Essex-Newark Legal Services

Description

Essex-Newark Legal Services

Essex-Newark Legal Services (ENLS) is a private non-profit organization that provides free legal assistance in civil matters to very low income residents of Essex County, New Jersey. ENLS’ service area consists of the whole of Essex County which includes the cities of Newark, East Orange, Orange and Irvington.

About ENLS

ENLS’s mission is to provide access to justice to the low-income community by delivering effective legal assistance on the most critical issues affecting Essex-County’s low income residents and in a manner that advances client and community empowerment. Since 1966, ENLS has been the principal source for low-income families and individuals in Essex County in need of legal assistance on civil law matters.

To carry out its mission, ENLS is divided into substantive law units, each staffed with specialists. The units are Housing-Income Maintenance, Health, SSI Disability Law, Consumer, Elder and Family Law Unit.

Located in downtown Newark, ENLS is accessible by most mass transit routes. Its offices are handicap accessible. ENLS’s staff includes French Creole, Portuguese and Spanish language speakers.

Can ENLS Help Me?

ENLS can help you if:

• You have a civil (non-criminal) legal problem within our Programs Priorities. See below
  ENLS staff attorneys specialize in the types of cases that most often affect Essex County low-income residents. These include:
  • Housing: evictions, illegal lockouts, utility shutoffs, rental assistance programs, public housing, foreclosures, and other housing matters.
  • Family: domestic violence retraining orders, child support, child custody, legal guardianship and other family law matters.
  • Public Benefits: TANF, GA, SNAP (food stamps), SSI and SSDI, unemployment benefits, Medicaid and other public benefits matters.
  • Consumer: bankruptcy, debt collection, deceptive sales practices, bank levies, expungement of criminal records, hospital and doctor bills and other consumer matters.

  Special Projects

  ENLS also has the following projects to assist client with specific legal problems:

  • Elder Law Unit provides legal advice and representation to residents, aged sixty and older, in civil law matters, including Powers of Attorney, Advance Directives and Wills.
  • Domestic Violence Representation Project. Housed at the Essex County Family Justice Center provides legal advice and representation for survivors of domestic violence who seek restraining orders to protect themselves and their families from further abuse. We also help undocumented individuals who are victims of domestic violence or human trafficking and who are eligible for “U” or “T” visas.
  • Veterans Assistance provides low-income and homeless veterans with access to quality legal representation and advice to address civil legal issues that impact their health, income, housing and family stability.
  • Homelessness Service Unit provides referrals to safety net services to people who find themselves homeless. Services include firm referrals to emergency shelter, food pantries, clothing banks etc. and other basic needs providers.
  • Re-Entry Opportunity Project provides for individuals seeking expungements for criminal records and to remove other barriers to employment.
• You live in Essex County.
• Your income and assets fall within ENLS eligibility guidelines.

We do not provide assistance in the following type of cases:

• Criminal matters, auto accidents, personal injury, traffic tickets, business matters and workers compensation cases.

If we cannot provide you with legal assistance, we will try to inform you of agencies where you may be able to receive the help you need.

Essex County
5 Commerce Street, 2nd Floor
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Map
(973) 624-4500
E-mail: enls@lsnj.org