Civil Legal Services

The Rural Law Center has an impressive history of providing civil legal services to the low income and rural residents of New York. We have created innovative programming and services in order to reach our clients and communities, and we have continued to modify that programming as times have changed and client priorities have changed. We remain committed to offering civil legal services which address the essentials of life for our clients, and currently do so through the following programs and services:

Rural Housing Initiatives. We provide legal information critical to rural, low-income tenants, homeowners, mobile home owners. Strategies in this program include: delivering rural trainings and legal information on homeownership, land contracts, foreclosure, mobile home law and landlord-tenant matters. We developed a presentation regarding the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which made significant changes in landlord/tenant law to protect tenants in New York State. We will continue to make presentations on this topic to tenant organizations, landlords, and housing assistance agencies to improve knowledge of the laws protecting tenants. We provide direct representation in foreclosure matters, evictions, and other matters that impact client’s housing stability. We offer mediation services in our office as well as in local courts where we are able to benefit tenants by avoiding court proceedings and by coming to agreements regarding their continued possession of their home.

Permanency/Kinship: Grandparents Seeking Custody. In New York, low-income grandparents are not entitled to free attorney representation in family court, even when they are providing permanent, safe homes for children outside of the foster care system. Through our Kinship Care Program and collaborations with the Kinship Navigator and the Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country, for example, the Rural Law Center assists grandparents and other kinship providers in preparing for court proceedings.

New York State Agricultural Mediation Program. Our geographic territory includes counties

with subsistence level farms and farm families facing mounting financial pressures, such as adverse decisions in USDA funding programs, delinquent loans, unpaid bills to suppliers and farm succession. We have joined with the USDA and provide mediation services as an alternative to the high costs of appealing an adverse decision or as an alternative to litigation.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Workshops. Beyond individual casework, our three-county mediation program conducts significant outreach and community trainings. Workshops are offered to community groups, schools and human service agencies introducing the basic theory and skills of the process of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). We continue to conduct outreach and inform the community about ADR especially in light of Judge DiFiore’s presumptive mediation/ADR initiative.

Rural Financial Crisis Resource Center. The Rural Law Center has positioned itself to be a comprehensive resource for individuals, human service agencies and other community organizations offering assistance to low-income, rural New Yorkers who are facing serious financial crisis. In addition to stabilizing individuals and families facing financial harm, this program helps rural communities be more effective in responding to families in need. The causes of financial crisis may vary, including loss of employment, excessive medical debt, unlawful debt collection, predatory lending, illegal foreclosure, or unlawful evictions from homes and mobile home parks. Our case intakes include a significant number of clients with a critical need for assistance when they face debt collection or are victims of predatory lenders.

Comprehensive Services for Older Adults. The Rural Law Center strives to provide cutting edge legal services to older adults in our rural counties. Our commitment to older adults is long-standing in the areas of providing representation and community workshops on planning documents such as wills, powers of attorney and health care proxies. Furthermore, we recognize that older adults have varying needs and issues that arise, which include guardianship or kinship of minor family members, support proceedings, and financial burdens due to medical expenses.

The preparation of these documents are directly related to an individual’s Essentials of Life in many ways. It can prevent financial ruin of a family facing a nursing home bound family member if a power of attorney directs how an individual’s assets can be handled. It can prevent family court matters where the rights of children are addressed without input from a deceased parent who did not have any will or guardian documentation prepared. It can prevent the costly appointment of a public administrator for a decedent who died without a will. It can prevent costly court intervention in a medical determination if a health care proxy and living will are completed in advance of any medical crisis. These documents provide future financial stability and family stability during a time of crisis.

Subsistence Income: 1) Consumer Debt/Predatory Lending. Unscrupulous credit card companies often target rural individuals who then acquire debt for even the most necessary things, like food and clothing that they are unable to pay. 2) Medical Debt. A significant percentage of rural housing foreclosures and bankruptcies are due to staggering medical debts. At a time when the client and family are suffering this trauma, bills often are turned over quickly to collection agencies. These agencies harass families already under stress and can ultimately sue clients and seize bank accounts or other property, including automobiles. 3) Small Claims cases in Town and Village Courts. Rural Justice Courts are the location where small claims cases are filed for unpaid bills, housing repair costs, and outstanding loans. Low income people can find themselves in these situations with little or no support. 4) Subsistence level farms. While areas closer to cities have growing numbers of producers who supply greenmarkets and upscale restaurants, the remote rural areas of New York State have family farms that are struggling to make ends meet. Unpredictable weather or family health issues can lead to unpaid bills for farm supplies, equipment repair and veterinary services.

Access to Health Care and Education. Lack of access to rural health care. According to the NYS Department of Health, 4 rural New York counties have no hospital, and 18 counties have only one hospital. Accessing medical providers is sometimes an impossible hurdle, especially when there are no alternatives. We assist individuals having disputes or legal issues with medical care providers in order to preserve the individual’s right to continuing medical care. Special Education services. A unique rural issue that families face is rural students’ rights to access Special Education services. The federal and state governments grant Special Education rights to all children, regardless of place of residency. However rural students and their families are often not informed of their rights or are thwarted from exercising their rights. Rural schools are often small and offer little variety in how matters are handled. Parents feel pressure with such a small pool of resources offered, and need to understand all of their available options. Due to the onerous cost of special education, school district administrators are not always the best source of information for parents due to their obvious conflict and employment by the school. A school system may discourage Special Education services because of the cost.

Appellate Representation. We have 3 appellate attorneys on staff who routinely work on appeals originating from family courts in rural counties. Our appellate attorneys also handle pro bono appellate matters on an ad hoc basis. If we have an issue that impacts rural residents in a greater proportion, we will review the matter to develop the possibility of appeals on that issue. We have a network of attorneys across the state who refer these types of matters to us as they arise.

Law Reach. We have an established program of accepting essentials of life cases from legislators that cover our service area. We have 35 legislators representing our clients and we have worked to inform them about our services so that they are able to refer matters to us to handle.

Pro Se Divorce Assistance. The Rural Law Center will continue to build on our 14 year history of providing assistance with individual services and pro se divorce clinics in rural counties. We are able to assist with document preparation, service, filings and the waiver of filing fees. Additionally, we continue to provide legal assistance to rural litigants facing family court matters without representation.

Legal Services for the rural LGBTQIA+ community. We have existing services to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, but with additional funding, we will expand our outreach to the rural gay and lesbian “networks” so there will be a place for legal services tailored to fit the situation at hand.

Online Mediation Project. Since we have existing legal staff that have significant experience in the Mediation process, we will offer limited mediation services online. We see this service method as another way to efficiently expand our statewide rural services.

Albany Law School – Pro Bono Elder Law Program. RLC has partnered with Albany Law School for 14 years, wherein 10-20 students receive training from our attorneys and staff on basic issues in elder law. Those students then conduct RLC legal information workshops for seniors in rural counties each semester.