Our staff attorneys specialize in the types of cases that most often affect the low-income, senior and disabled community. These include:

• Housing: evictions, illegal lockouts, utility shutoffs, rental assistance programs, public housing, foreclosures and other housing matters.

• Family: domestic violence restraining orders, child support, child custody, name changes, legal guardianship and other family law matters.

• Public Benefits: TANF, GA, SNAP (food stamps), SSI and SSDI, unemployment benefits and other public benefits matters.

• Consumer: bankruptcy, debt collection, deceptive sales practices, bank levies, expungements, hospital and doctor bills and other consumer matters.

Special Projects NNJLS also has the following projects to assist clients with these specific legal problems:

• Disaster Assistance Project provides legal representation for victims of Hurricane Sandy in Housing, Insurance, Home Repair, FEMA and other legal matters arising as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

• Domestic Violence Representation Project provides legal advice and representation to victims of domestic violence who are seeking restraining orders in order to protect themselves and their families from further abuse.

• Immigration Representation Project provides legal advice and representation to Lawful Permanent Residents on a number of issues, including naturalization. We also represent undocumented individuals who are eligible for assistance through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), or who are eligible for “U” or “T” visas.

• HIV/AIDS Representation Project provides legal advice and representation to individuals in Passaic and Bergen Counties who are living with HIV/AIDS. Assistance is provided in housing, public benefits, medicaid and many other matters.

• Senior Law Project provides legal advice and representation to senior residents, aged sixty and older, in civil law matters. In addition to all of the types of legal matters listed here, NNJLS also assists seniors by providing legal assistance for seniors in other matters including Powers of Attorney, Advance Directives, and Wills.

• Homelessness Prevention Project provides legal advice and representation to eligible residents of Bergen County who find themselves homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. Services include assistance in housing and certain other civil legal matters.

• Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Program provides legal advice and representation to individuals with federal (IRS) tax controversies.

• Employment Opportunity Project helps remove barriers to employment by representing clients seeking occupational licenses, restoration of good credit, expungements, and restoration of driver's licenses.

Legal Clinics: NNJLS conducts in-house clinics to provide legal information and guidance to residents who can represent themselves in certain civil legal matters. Clinics are held in NNJLS’ offices in each County, and many are conducted in Spanish. Topics covered in these clinics include bankruptcy, expungements, food stamps, divorce, tenant security deposit returns and naturalization.

Cases we do not handle: Northeast New Jersey Legal Services strives to provide high-quality legal assistance to low-income, senior, disabled, immigrant and other vulnerable residents of Bergen, Hudson and Passaic Counties free of charge. However, due to limited funding resources and staff reductions, we cannot serve all those who come to us for help. We do not handle criminal cases, auto accidents or personal injury matters, business disputes, traffic tickets, worker’s compensation or real estate closing matters. If we cannot provide you with legal assistance, we will try to refer you to local agencies where you may be able to receive the help you need.