Free legal help available to Long Islanders at Mineola event

The Nassau County Bar Association will host an open house Oct. 26 for Long Islanders seeking free legal consultations on issues ranging from foreclosure to family law.

The annual event at the bar association’s headquarters in Mineola, which will be held from 2 to 8 p.m., gives locals a chance to speak with a lawyer before taking formal steps to address their legal issues, said Madeline Mullane, director of pro bono attorney activities at the bar association. This way, attendees might better understand whether they have a legitimate legal claim before spending money on an attorney.

“It gives people a realistic perspective,” Mullane said. “It’s going to give them the ability to discern whether hiring an attorney would be something that is in their best interest.”

Attorneys can address issues related to bankruptcy, divorce, family law, employment, foreclosure, elder law and tenant concerns. The bar association aims to have attorneys spanning a wide range of legal specialties, so it can field all questions, Mullane said. She noted it helps to reach out to the bar association before the event to ensure there is an attorney with appropriate expertise available and to bring all relevant documents to the event.

The NCBA is partnering on the event with The Safe Center LI, a Bethpage-based nonprofit which helps survivors of family violence and sexual assault, and public-interest law firm Nassau Suffolk Law Services.

The consultations are not intended to connect attendees with attorneys who will represent them but individuals may learn about programs providing free legal representation.

The NCBA also has a separate lawyer referral service, which can help people find attorneys, and the first 30-minute phone consultation with an attorney is $50.  

About 110 people sought help at the open house last October from about 50 attorneys and 20 officials from the county’s court system. Mullane said legal issues that affect seniors came up frequently last year, including concerns about government benefits and nursing home care.

The bar association will have interpreters available to help people who speak Spanish or Haitian Creole and can make interpreters available for other languages upon request.

The event will be held at NCBA’s office at 133 15th St. in Mineola. Attendees interested in registering can call 516-747-4070 ext. 1231 or email ncbaopenhouse@gmail.com.

By Jonathan LaMantia

jonathan.lamantia@newsday.com@jonlamantia

Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.