POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT:
AMERICORPS MEMBERS – LEGAL ASSISTANTS - RECOVERY ACCESS TO JUSTICE PROJECT

Project Description:

    The Rochester division of Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY) has up to four AmeriCorps positions available at its office located in Rochester, New York. LawNY is a not-for-profit law firm which provides civil legal services to low-income clients in a fourteen-county region in western New York State. The Rochester division serves Monroe county residents and provides representation primarily in the areas of housing, public benefits, family, health, education and elder law. LawNY has six other offices located in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown, and Olean, New York.

    AmeriCorps members will work as legal assistants, and will be offered the opportunity for direct, substantive legal experience, excellent training and mentoring, and a chance to make a critical difference in the lives of poor people and their communities. They will team with dedicated professionals, including other AmeriCorps members, in an established poverty law program.

Legal Steps the Bank Will Take

The bank will usually send you many letters that ask you to catch up with your monthly payments. It usually takes several months for the bank to decide that it will start a foreclosure case to take back your house. Your mortgage cannot be foreclosed on without a court action. You will be served with a notice and given 20 days to answer the papers. If you do not answer the court papers, the bank will probably ask the court for permission to sell your home at a foreclosure sale. Even if you do answer the court papers, the court will eventually give the bank permission to sell your home if it decides that you have failed to make your payments. You should talk to a lawyer about what defenses you can write in your answer.