Crime Victims

New York Crime Victims Legal Network

The New York Crime Victims Legal Network is a partnership of organizations working together to better address the civil legal needs of crime victims. The New York Crime Victims Legal Help was developed to make it easier for victims of crime to get legal information and services.

People often have legal needs as a result of being a victim of crime. For many crime victims, the problems they face after a crime can be challenging, especially when they have several legal needs and are unsure where they can go for help. In addition to working with law enforcement and the criminal justice system, a victim may also have non-criminal needs – civil legal needs – that impact the basic necessities in their life, like housing, employment, and safety.

To address this need for comprehensive victim services, in 2012 the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime funded six demonstration projects across the country to create models of victim legal assistance networks. The goal of these networks is to offer a wider range of legal assistance that victims need as a result of their victimization.

In 2014, the New York State Office of Victim Services became the recipient of a Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime grant award, and partnered with Empire Justice Center, the Center for Human Services Research at SUNY Albany, and Pro Bono Net to create the New York Crime Victims Legal Network. An advisory committee of attorneys, advocates, crime victims, and providers guide and support the development of the Network.

If you are a survivor of crime, the New York Crime Victims Legal Help is an online resource that connects you with legal help on issues related to your housing, family, employment, finances, and more.

If you have a non-criminal legal problem and live in or have been a victim of crime in any of the counties outside of New York City, New York Crime Victims Legal Help can connect you with legal assistance on issues related to your housing, family, employment, finances, and more. For legal assistance in Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, please contact the New York City Bar Legal Referral Service: nycbar.org or 212-626-7373.