The first three links are for pro-bona or free legal assistance on all types of legal issues. These links have filters depending on the subject area or the type of assistance that someone is seeking. Note the NY Court “help centers” to guide you in the right direction.
Law Help-NY https://www.lawhelpny.org/
Volunteers of Legal Service https://volsprobono.org/get-help/
NYS Unified Court System https://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/goingtocourt/helpcenters.shtml
Next listed, LSNY, NYLAG and LAS are the three big citywide free legal service organizations, and they cover different areas of law and have varying income eligibility.
Legal Services of NYC (LSNY) https://www.legalservicesnyc.org/about-us/get-help
NY Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) https://nylag.org/gethelp/
Legal Aid Society (LAS) https://legalaidnyc.org/get-help/
There are also smaller community-based legal service programs, some with limited practice areas such as the Goddard Riverside Law Project which only handles housing-related legal cases. These organizations work together through the “LEAP coalition”, see link for a listing of the organizations.
LEAP Coalition: https://www.leapcoalition.org/leaporganizations/
If it is a Family Court case, you can contact Family Legal Care which offers unrepresented parents and caregivers the legal support and guidance they need to navigate New York State Family Court. https://familylegalcare.org/legal-resources-for-families/
If it is a Debt Collector or Bankruptcy issue, you can contact CLARO (Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office) which provides limited legal advice to low-income New Yorkers being sued by debt collectors. CLARO is organized through the New York State Courts Access to Justice Program. https://www.claronyc.org/claronyc/default.htm
If it is a Housing Court case, you can contact Housing Court Answers for referrals to all the free legal service offices that take housing cases. They also have information guides and flyers for pro-se tenants who don’t have a lawyer to represent them
*Housing Court Answers–referrals for assistance on eviction cases only—and helpful guides for unrepresented tenants. https://housingcourtanswers.org/ telephone hotline 9am-5pm 212-962-4795
*Met Council on Housing (the city’s largest & oldest tenant union) also has a listing for Housing Lawyers—including private practice lawyers for hire who ONLY represent tenants. https://www.metcouncilonhousing.org/help-answers/finding-a-lawyer/
Legal services programs that provide assistance on foreclosure matters
MFJ legal services https://mobilizationforjustice.org/projects/foreclosure-prevention-project/
Legal Aid https://legalaidnyc.org/programs-projects-units/foreclosure-prevention-project/
Manhattan Legal Services https://www.legalservicesnyc.org/resources/housing-foreclosure/
NYLAG https://nylag.org/foreclosure-prevention/
Are you a victim of a crime? New York Crime Victims Legal Help is an online resource that connects you with legal help on issues related to your housing, family, employment, finances, and more. https://crimevictimshelpny.org/legalhelp