Court Navigator Program- Innovating Way To Help?

I thought the following would be of interest as it seems like an innovative way to help people while also giving volunteers experience. from: http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/housing/rap_prospective.shtml

Court Navigator Program

Prospective Court Navigators

In General

The Court Navigator Program trains college students, law students and other persons deemed appropriate by the Program to assist unrepresented litigants, who are appearing in Nonpayment proceedings in theResolution Part of Housing Court or the Consumer Debt Part of the Civil Court.

Nonpayment proceedings are cases where landlords sue tenants to collect rent. In these disputes, tenants and owners/landlords face the possibility of losing their homes through eviction or foreclosure. Consumer debt proceedings involve credit card companies, hospitals, banks or any other person or company that a litigant may owe money to. Despite the high stakes, most litigants appear in court without an attorney to advocate on their behalf.

In Kings County Housing Court, the Program operates in partnership with the non profit organizations University Settlement, and Housing Court Answers.

The goal of the Court Navigator Program is to help litigants who do not have an attorney have a productive court experience through offering non-legal support. Participating volunteers work in the courtroom under the supervision of a Court Navigator Program Coordinator. They have the opportunity to interact with judges, lawyers and litigants, and to gain real-world experience. Whatever a student's goal is in volunteering -- helping people in need, making new contacts, learning more about assisting a person in court or developing professional skills -- the Court Navigator Program sets the stage!

For more information contact: courtnavigator@nycourts.gov

What do Court Navigators do?

Court Navigators:

Help in using computers located in the courthouse to obtain information and fill out court forms using the Do It Yourself (DIY) computer programs.
Help find information about the law and how to find a lawyer on a website called Law Help
Help persons find resources in the courthouse and outside the court to assist in resolving their cases.
Help persons collect and organize documents needed for their cases.
Accompany persons during hallway negotiations with opposing attorneys.
Accompany persons in conferences with the judge or the judge's court attorney.
Respond to a judge's or court attorney's questions asking for factual information on the case.

Court Navigators do not give legal advice or get involved in negotiations or settlement conferences. Generally, court navigators also do not give out legal information except with the approval of the Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts.

Training

A two and half hour seminar and a training manual will provide information on what a navigator can do to help.

Training topics include:

Civil and Housing Court Overview
Basics of Consumer Debt Cases and Nonpayment Proceedings
Interviewing and Communication Skills
Using the DIY Computers and Law Help

Prospective volunteers are trained at their school or at one of the Civil Court of the City of New York courthouses.

Volunteer Commitment

Court Navigators volunteer a minimum of 30 hours or as agreed by the educational institution within three months of the training. Students are given flexibility with their schedules and may split their volunteer time into hourly blocks over a period of days or months.

Register to Volunteer

If you are interested in becoming a Court Navigator, please send an email to:courtnavigator@nycourts.gov

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