Family Court Can be Difficult to Navigate

Family Court can be difficult to navigate without help. VLP seeks to ease the burden on families by offering assistance.

By the nature of its cases, Family Court is typically not a happy place to find yourself in. Individuals often arrive in Family Court as a result of some unfortunate and very personal incidents. Families’ lives can be turned upside down by the often prolonged and intrusive process. Whether the case involves custody, visitation, child support, or other relevant personal issues, families live in limbo awaiting a final decision from a judge. Unfortunately, many of these individuals find themselves without representation because they lack resources to obtain an attorney. This lack of representation can lead to an exacerbation of their issues when they do not understand the process, paperwork, or jargon.

However, organizations like Volunteer Lawyers Project seek to ease this burden by offering assistance. Through all this hardship, VLP offers resources for low-income individuals to obtain an attorney well before a hearing or obtain same day legal advice at one of the three Family Court Help Desks that are run in Erie County, Niagara County, and Chautauqua County. Such resources help to relieve some of the stress individuals face when entering family court and allow them to focus on improving their lives.