Legal Services of New Jersey - Essex/Newark

Our 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.

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.