Durante éste mes de la Herencia Hispana, recordamos a los clientes Latine con los cuáles hemos trabajado en VOLS a travéz de los años. La clienta de Washington Heights con cáncer, que nos pidió quitarnos las mascarillas para comer del queso y galletas que nos había brindado, y sus vecinos quienes asistieron solemnemente a ser testigos durante la firma de su testamento. La clienta en el centro de Manhattan que tomó la mano de nuestra asistente legal mientras nos acompañaba hasta el ascensor, contenta porque le habíamos hecho una visita domiciliaria. Nuestro cliente en Queens, que nos sirvió a todos una taza de café. Otro cliente en Washington Heights que tenía 99 años e insistió en que no debíamos preocuparnos por lo larga que fue nuestra visita, ya que para él fue un placer y bueno para su salud. Un cliente que visitamos en el hospital de Morningside Heights, quién lloró mientras su propio médico firmaba como testigo de su testamento. Una clienta de 107 años, a la cuál le teníamos tanto aprecio, que todo nuestro equipo asistió a la firma de su poder legal y a todos los clientes que están por venir y que nos darán la oportunidad de estar con ellos. ¡Les agradecemos a todos por dar de sí mismos y por su hospitalidad!
During this Hispanic Heritage Month, we are reminded of the Latine clients we have worked with over the years at VOLS. The client in Washington Heights with cancer who asked us to please take off our masks and partake in the cheese and crackers she had laid out for us. Her neighbors, who came in solemnly to witness her will. The client in mid-town Manhattan who held our legal assistant’s hand as she walked us to the elevator, so pleased that we had provided her with a home visit. Our client in Queens who set out a cup of coffee for each of us. Another client in Washington Heights who was 99 years old and told us not to worry about our appointment having taken a little longer than expected, our visit was good for him. The client in the hospital in Morningside Heights who cried as his own doctor signed as a witness to his will. A client who was 107 and who caused such excitement that our whole team attended her Power of Attorney signing and every client yet to come who will give us the opportunity to be with them. We thank them all for sharing of themselves with us and for their hospitality!
Best,
Elisa Tustian
Director, VOLS Senior Law Project
Conozca más acerca de la iniciativa de La Extensión Comunitaria para Adultos Mayores para adultos de habla hispana y Latine mayores de bajos recursos en la ciudad de Nueva York.
Learn more about La Extensión Comunitaria para Adultos Mayores initiative for older Latine and Spanish-speaking adults with limited resources in New York City.
Get To Know Our Team!
As part of the VOLS Spotlight Series, we spoke with Tori Roseman, Staff Attorney for the VOLS Benefits Law Project.
How does VOLS Benefits Law Project help New Yorkers with limited resources access essential public benefits?
There are so many public benefit systems that New Yorkers can navigate depending upon their situation, and it’s really difficult to navigate those systems without help. Our project, with the help of pro bono volunteers, helps New Yorkers understand complicated forms, advocates to a variety of agencies including the Department of Labor and Social Security Administration, and even helps Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants fight for their benefits in fair hearings. Sometimes, access is more complicated than understanding a form – it’s about understanding the law and policy behind it, and that’s where we come in.
Why is it important to increase accessibility to legal services by reaching people where they live, work, and gather?
When providing a service and in our case, a legal service, it’s important to meet people where they’re at. For some, even just making the call to our help line is a huge step. For many, their legal issues are just one part of a bigger web of issues they’re facing. We prioritize meeting people where they are, whether that’s going out into the community and making ourselves accessible, utilizing language access resources to communicate with LEP claimants or making accommodations. It’s also important to us that when we train pro bono volunteers we discuss trauma-informed assistance and intake, and that we all work to practice patience and understanding with any New Yorker we talk to.
Is there an experience and/or client that you found particularly memorable?
I find many of my interactions with clients to be memorable, but I recently had an experience that I feel really speaks to how important it is for attorneys to engage with our pro bono projects. One of our pro bono volunteers who helps with our intake line spoke to a claimant about their case, and the case was quite complicated. This volunteer spoke to the claimant several more times to try to nail down the details of what happened so we could provide assistance. Ultimately, all of that legwork led to representation, and the hearing was finally scheduled for last week. We managed to help the client avoid a rather large overpayment of $3,000 and put him in a position to collect an additional ~20 weeks of benefits. I felt this case was demonstrative of how both (1) patience is so important in these matters, as claimants can face difficulty advocating for themselves and (2) sometimes, representation makes all the difference in obtaining UI benefits.
