The Pro Se Assistance Program is available to assist financially eligible civil pro se litigants in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York who are in need of legal advice on a limited-scope basis. The Program may assist pro se litigants who have already filed a civil lawsuit, want to file a civil lawsuit, or have been sued civilly in the Western District of New York.
The Program has been primarily operating on a remote basis since the pandemic. We are happy to announce that the Program will be reopening for in-person consultations in Buffalo and Rochester in September 2025.
Buffalo
The Pro Se Assistance Program in Buffalo will be reopening for in-person consultations on Friday, September 5, 2025, between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The Program will be open each Friday thereafter at that same time through November 21, 2025, with plans to reopen again in-person in January 2026.
If you are a pro se litigant in need of legal advice, you may visit the Program in Buffalo at the Robert H. Jackson United States Courthouse, 2 Niagara Square, Buffalo, New York, in the office located within the public entrance to the Clerk’s Office on the second floor. While we encourage you to obtain in-person assistance, remote assistance continues to be available by contacting the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project at (716) 847-0662, ext. 340, at any time.
Rochester
The Pro Se Assistance Program in Rochester will be reopening for in-person consultations on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The Program will be open each Wednesday thereafter at that same time through November 19, 2025, with plans to reopen again in-person in January 2026.
If you are a pro se litigant in need of legal advice, you may visit the Program in Rochester at the Kenneth B. Keating Federal Building, 100 State Street, Rochester, New York, on the second floor. While we encourage you to obtain in-person assistance, remote assistance continues to be available by contacting JustCause at (585) 683-7707 at any time.
Further information for pro se litigants is available on the Court’s website:
https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/pro-se-self-representation.
Attachments:
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