Homeless Experience Legal Protection (H.E.L.P.) Program
Limited Scope Legal Services
ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND UNDERSTANDING
Welcome to the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (H.E.L.P.) Program. This program involves volunteer lawyers, summer interns, and paralegals (collectively, the “Volunteer Advocate(s)”) from law firms throughout New York City (“Participating Law Firms”). The Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School provides administrative and programmatic support.
Today, the Participating Law Firm is: ______
and the Volunteer Advocate is: ______
This is an Acknowledgment between the Participating Law Firm and you. It contains the basic terms of this project to provide you with limited legal advice and assistance so that you can better address your legal problem.
Scope of Legal Advice: Neither the Participating Law Firm nor the Volunteer Advocates are representing you in any capacity. What they will do is provide you with legal advice based on the information that you give to us.
Duration of Legal Help: This arrangement to advise you will begin right now and will end at the completion of the meeting today. Unless agreed to in writing, the Participating Law Firm nor the Volunteer Advocate will not help you in any capacity after the completion of today’s appointment and will assume no liability regarding the outcome of your legal problem.
Advocate’s Fee and Costs: There is no cost for today’s meeting.
Declining to Advise: The Participating Law Firm or Volunteer Advocate may decline to advise you:
1. if the Participating Law Firm or Volunteer Advocate has a conflict of interest - for example, if the Participating Law Firm or Volunteer Advocate has already advised or provided representation to an opposing party in a case involving you, a legal conflict of interest exists and they cannot provide you with any legal advice;
2. if your legal problems are too complicated and beyond the scope of this project; or
3. for any other reason set forth in the New York Rules of Professional Conduct.
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Your Name (please print)
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Your Signature Today’s Date