The city announced Monday that it will be offering free legal support for New Yorkers at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure.

The new program will be offered through NYC Service, which was launched last year by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to provide volunteer services to different sectors across the city suffering from the recession. The program will train and dispatch 300 volunteer attorneys to expand the legal services already provided by nonprofits to homeowners facing foreclosure.

The mayor unveiled the new initiative at the Queens County Supreme Court on Monday. Also on hand were Fern Fisher, deputy chief administrative judge for New York City courts, Michael Hickey, executive director for the Center for New York City Neighborhoods and Hilary Gingold, an attorney with extensive experience working on foreclosure proceedings.

“The city has not been hit as hard as some other areas by the foreclosure crisis, in part due to our efforts, but we are seeing a serious impact,” said Mayor Bloomberg, in a statement. “No family facing the loss of their home should be without representation. With a small commitment from just some of the 90,000 attorneys in the City, we can make sure every family in need has a better chance of staying in their home.”

The program, dubbed NYC Service Legal Outreach, will provide homeowners legal assistance during the mandatory settlement conference, which is when the homeowner and bank meet to negotiate alternatives to a foreclosure. Under a recently passed New York state law, these conferences are required before foreclosures can proceed.

(Source: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/)