Project Profile: LawHelpNY

Organizational Overview

LawHelpNY, a Pro Bono Net project, is New York’s statewide legal information website providing access to Know Your Rights information, DIY court forms, and referral information for over 250 free legal service providers. LiveHelp for LawHelpNY is a real-time chat feature of LawHelpNY, through which visitors can obtain tailored assistance from a LiveHelp Operator in navigating resources to find the legal information they need.

Project Process and Tools

LawHelpNY has extensive legal information which covers a wide array of civil legal topics, such as housing and family and safety law. LawHelpNY also has a featured legal service provider tool, for users to locate legal services. LiveHelp, LawHelpNY’s bilingual chat program, available in English and Spanish, provides legal assistance, information and referrals to LiveHelp chat. Trained volunteers staff LiveHelp from 9 AM - 9 PM on weekdays, making this service readily accessible to low-income working clients, individuals in rural areas, or people who may be homebound, elderly or living with disabilities.

Working with Pro Bonos

LiveHelp for LawHelpNY recruits volunteers four times a year. Volunteers generally serve for about 10 weeks and complete 50 hours of service. (The New York State Bar requires 50 hours of qualifying pro bono work for admission). Annually, the LiveHelp program manages roughly 175 to 200 volunteers. During each cycle, the program reviews applications and provides volunteers with an extensive onboarding and training process. Volunteer recruitment outreach efforts include connecting to law schools, posting on social media, and listing the opportunity in the ProBono.net Opportunity Guide.

The training for volunteers combines pre-recorded videos and live sessions. Volunteers complete tasks that a supervising attorney reviews.

Supervising attorneys monitor and approve hours on Galaxy, a volunteer management system. Staff track and confirm the hours with data available on LiveHelpNY’s integrative communication platform, Comm100. Staff encourage volunteers to contact them for support, and provide weekly "tips and tricks" newsletters to assist them during their volunteer service.

Contributed by:

Wantee Ramkaran, Esq.
Senior Program Associate for NY Programs Pro Bono Net

Dennis Brink
Community Support Associate for NY Programs

Pro Bono Net