Legal Information for Families Today
Encyclopedia
Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) is a non-profit organization
that provides legal information and emotional support to unrepresented litigants so that they can successfully self-advocate in New York State and City Family Courts.
LIFT was launched in 1996 when two lawyer
s established “go-to” locations in New York City
’s Family Courts
that provided on-the-spot help and legal information for vulnerable families struggling to make their way through the City’s complex Family Court system. Before LIFT, there was no source of information or guidance
for families in the City’s Family Courts, and the type of on-the-spot service LIFT offered was immediately in-demand and has served as the foundation for their programmatic growth throughout the organization’s history.
. In this environment, without the tools necessary to seek resolution to their problems – tools such as knowledge of their legal rights or basic court procedure – families are all too often unable to access justice
.
, Bronx, Manhattan
, and Queens
Family Courts, where staff are available to answer a wide-range of questions pertaining to family law
and navigating the Family Court, and distribute LIFT's multilingual Legal Resource Guides. LIFT can also be found in the Family Court Help Centers.
Family Law Information Telephone & Email Hotlines – The Hotlines provide free information about family law, Family Court procedure, and related matters including child welfare
policy and child support
regulations. The Telephone Hotline can be reached at 212-343-1122 and the Email Hotline at www.LIFThotline.org.
Legal Resource Guides – LIFT produces more than 30 original Legal Resource Guides, which provide step-by-step information on family law and how the Family Courts function. Topics include: Child Support, Custody
and Visitation, Rights of Relatives in Family Court, Rights of Immigrants in Family Court, and Changing Your Name or the Name of Your Child. The Legal Resource Guides are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, Haitian/Creole, and are currently being translated into Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Tagalog, Urdu, and Yiddish.
Family Legal Center (FLC) – Located at LIFT’s office in lower Manhattan, a team of paralegal
s, social workers, and program associates provide free services to people involved in child support, custody and visitation without lawyers, services include: one-on-one legal information; court document preparation; court and child support hearings accompaniment; peer support
groups; parenting skills, conflict resolution
, and financial literacy
workshops; and referrals to community-based social services .
System Reform – To advance the organization’s mission, LIFT takes their front-line experience and extensive data to key advisory committees, coalition
s, and Court administration to give voice to Family Court-involved families and foster positive system reform. LIFT frequently testifies before public officials and participates in national conferences
, resource fairs, and community events pertaining to family law. The organization also serves on a number of advisory committees and task force
s, including the NYC Family Court Advisory Council and the NYC Kincare Taskforce.
Judge for a Day Program – At the Judge for a Day Program LIFT invites members of the private
and public sector
s to sit alongside a Family Court judge
and observe requests for orders of protection, juvenile delinquency
trials, custody disputes, and other matters. This is followed by a discussion facilitated by LIFT and the hosting judges. The goal of this program is to help improve the conditions of Family Court and to bring resources to LIFT.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that provides legal information and emotional support to unrepresented litigants so that they can successfully self-advocate in New York State and City Family Courts.
LIFT was launched in 1996 when two lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s established “go-to” locations in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
’s Family Courts
Family court
A family court is a court convened to decide matters and make orders in relation to family law, such as custody of children. In common-law jurisdictions "family courts" are statutory creations primarily dealing with equitable matters devolved from a court of inherent jurisdiction, such as a...
that provided on-the-spot help and legal information for vulnerable families struggling to make their way through the City’s complex Family Court system. Before LIFT, there was no source of information or guidance
Guidance
Guidance may refer to:*Guidance *Guidance system*Guidance Solutions, an eCommerce development company*"Guidance", an episode of Death Note...
for families in the City’s Family Courts, and the type of on-the-spot service LIFT offered was immediately in-demand and has served as the foundation for their programmatic growth throughout the organization’s history.
Community Need
The majority of New Yorkers embroiled in the Family Courts have no legal representation as they attempt to navigate a complex, under-resourced, and over-crowded bureaucracyBureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
. In this environment, without the tools necessary to seek resolution to their problems – tools such as knowledge of their legal rights or basic court procedure – families are all too often unable to access justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
.
Programs and Activities
Family Court-Based Services – LIFT operates Education & Information Sites in the heavily-trafficked lobbies and waiting areas in the BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Bronx, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
Family Courts, where staff are available to answer a wide-range of questions pertaining to family law
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
and navigating the Family Court, and distribute LIFT's multilingual Legal Resource Guides. LIFT can also be found in the Family Court Help Centers.
Family Law Information Telephone & Email Hotlines – The Hotlines provide free information about family law, Family Court procedure, and related matters including child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
policy and child support
Child support
In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...
regulations. The Telephone Hotline can be reached at 212-343-1122 and the Email Hotline at www.LIFThotline.org.
Legal Resource Guides – LIFT produces more than 30 original Legal Resource Guides, which provide step-by-step information on family law and how the Family Courts function. Topics include: Child Support, Custody
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
and Visitation, Rights of Relatives in Family Court, Rights of Immigrants in Family Court, and Changing Your Name or the Name of Your Child. The Legal Resource Guides are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, Haitian/Creole, and are currently being translated into Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Tagalog, Urdu, and Yiddish.
Family Legal Center (FLC) – Located at LIFT’s office in lower Manhattan, a team of paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
s, social workers, and program associates provide free services to people involved in child support, custody and visitation without lawyers, services include: one-on-one legal information; court document preparation; court and child support hearings accompaniment; peer support
Peer support
Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters, and can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, listening, or counseling...
groups; parenting skills, conflict resolution
Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
, and financial literacy
Financial literacy
Financial literacy is the ability to understand finance. More specifically, it refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of finances...
workshops; and referrals to community-based social services .
System Reform – To advance the organization’s mission, LIFT takes their front-line experience and extensive data to key advisory committees, coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
s, and Court administration to give voice to Family Court-involved families and foster positive system reform. LIFT frequently testifies before public officials and participates in national conferences
Meeting
In a meeting, two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal setting.- Definitions :An act or process of coming together as an assembly for a common purpose....
, resource fairs, and community events pertaining to family law. The organization also serves on a number of advisory committees and task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
s, including the NYC Family Court Advisory Council and the NYC Kincare Taskforce.
Judge for a Day Program – At the Judge for a Day Program LIFT invites members of the private
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
and public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
s to sit alongside a Family Court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and observe requests for orders of protection, juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
trials, custody disputes, and other matters. This is followed by a discussion facilitated by LIFT and the hosting judges. The goal of this program is to help improve the conditions of Family Court and to bring resources to LIFT.
Awards
LIFT has been recognized for the following awards:- 2009: LIFT was a finalist for the New York Times Company Nonprofit Excellence Award, given to the nonprofit that best exhibits excellence in managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and that plays a critical role in enriching and improving the lives of people in New York City.
- 2009: LIFT received the Thom A. Fluellen Award from the NYU Community Fund, which recognizes an outstanding organization that demonstrates tireless efforts in the community.
- 2008: LIFT received The Samuel J. Duboff Memorial Award from the Fund for Modern Courts. The award recognizes non-lawyers who make extraordinary contributions toward improving the quality of justice in New York State.
- 2005: LIFT’s Family Court-based Education & Information Sites were recognized as an "exemplary" court program by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.