The City's Office of Civil Justice (OCJ), a unit of the Human Resources Administration (HRA), provides a range of free legal services to New Yorkers in need. If you are facing eviction, if you need help with an immigration matter, if you are a worker facing wage theft or other workplace violations, or if you are facing other legal challenges, you may have access to free legal assistance through OCJ.

OCJ legal services are free and you do not have to be an existing HRA client to apply.

Legal services are available regardless of immigration status.

If you are facing eviction in Housing Court or a NYCHA administrative proceeding, you may be eligible for free legal services under the City's Right-to-Counsel law. The Right to Counsel program, also known as Universal Access to Counsel, is now available citywide. To find out if you are eligible for this program, contact the City's Tenant Helpline. For more information, go to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Tenants page.

Online

Learn more about OCJ and free legal services.

Email

civiljustice@hra.nyc.gov

By contacting the New York City Bar Legal Referral Service (LRS), you can speak with one of their attorney referral counselors, receive legal information and, if appropriate, be referred to screened and qualified lawyers who charge for their services.

If you are referred to a lawyer, your initial consultation will be free and last up to 30 minutes. 

Callers are referred to participating lawyers in a wide variety of areas, including:

• Bankruptcy
• Business & Corporate Law
• Consumer Law
• Criminal Law
• Debts & Debt Collection
• Employment & Labor Law
• Family Law
• Immigration Law
• Insurance Law
• Intellectual Property
• Landlord–Tenant
• Malpractice
• Personal Injury & Accidents
• Real Property Law
• Wills, Trusts & Estates
• Workers’ Compensation

Online

Request a referral to a lawyer from the New York City Bar in English or Spanish.

Learn about the process of hiring and working with a lawyer.

Get free legal advice from LawHelp.

Search an online database to find out if an attorney is in good standing.

By Phone

To learn about other kinds of help for immigrants, visit the Immigration and Citizenship page.

Community-based organizations provide seniors age 60 and older with legal assistance.

Use Site Finder to search for a Legal Service Provider.

If you are a tenant, the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants (MOPT) can help you with questions about your tenancy and connect you with free legal assistance through the Human Resources Administration’s Office of Civil Justice. To learn more, go to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Tenants page.

You may also want to get help for specific situations. Visit the Eviction Prevention and HomeBase or Tenant Harassment page if needed.

Visit the Veteran Legal Assistance page for information about free legal assistance for veterans.

A living will is a legal document created by an attorney that specifies your health care instructions. This document may also appoint a health care representative to make health care decisions on your behalf.

A health care proxy is a trusted person you select to make health care decisions for you. To learn more, visit the Health Care Proxy page.