The Legal Aid Society’s office locations throughout the five boroughs have begun the process of re-opening to the public. We will continue to closely monitor COVID-19 health and safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of our clients and staff. If you are a current client, please consult your attorney or social worker before visiting an office in-person.

If you are not a current client and need assistance from the Criminal Defense Practice or Juvenile Rights Practice continue to call our main number 212-577-3300. Indicate you need legal assistance and your call will be forwarded to an operator who will assist you.

If you are not a current client and you need assistance from our Civil Practice call the neighborhood office in your borough:

Bronx: 718-991-4758​
Brooklyn: 718-722-3100
Manhattan: 212-426-3000
Queens: 718-286-2450
Staten Island: 347-422-5333

Some court proceedings remain virtual while others have resumed in-person, please consult with your attorney if you have questions about an upcoming appearance.

Visitors to any Court System facility house maybe required to submit to temperature screening and questioning upon entry into the Courthouse and prior to magnetometer and x-ray security screening. Masks are optional in the Courthouse. For more information click here.

• Criminal court has returned to normal in-person operation including all arraignments.
• Judges have discretion to designate virtual appearances for some cases.
• Please consult your attorney if you have questions regarding an upcoming appearance.

• Family Court now hears all cases in each borough court, primarily virtually with some exceptions. 
  • Exceptions include child protective, custody, visitation, family offense, support, juvenile delinquency, and persons in need of supervision cases.
• All child protective cases are being held virtually and all participants appear by phone or computer unless the judge has ordered a participant to appear in person at the courthouse.
• Delinquency cases are done either in-person or virtually depending on the circumstances of each case. Youth who are arrested and held by the police, whether for a warrant or an alleged act of juvenile delinquency, will be brought to the local Family Court to see the judge in-person with their attorney (for arrests made after 3 pm or on a weekend, consult Family Court FAQ using the link below).
• Orders of Protection, custody and visitation and support cases are done either virtually or in-person depending on the circumstances of each case.  You should consult with your attorney, or check the Summons to determine if your case is virtual or in-person.  Some matters may have some appearances virtually and others in-person. 
• New family court matters can be filed in-person or electronically, through EDDS.
• To get information about how to contact your attorney, social worker, or paralegal, to find out what is happening with your or a family member’s newly filed or ongoing case, and to learn how to get access to Family Court by phone or online, read our full Family Court FAQ.

• Because the statewide COVID-19 public health crisis continues, Housing Court is operating virtually. For information about how to answer court papers electronically or over the phone click here. For information about how to appear for your court date remotely, please check the notice about your court appearance or call the numbers listed here.
• If you are served with a notice or court papers, you can call 311 to access the COVID Housing Helpline and speak with a legal services provider for more information and to request legal representation.

• Courthouse updates:
  • Varick Street is open for filings and hearings.
  • 290 Broadway is open only for filings.
  • 26 Federal Plaza is open for filings and detained hearings.
• Non-detained removal defense cases have resumed as of July 6, 2021.
• All New York immigration court cases are proceeding by video teleconference or in person, depending on the individual Immigration Judge. Check the court’s website for any standing orders. For both detained and non-detained cases, you can call the immigration court’s automated system at 800-898-7180 and enter your 9-digit alien registration number (“A number”) to find out if your case has been rescheduled.
• ICE check-ins are generally being done by phone for now. Individuals can call ICE at 212-264-4213 to see when their next check-in date will be. Also, the NYC Field Office is not accepting bond payments at this time. In the meantime, the Newark Field Office is open for bond payments.
• USCIS interviews and appointments resumed on June 15, 2020. 
• USCIS has expressed its intention to be flexible with the deadlines for certain submissions. This flexibility applies to Requests for Evidence (RFE), Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14), Notices of Intent to Deny (NOID), Notices of Intent to Revoke (NOIR), Notices of Intent to Rescind and Notices of Intent to Terminate. This flexibility applies to the documents listed above if the issuance date listed on the request, notice, or decision is between March 1, 2020 and March 22, 2022. USCIS will consider a response to a request or notice listed above received within 60 calendar days after the response due date set in the request or notice before taking action. Additionally, USCIS will consider a Form N-336 or Form I-290B received up to 90 calendar days from the date of the decision before it takes any action.
• For Form I-765 applications to renew employment authorization (work permits), USCIS may reuse prior biometrics, so applicants might not need to appear for fingerprinting.

• The court is open.  The clerk’s offices are open for clients to file matters or review their files. Most cases can also be filed electronically through NYSCEF.
•  Cases are either being heard in-person or virtual, depending on the factors of your case. If you receive a letter or an email from the court about an appearance, you must attend the appearance.  If it is in-person and you are unable to attend, you must call the Court and request a virtual appearance.  If you fail to appear, the case may be decided against you.
• The Court is accepting new cases, either electronically or in person.
• The Court is fully operating.  All types of requests are being heard and decided, and cases are moving forward. 

