Kings County Surrogates Make Call for Attorney Assistance

March 9, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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CLE Training Course March 28

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Earlier this week, Kings County Surrogates Margarita Lopez Torres and Diana A. Johnson sent the following letter out to the Brooklyn legal community:

Open Letter to All Concerned Attorneys:

Last year, in response to severe staff reductions, the Surrogate’s Court, in cooperation with the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc., instituted a pro-se assistance program in the Guardianship Department. The response from attorneys to the Court’s call to serve was overwhelming. The program was a tremendous success, with many attorneys choosing to continue serving even after the expiration of their period of commitment. The success of that program has inspired us to expand it to include the Administration Department, which, like Guardianship, serves a large number of self-represented litigants.Kings County Surrogate Margarita Lopez Torres

As with the Guardianship program, attorneys willing to volunteer in the Administration Department are invited to attend a free 1.5 credit CLE training in exchange for committing 3 hours at a time twice a month for 3 months. During their time at the department, attorneys will be expected to clarify instructions, explain procedure, and assist in the filling of forms. Like the Guardianship Department, the Administration Department will also be happy to accommodate those attorneys who choose to continue serving even after the expiration of their commitment.

Interested attorneys are invited to attend the CLE training on March 28, 2012, from 12:00 to 1:30pm, in Surrogate’s Court (2 Johnson Street). Lunch will be provided. Your assistance in this initiative will provide much-needed guidance with court processes often bewildering to the self-represented. For attorneys whose schedules otherwise prevent them from taking on full blown pro-bono cases, this program presents an ideal way to meet pro-bono obligations. Only a few hours a month can make a tremendous impact for good. We invite you to join us in this effort.

To register for the program, please email name, address and phone number to Kate Evanciew of the Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Project at [email protected].

Very truly yours,

Margarita Lopez Torre

Surrogate

Diana A. Johnson

Surrogate

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