Tell us about yourself. What makes a “good weekend” for you?
A good weekend depends on the season, but any good weekend involves spending time outside! A perfect winter weekend is renting a cabin with my “boardy buds” and snowboarding, playing cards, and cooking together. A perfect summer weekend is spent on one of the many Long Island beaches, or camping and hiking upstate and cooking a huge meal over the fire.
Welcoming New Board Members
VOLS is pleased to welcome Lee M. Cortes, Jr., Partner, Arnold & Porter and Annie L. Mehlman, Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, to our Board of Directors.
Join our Team!
VOLS seeks an experienced Operations Director who will focus on creating, managing, and improving policies, practices, and procedures across the organization with the goal of improving VOLS’ effectiveness in fulfilling its mission. Visit our website for the full job description.
Recent Testimony
The VOLS Veterans Initiative joined other members of the New York City Veterans Law Working Group in submitting a statement to the annual “Chief Judge’s Hearing on Civil Legal Services in New York” of the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice. VOLS and other members of the Working Group highlight the unique legal services needs of veterans, the importance of veteran focused legal service programs, and the role that New York law school clinics focused on serving veterans can play in closing the access to justice gap for New York’s veteran community. The full statement is available on our website.
Project Updates
VOLS Senior Law Project (SLP) teamed up with over 20 pro bono attorneys from Bank of America, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, and O’Melveny & Myers LLP to hold a legal clinic on September 11 assisting older adults with their wills and advance directives. We are proud to work together with our pro bono partners to address our clients’ critical life planning needs that ensure New Yorkers’ wishes are honored. This month, we also held legal clinics and educational programs with community partners Entertainment Community Fund, JASA, Greenwich House’s Center on the Square, Red Hook Community Justice Center, SAGE, St Nick’s Alliance’s Swinging Sixties Senior Center, and Westbeth Older Adult Center to support older adults with their critical life planning needs.
In October, VOLS will participate in the New York City Council’s initiative to offer free life planning services to eligible New Yorkers across all five boroughs. The VOLS Senior Law Project team will be on-site in Staten Island to assist participants with their wills and advanced directives. Read the press release for more information.
The VOLS SLP guide to future planning and advanced directives is now available under resources for Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy on the New York Courts website.
VOLS Immigration Project (IP) continues to support our clients navigate the changing immigration landscape. In September our team held a community information webinar to discuss the status of the Biden Administration’s New Parole in Place Process for Noncitizen Spouses and Stepchildren of U.S. Citizens. This week, IP will resume monthly screening clinics for newly arrived immigrant families through our partnership with Trinity Commons, supported by a pro bono volunteer from Fragomen, Del Ray, Bernsen & Loewy LLP. Our team continues to train attorneys and students on immigration law issues, this month providing training for staff at the New York Immigration Coalition.
VOLS is now officially receiving referrals from ACS (Administration for Children’s Services) for foreign-born youth in their care who need immigration legal services.
VOLS Incarcerated Mothers Law Project (IMLP) is proud to announce this academic year we are working with law students from CUNY Law School’s Family Law Clinic and the Reproductive Rights Clinic at NYU Law to provide family law support to mothers and parents who otherwise have no access to free civil legal services. Our clinic students are providing crucial support, and we look forward to updating you on their projects throughout the year.
VOLS IMLP has continued to hold in-person clinics for our incarcerated clients: This month we worked with pro bono volunteers from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP to meet with clients at Taconic Correctional Facility to provide family law education, advocacy, and counsel. Today our team is holding a legal clinic at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility with pro bono volunteers from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
VOLS Microenterprise Project (MEP) has been conducting presentations for entrepreneurs participating in Hot Bread Kitchen’s small business program. We recently gave participants an overview of legal considerations for small businesses, including entity selection and formation, basic tax obligations, Corporate Transparency Act reporting obligations, licenses and permits, intellectual property, and employment law. Our team will continue working with Hot Bread Kitchen and our roster of community partners to provide transactional legal services for New York City’s entrepreneurs.
Team VOLS Takes on the TCS New York City Marathon
Only 39 days to go until the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon! Catch our team of superstars on Sunday, November 3, as they run to help close the access to justice gap for New Yorkers in need of civil legal services. Visit our fundraising page to meet our team and make a gift.
Support Us While You Shop
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