Legal Services of Northwest Jersey-Somerset County Division (LSNJ) provides free legal services in civil matters to poor people in Somerset County and Sussex County in order to provide equal access to justice for people who would otherwise be denied access. LSNJ has determined the following areas to be of priority:

• Improvement in Lives of Children;
• Preserving the Home;
• Safety, Stability and Health;
  
• Maintaining Economic Stability;
  
• Legal Assistance for People Affected by Disaster; and
  
• Improvement in Delivery of Legal Services.

LSNJ operates a law office, staffed by attorneys and support staff experienced in issues of poverty law, which handles individual cases for eligible clients. In addition, through its work on judicial task forces, bar association activities, community committees and working groups, LSNJ is involved in improving access to and the quality of the judicial system of New Jersey and Somerset and Sussex Counties.

LSNJ provides free civil legal services to the poor of Somerset County in order to insure equal access to the system of justice. Without access to the Court and administrative systems, poor people are denied essential basic needs. The numbers of families and individuals who need assistance to meet these essential basic needs continues to skyrocket. From 1990 to 1998, poverty in Somerset County almost doubled, from 6,061 to 10,886 people. Evictions continue at an incredible pace with more than twenty families losing their homes each week in Somerset County.

All people become involved with the legal system at various times throughout their lives. For the middle and upper class in New Jersey, however, there is one private attorney for every 150 residents. The poor do not have the same access to justice. In Somerset County, there is one legal services lawyer for every 3,110 low-income county residents. LSNJ, the only provider of civil representation to the poor (those with income less than 200% of the federal poverty level) struggles to meet the legal needs of 9,466 low income Somerset County households with an attorney staff of three and one-half full-time equivalents.

The Legal Needs of the Poor in New Jersey Study (1987) estimated that each poor household in New Jersey will experience 2.5 civil legal problems each year. Thus, the need for representation in civil legal matters in Somerset County exceeds 23,000 cases per year.

LSNJ's goal is to make equal access to justice a reality for the poor of Somerset County. They do so by providing high quality, effective and efficient legal services in its five priority areas. LSNJ seeks to obtain the objectives of its clients in at least 85% of the cases.

Cases of Success from the Legal Services of Northwest Jersey-Somerset County Division:

In a case that is now pending in the Appellate Division, LSNJ was successful in compelling a landlord to rent to Sue*, a recipient of rental assistance. In a case of first impression, the trial court found that Sue fulfilled the credit-worthiness requirement in rental assistance, despite the existence of a small medical debt from many years ago.

Some years ago, Jane* lent her name and good credit standing to her daughter's purchase of a very expensive home, as her daughter's income was insufficient. The daughter obtained a $250,000 mortgage by forging her mother's name on a power of attorney. In the suit filed by the lender, LSNJ obtained summary judgment dismissing the claim against Jane since the terms of the surety agreement limited the senior's liability to her interest in her daughter's home. Jane, who owns the condominium in which she lives and is working part-time, was protected from the collection of unjust debt.

* Names changed to protect privacy.