Free Legal Answers Awards
In 2016, the New York State Bar Association launched Free Legal Answers (ny.freelegalanswers.org). Through Free Legal Answers, low income people can seek and receive answers to civil legal questions.
Free Legal Answers is an easy way to provide legal information to low income people in pressing need of such information. In many instances, the individuals who use Free Legal Answers are not eligible for services from the local legal aid society, or cannot be served due to lack of staff resources. Free Legal Answers allows lawyers to do pro bono at their convenience, from home, from their car, from the soccer field, or even from the office. It provides a limited scope pro bono opportunity so that all lawyers can be of service to their low income neighbors.
Since its launch, hundreds of questions from Family Law, Wills and Estates to Consumer Debt have been answered by volunteer attorneys. At its annual Justice for All Luncheon, NYSBA will honor the attorney who has had the largest impact on Free Legal Answers clients in the year between November of this year and December of the previous year, and the law firm which has had the most associates and partners participating in Free Legal Answers.
Free Legal Answers Honorees:
- The attorney who has had the largest impact on Free Legal Answers clients between November of this year and December of the previous year. This individual will be selected by the co-chairs of the President’s Committee on Access to Justice and the Committee on Legal Aid. The NYSBA Director of Pro Bono Services will identify appropriate candidates for consideration.
- The law firm that has had the most associates and partners participating in Free Legal Answers in the year between November of this year and December of the previous year.