WHAT IS "LOW BONO"? / QUE ES "LOW BONO"
“Low bono” service refers to serving clients at reduced fees, below market rate. Low bono assistance fills a crucial gap of legal service to clients who can afford to pay some fees, but not the high hourly rate of many attorneys. Typically, legal aid clinics only serve clients whose income is above the federal poverty level. This leaves a large demographic of people whose income is too high to be served by other nonprofits, but too low to afford market-rate attorneys.
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​El servicio "low bono" se refiere a servir a los clientes a tarifas reducidas, por debajo de la tarifa del mercado. La asistencia de “low bono” llena un vacío crucial de servicio legal para los clientes que pueden pagar algunos honorarios, pero no la alta tarifa por hora de muchos abogados. Por lo general, las clínicas de asistencia legal solo atienden a clientes cuyos ingresos están por encima del nivel federal de pobreza. Esto deja a un gran grupo demográfico de personas cuyos ingresos son demasiado altos para ser atendidos por otras organizaciones sin fines de lucro, pero demasiado bajos para pagar abogados a precio de mercado.
Services / Servicios
The following are examples of services we provide at a reduced "low bono" rate.
Small Estate Affidavit Program
If a family member passes away with less than $50,000 in assets, you can file a simplified petition to handle their estate through New York’s Small Estate Affidavit Program. This program allows low income individuals to access assets through a process without the need of an expensive attorney. Through “low bono” representation, we help individuals complete the process and obtain Letters of Administration for a small fee.
Unpaid Wage Claims
If you are owed wages from an employer, you can file a claim with the New York State Department of Labor as an alternative to traditional litigation. Traditional law firms charge 33% to 44% contingency fee for their services, and many law firms do not accept cases below a certain amount of damages. We help individuals file claims and represent them through the investigation, mediation, and settlement process on a “low bono” contingency fee basis.
Civil Document Services
Many low income individuals cannot afford a private attorney to draft or review important documents such as rental agreements and business contracts. In effort to increase access to justice on Long Island, we provide limited scope representation on document preparation and review for a small fee.