Free Legal Assistance

For some summonses, several outside legal help groups maintain a service that might be able to provide you with free legal representation (“pro bono”) for your case at OATH.

If you want to find out if you qualify for free legal help and you have received a summons from the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) or you are a taxi or for-hire driver or owner and received a summons from the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) or the Port Authority Police (PAPD), you can contact OATH by email at probonorequest@OATH.nyc.gov. In the email, please include the following information:

• The agency that issued the summons (DOB, TLC, and PAPD summonses only)
• The summons number
• The hearing date on the summons
• Your contact information (full name, phone number, and/or email address)
• A note explaining that you are seeking free legal assistance

It is best to request the legal help as soon as the summons is issued to you. Once received, a member of the OATH staff will contact you and review your summons to determine if it is eligible for free legal help by one of the mentioned pro bono programs. If you qualify, your summons will be sent by OATH to one of the outside legal assistance groups and they will contact you for further evaluation and possible representation. While you may qualify for free legal help, it does not guarantee that the help is available at the time it is requested or at the time you otherwise qualify.

The lawyers and organizations providing free legal assistance are independent and separate from OATH. OATH does not screen the volunteer lawyers from these organizations and OATH does not give these lawyers any special certification or preferential treatment when they appear on cases at the OATH Hearings Division. Download a flyer about Pro Bono volunteers appearing at OATH.

If you do not qualify for free legal assistance through OATH, and you are not otherwise represented by an attorney or representative registered with OATH, you may still get a consultation and have questions answered by contacting the OATH Help Center by clicking on this boldface link.