Below you will find a listing of the NEW YORK CITY TRIAL COURTS and NEW YORK CITY LEGAL AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS. Specific contact information for the agencies can be found in the New York City Green Book (call number REF JS1222 .A3 N4).

NEW YORK CITY TRIAL COURTS:

The New York City Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the trial court of unlimited original jurisdiction, but it generally only hears cases that are outside the juridcition of other trial courts of more limited jurisdiction.  In New York City, the Court exercises civil jurisdiction and jurisdiction over felony charges.

     WebCrims (see library staff to login)

     WebCrims provides online access to criminal cases with future appearance dates in all criminal courts in New York City and select counties in New      York State.  It also displays universal summons case information for the five counties of New York City.

The Civil Court of the City of New York

This court handles civil, housing, and small claims.  The Civil Court of the City of New York has jurisdiction over civl cases involving amounts up to $25,000 and other civil matters referred to it by the Supreme Court.  It includes a small claims part for informal ispositions of matters not exceeding $5,000 and a housing part for landlord-tenant matters of unlimited amounts and housing code violations.

The Criminal Court of New York

The Criminal Court handles all criminal cases for the City. The annual reports are worth looking at to get an idea of conviction rates and the criminal process.

The New York City Family Court

The Family Court hears matters involving children and families.

The New York City Surrogate's Court

The Surrogate's Court hears cases involving the affairs of decedents, including the probate of wills and the administration of estates. It also handles adoptions.

NEW YORK CITY LEGAL AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS:

New York City Law Department

The  Law Department is responsible for all of the legal affairs of the City. It represents the City, the Mayor, other elected officials, and the City's many agencies in all affirmative and defensive civil litigation as well as juvenile delinquency prosecutions brought in Family Court and Administrative Code enforcement proceedings brought in Criminal Court. The City laws are accessible via the Web site.

Legal Aid Society

The Society provides a full range of civil legal services as well as criminal defense work, and juvenile rights representation in Family Court. Their core service is to provide free legal assistance to New Yorkers who live at or below the poverty level and cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

Legal Services Corporation - NYC

Legal Services of NYC is provides a staff of attorneys, paralegals, social workers and clerical workers who help low-income New Yorkers with nowhere else to turn, to navigate the civil legal system.