• The court is open for new consumer debt case filings, and answers can be filed in-person, over the phone, or by mail. The clerk will serve the answer if you provide it over the phone to the clerk. Otherwise, you should serve a copy of the answer on plaintiff or plaintiff’s law firm, complete and file an affidavit of service, file it with the original answer, and hold onto a copy of both. 
• ​Consumer debt matters ​are being heard through virtual appearances. Tell the court if you are unable to appear remotely and  the court will arrange for you to appear either in-person or at kiosk computers located at the courthouse. ​
• The court will notify you of the next court date by mail, or by email if you previously provided the court with your email address. If you receive a notice of court date in the mail,​ or Microsoft Teams link by email, please contact the court clerk for guidance on how to appear and to inform if you are unable to appear.
• All non-emergency motions papers, stipulations, affidavits of service, and some other documents may be electronically filed through the Electronic Document Delivery System (“EDDS”). ​All emergency and non-emergency motions may be filed by email to the court. Yet, litigants must still serve papers by mail.
• The court has generally been adjourning court appearances where a party fails to appear, but will grant default judgment to plaintiff if you fail to appear after multiple adjournments.
• If you are unrepresented, and receive an email from the court or the adversary in your case, you should respond, even if it is to state that you are not able to proceed.

• New York State’s eviction moratorium has expired. 
• DO NOT self-evict. A legal proceeding must be brought against you to remove you from your home.
• In New York City you have the right to an attorney in housing court, to get an attorney call 311.
• New York State’s Emergency Rent relief portal has reopened. All eligible residents of New York State should apply immediately. While an application is being processed eviction proceedings cannot move forward. For more information on how to apply click here.

• Individuals who do not have health insurance can enroll in Medicaid and other subsidized and non-subsidized insurance on the New York State of Health Marketplace by calling 855-355-5777 or visiting New York State of Health. You can always enroll in Medicaid or the Essential Plan any time of year.
• Individuals who are undocumented can enroll in Emergency Medicaid through the Marketplace. Emergency Medicaid ordinarily covers emergency conditions only but is covering all testing, evaluation, and treatment for COVID-19. Also, pregnant individuals who are undocumented are eligible for full Medicaid benefits if they meet other eligibility requirements.
• All low-income New Yorkers regardless of immigration status can access free or low-cost health care at New York City Health + Hospitals locations. Anyone who is uninsured can enroll in the Health + Hospitals Options program by calling 646-NYC-CARE.
• Our Health Law Unit has created resources with additional important information on applying for and keeping Medicaid and other insurance. There is also information about accessing healthcare services, fair hearings and overpayments.

Immigrants are eligible for many forms of health insurance, cash benefits, and food assistance. Some immigrant households may have concerns about accessing benefits because of an immigration issue called “public charge.” Please note that public charge only applies to certain immigrants and certain public benefits. Accessing COVID-19 testing and care WILL NOT count against an immigrant who is or may be subject to public charge in the future.

Read our Public Benefits Flyer for Immigrants (English / Spanish) for more information. Also see our updated FAQ on Public Charge which includes COVID-19 information, and other information and resources regarding public charge here.

Any community member or advocate with questions should call Legal Aid’s Immigration Helpline at 844-955-3424, Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. to leave a message for our Public Charge team. Our team can then call you back to answer additional questions. Interpreters are available for all languages.

• Various federal, New York State, and New York City laws require employers to give workers leave from work to care for their own and/or a family member’s health needs, and there are some protections for a worker who needs to care for a minor child whose school or daycare is closed because of COVID-19. This leave can be paid or unpaid depending on the law and other factors.
• There are federal, New York State, and New York City laws that protect workers against discrimination in the workplace and who have been treated unfairly because of their race, color, national origin, disability, citizenship status, sex/gender, criminal record and many other protected categories. This includes the obligation of employers to provide reasonable accommodations for disability, pregnancy, religious observance, status as a victim of domestic violence, and lactation. A reasonable accommodation can include a request to telecommute or for additional leave due to health conditions that put a worker at additional risk from COVID-19. The New York City Human Rights Law is one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country, and in addition to the workplace, the law protects against discrimination in housing and public accommodations. To find out more about the New York City Human Rights Law, visit The New York City Commission on Human Rights.
• The pandemic has not changed your right to get paid according to the law:
  • The minimum wage in NYC is $15/hr.
  • Employers may pay tipped workers $10/hr but only if workers receive enough in tips to still earn $15/hr.
  • Workers must be paid overtime when they work more than 40 hours per week (44 hrs for live-in domestic workers).
  • Hospitality workers must also receive an extra hour of pay if they work more than 10 hrs/day. This rate also applies to some others.
  • More information is available at the Department of Labor web site.

• Re-entry individuals are eligible for public benefits. For more information read our Re-Entry Benefits FAQ or call our Access to Benefits (A2B) Helpline at 888 663-6880, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• If you have medical needs or concerns the Correctional Health Services (CHS) Point of Reentry and Transition Practices or PORT can help. Call 646-614-1000 or email CHSPORTline@nychhc.org for help with prescriptions for people recently released from jail. PORTline may also be able to help with prescription refills if you haven’t been able to establish care in the community. PORTline is also available to troubleshoot problems with Medicaid coverage (e.g. suspended/in patient only status). They can also provide referrals to other social service and health care providers.
• Network Support Services provides COVID 19 discharge and resettlement services for individuals being released from State Prisons to the NYC area. Assistance includes; a smartphone with plan, backpack filled with toiletries, cash stipend, MetroCard, transport from the facility back to the community and more. For more information contact Network Support Services at 347-584-8601 or mgonzalez@networkssi.org.
• The Housing Works S.M.A.R.T. program can provide Emergency Supplies such as cell phones, Metrocards, clothing, food supplies and many other health and employment services.

The information on this page has been prepared by The Legal Aid Society for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. You should not act upon any information without retaining professional legal counsel.