Legal Services
The Legal Action Center (LAC) provides legal services to help fight discrimination, to protect privacy, and to assist individuals with a variety of legal issues. LAC provides legal services to:
- people in recovery or still suffering from addiction and people with HIV/AIDS, protecting them against discrimination and violations of privacy
- qualified people with criminal records, assisting them in fighting discrimination
- people with HIV/AIDS in New York State, helping them with a variety of legal issues, including government benefits, family law, living wills and health care proxies, permanency planning, HIV/AIDS reporting and partner notification
- people with criminal records in New York State, helping them to obtain and clean up their "rap sheets," obtain employment and improve their chances to successfully re-enter society
| ■ National services | ■New York State services |
How to Get Help
If your legal problem falls into one of the categories above, please contact the Legal Action Center as follows:
- Individuals who live in New York or have a New York legal problem may call the Legal Action Center at (212) 243-1313, Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Calls about criminal records, however, are fielded on Tuesdays and Fridays only. Individual clients should ask to speak to a paralegal.
- Service providers and agencies in New York calling with their own legal questions should call between the hours of 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. and ask for the "attorney on call." Agencies wanting information about organizing trainings should request to speak with the training coordinator.
- Non-New York residents who need help with problems outside of New York State:
- If the legal problem is about discrimination due to HIV or an alcohol or drug problem, call the Legal Action Center at (212) 243-1313, Monday through Friday between the hours of 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. and ask for the "attorney on call"
- If the legal problem is about employment discrimination due to a criminal record outside of New York, visit the National H.I.R.E. Network's web site. The site's Resource Assistance page can direct you to resources in your state.
Note: The center cannot respond to requests for assistance sent to the Legal Action Center’s e-mail address or website.
