Mayor Bloomberg issued a help-wanted call Monday in hopes of recruiting 300 lawyers to provide free assistance to homeowners facing mortgage foreclosures.
He said that with “a small commitment” from some of the 90,000 lawyers practicing in the city “we can make sure every family in need has a better chance of staying in their home.”
The city had 20,000 mortgage foreclosure filings last year and the mayor said he is expecting as many this year.
In past years, about a quarter of such filings actually led to foreclosure.
Bloomberg unveiled the new Legal Outreach initiative yesterday at the Queens Supreme Court in Jamaica.
He said his team is looking for 100 pro bono lawyers to volunteer for a minimum of two days at city courthouses to advise troubled homeowners about their legal recourses.
Bloomberg is eyeing another 200 legal volunteers who would appear with homeowners at bank settlement conferences.
“We are in a crisis,” said Justice Fern Fisher, deputy chief administrative judge for New York City Courts. “I am putting out a Mayday…we need all hands on deck.”
To volunteer your services, call 311 or visit the city’s Web site at www.nyc.gov.