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Amid COVID-19, VLP and Brooklyn Bar Association to offer free attorneys to settle family estates

June 17, 2020 Rob Abruzzese
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Local lawyers are stepping up to help Brooklynites settle small estates for free through the newly created VLP Probate Initiative.

Anybody in the borough as well as New York City can have a volunteer lawyer help them through this program to settle their family estates worth $50,000 or less for free, including completion of applications for volunteer letters of administration and SCPA 1310 affidavits regarding certain debts without administration.

It’s being run by the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) and the Trusts & Estates section and the Surrogate’s Court Committee of the Brooklyn Bar Association.

“Brooklyn, the epicenter of COVID-19, has seen the most severe and devastating effects of the virus,” said Sidney Cherubin, VLP director of legal services. “New York City communities — specifically the most vulnerable and marginalized — continue to confront the loss of lives at alarming rates.

“The partnership between the VLP and the BBA Trusts & Estates section and Surrogate’s Court Committee formed in response to the unfortunate rise in COVID-19 related estate cases, offers assistance in a legal space not often served by the pro bono legal community,” Cherubin continued. “The initiative aims to provide relief and comfort to the many families weighted down by grief and devastation, and who most often lack access to critical legal services.”

Daniel Antonelli is vice chair of the Trusts & Estates section of the BBA.

A little over a week ago, the VLP announced a similar partnership with the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Felt LLP to create another initiative — the VLP COVID-19 Frontline Workers Initiative. This will help frontline healthcare workers by providing free preparation for life-planning documents like wills, health care proxies and other forms to members of the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East union.

VLP Probate Initiative will provide direct financial relief to New Yorkers by helping to free up their own family estates. It also extends beyond 1199SEIU workers.

“The vision for the initiative is to help those New Yorkers who have been hardest hit by the COVID crisis – those with limited financial resources who lost a loved one with a small estate,” said Daniel Antonelli, vice chair of the BBA Trusts & Estates section. “While an estate may be small according to the law, these funds go a long way in supporting New Yorkers, especially in the current environment where many are out of work.”

The VLP held one training session already for attorneys on June 4 where Antonelli, Cherubin, attorneys Kerry Archer and Pamela Walker, and court clerk specialist Lisa Mathis gave a free continued legal education seminar in exchange for lawyers to take on cases pro bono. More than 40 attorneys were in attendance that day eager to help out.

VLP will provide intake for prospective clients, who will also be screened for other general legal needs that the VLP provides, such as consumer debt assistance, bankruptcy, foreclosure, custody, visitation, 17A guardianships and uncontested divorces. If qualified, attorneys will meet with clients using video conferencing to explain how they can help.

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