Nassau Bar Association’s Mortgage Foreclosure Clinics Receive NYS Award

Feb. 3, 2010 - PRLog -- Mineola, Long Island, NY – The Nassau County Bar Association (NCBA),  the largest suburban bar in the country, has won statewide recognition for its groundbreaking Mortgage Foreclosure Pro Bono Project and Free Legal Consultation Clinics, which this year have helped hundreds of residents facing the prospect of losing their homes. The 2009 Award of Merit recognizes outstanding service to the public and profession through innovative projects and programs that serve to enhance public understanding of the law, advance and promote the work of the legal profession, and support the best interest of the public. Judging is based on ingenuity and creativity in planning the project, overall quality, and scope of the project in relation to the association’s resources.
   The award was presented last month at the NYS Bar Association’s Annual Conference by the New York State Conference of Bar Leaders, composed of the leadership of bar associations across the state. Accepting the award was NCBA Mortgage Foreclosure Task Force Co-Chair Martha Krisel (Rockville Centre), Chief Deputy County Attorney for Special Projects, Office of the Nassau County Attorney, along with other key coordinators and supporters of the project NCBA President Emily F. Franchina (Huntington Bay); NCBA Past Presidents Peter Levy (Jericho), Lance Clarke (Hempstead)  and A. Thomas Levin, NCBA Administrator for Community Relations and Public Education Caryle Katz (Oceanside), and NCBA Director of Marketing and Public Relations Valerie Zurblis (Huntington).
   In response to the unprecedented mortgage foreclosure crisis in Nassau County, the Nassau County Bar Association  -- working closely with Nassau/Suffolk Law Services, the Nassau Regional Office of the Attorney General and the Nassau County Homeownership Center – was the first bar association in New York State to address the looming mortgage foreclosure crisis.  In 2008, NCBA convened a Task Force composed of NCBA members and representatives from appropriate Nassau County agencies and service providers to explore the local mortgage foreclosure problem and develop and implement a strategy to help homeowners. The Task Force oversaw legal training on foreclosure matters for attorneys, presented a public seminar about the foreclosure process and available services to help residents, and then launched New York State’s first free Mortgage Foreclosure Legal Consultation Clinic, which was held in March 2009. Since launching the monthly clinics last spring, volunteer attorneys have helped more than 450 homeowners with individual foreclosure issues, gave advice or referred them to appropriate agencies and programs. The attorneys do not provide legal representation, but help homeowners find out if they need a credit counselor or a lawyer, and get them in touch with available resources.
           In addition to meeting one-on-one with a volunteer attorney, housing counselors from the Nassau County Homeownership Center and representatives from Nassau/Suffolk Law Services -- which provides free legal services for those who meet certain income guidelines – are on hand to provide assistance. A bankruptcy attorney is also present to answer questions.
           This is the fourth time NCBA has been recognized with the Award of Merit in the large bar category (2000+ members). NCBA previously received the state award for the “Murder in the Library” public education program, the creation of the WE CARE Fund, which is the charitable arm of the Association, and the attorney-student mentoring program for middle school students at risk.
   The next Mortgage Foreclosure Legal Consultation Clinic will be held Thursday, February 23, at the Nassau County Bar Association, 15th and West Streets, Mineola, 4-6 p.m. Nassau homeowners who would like to attend must first pre-register by calling 516-747-4070 or email info@nassaubar.org.
   
About the Nassau County Bar Association
   Founded in 1899, the Nassau County Bar Association, with a membership of nearly 6,000 private and public attorneys, judges, legal educators and law students, is the largest suburban bar association in the country. NCBA demonstrates its commitment to the community by offering a variety of services for the public, including lawyer referral services, senior citizen and mortgage foreclosure clinics, judicial screening, public education programs and support for the Volunteer Lawyers Project, which provides much-needed free legal services for the indigent of Nassau County. For more information, call (516) 747-4070, email info@nassaubar.org, or visit www.nassaubar.org.

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Founded in 1899, the Nassau County Bar Association, with a membership of nearly 6,000 private and public attorneys, judges, legal educators and law students, is the largest suburban bar association in the country. NCBA demonstrates its commitment to the community by offering a variety of services for the public, including lawyer referral services, senior citizen and mortgage foreclosure clinics, judicial screening, public education programs and support for the Volunteer Lawyers Project, which provides much-needed free legal services for the indigent of Nassau County. For more information, call (516) 747-4070, email info@nassaubar.org, or visit www.nassaubar.org.