the City Bar Fund — furthers access to justice by addressing unmet civil legal needs of New Yorkers struggling with poverty and other systemic socioeconomic barriers. The Justice Center mobilizes law firms, corporate legal departments and other legal institutions to provide pro bono legal services; educates the public on pertinent legal issues; fosters strategic community relationships; and impacts public policy.
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
