Improving Your Health with Access to Lawyers
For Patients
If you are a patient of the Mount Sinai Health System, talk to your provider or social worker about getting an appointment with a lawyer at no cost to you.
Here are some areas we can assist:
- Housing repairs and evictions
- Education rights and advocacy
- Access to public benefits
- Immigration and protection of legal status
- Employment issues
- Advance planning such as power of attorney, wills and guardianships
- Family law matters
- Affirming LGBTQ+ rights such as gender marker and name changes
For Providers
If you are an employee of the Mount Sinai Health System who would like to connect your patient to free legal services, please send us an email.
Our Programs
General Assistance on Civil Legal Matters
Mount Sinai and LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group, started one of the first medical-legal partnerships in New York City. More than 20 years later, LegalHealth attorneys staff legal clinics in nearly all Mount Sinai hospitals helping patients with general civil legal matters such as housing, immigration, advance planning, guardianship, government benefits and employment issues. The law firm Duane Morris LLP has developed a comprehensive pro bono program which provides free legal assistance at Mount Sinai Queens and Mount Sinai Brooklyn.
Education Advocacy for Special Needs Pediatric Patients
Pediatric patients with special needs often lack adequate support in their schools which can have a profound impact on their health. We partner with the Legal Aid Society of New York and the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP to advocate for these children. Our programs focus on legal screening for families, training of Mount Sinai medical professionals, advocating for special education services in schools and in the development of appropriate Individualized Education Plans and representing children in hearings.
Advance Care Planning
Patients with chronic disease, those facing end-of-life decisions or medical emergencies may be overwhelmed by decisions regarding their health care. By bringing lawyers onto their healthcare team we help patients ensure that their wishes and preferences are consistent with the health care treatment they wish to receive. The City Bar Justice Center’s Planning and Estates Law Project in collaboration with a group of law firms led by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP offers patients free assistance with powers of attorney, wills, health care proxies, and standby guardianships for minor children of dying patients.
General Assistance on Civil Legal Matters
Mount Sinai and LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group, started one of the first medical-legal partnerships in New York City. More than 20 years later, LegalHealth attorneys staff legal clinics in nearly all Mount Sinai hospitals helping patients with general civil legal matters such as housing, immigration, advance planning, guardianship, government benefits and employment issues. The law firm Duane Morris LLP has developed a comprehensive pro bono program which provides free legal assistance at Mount Sinai Queens and Mount Sinai Brooklyn.
Education Advocacy for Special Needs Pediatric Patients
Pediatric patients with special needs often lack adequate support in their schools which can have a profound impact on their health. We partner with the Legal Aid Society of New York and the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP to advocate for these children. Our programs focus on legal screening for families, training of Mount Sinai medical professionals, advocating for special education services in schools and in the development of appropriate Individualized Education Plans and representing children in hearings.
Advance Care Planning
Patients with chronic disease, those facing end-of-life decisions or medical emergencies may be overwhelmed by decisions regarding their health care. By bringing lawyers onto their healthcare team we help patients ensure that their wishes and preferences are consistent with the health care treatment they wish to receive. The City Bar Justice Center’s Planning and Estates Law Project in collaboration with a group of law firms led by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP offers patients free assistance with powers of attorney, wills, health care proxies, and standby guardianships for minor children of dying patients.
General Assistance on Civil Legal Matters
Mount Sinai and LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group, started one of the first medical-legal partnerships in New York City. More than 20 years later, LegalHealth attorneys staff legal clinics in nearly all Mount Sinai hospitals helping patients with general civil legal matters such as housing, immigration, advance planning, guardianship, government benefits and employment issues. The law firm Duane Morris LLP has developed a comprehensive pro bono program which provides free legal assistance at Mount Sinai Queens and Mount Sinai Brooklyn.
Education Advocacy for Special Needs Pediatric Patients
Pediatric patients with special needs often lack adequate support in their schools which can have a profound impact on their health. We partner with the Legal Aid Society of New York and the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP to advocate for these children. Our programs focus on legal screening for families, training of Mount Sinai medical professionals, advocating for special education services in schools and in the development of appropriate Individualized Education Plans and representing children in hearings.
Advance Care Planning
Patients with chronic disease, those facing end-of-life decisions or medical emergencies may be overwhelmed by decisions regarding their health care. By bringing lawyers onto their healthcare team we help patients ensure that their wishes and preferences are consistent with the health care treatment they wish to receive. The City Bar Justice Center’s Planning and Estates Law Project in collaboration with a group of law firms led by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP offers patients free assistance with powers of attorney, wills, health care proxies, and standby guardianships for minor children of dying patients.
Legal Services for Pediatric Patients
We integrate legal care into our young patients primary care. Working closely with Mount Sinai pediatricians at the Cohen Center for Pediatric Comprehensive Care we provide free legal services to low-income families on issues ranging from substandard housing conditions, economic insecurity and access to public benefits. This program is generously support by funding from the Martin and Sondra Rappaport Charitable Private Foundation. We also have a partnership with the organization Family Legal Care to refer parents needing assistance with child support matters.
Legal Services for Adolescent Patients
Adolescent patients and families of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center are offered free legal assistance, advocacy and counseling from our partner organization, Youth Represent, a holistic youth defense and advocacy non-profit organization.
Legal Services for Patients Living with HIV/AIDS
The Peter Kruger Clinic at Mount Sinai’s Institute for Advanced Medicine is the largest provider of primary care for patients living with HIV. In partnership with the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, comprehensive legal services are available and integrated into the continuum of care for HIV/AIDS patients.
Legal Services for Pediatric Patients
We integrate legal care into our young patients primary care. Working closely with Mount Sinai pediatricians at the Cohen Center for Pediatric Comprehensive Care we provide free legal services to low-income families on issues ranging from substandard housing conditions, economic insecurity and access to public benefits. This program is generously support by funding from the Martin and Sondra Rappaport Charitable Private Foundation. We also have a partnership with the organization Family Legal Care to refer parents needing assistance with child support matters.
Legal Services for Adolescent Patients
Adolescent patients and families of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center are offered free legal assistance, advocacy and counseling from our partner organization, Youth Represent, a holistic youth defense and advocacy non-profit organization.
Legal Services for Patients Living with HIV/AIDS
The Peter Kruger Clinic at Mount Sinai’s Institute for Advanced Medicine is the largest provider of primary care for patients living with HIV. In partnership with the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, comprehensive legal services are available and integrated into the continuum of care for HIV/AIDS patients.
Legal Services for Breast Cancer Patients
We offer an integrated medical-legal partnership to provide free legal assistance to low-income breast cancer patients and survivors receiving treatment at the Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Center at the Tisch Cancer Center as well as at other sites at Mount Sinai. This clinic is staffed by LegalHealth and supported by funding from the Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert.
Legal Services for Cancer Patients
Legal Services for LGBTQ Patients
We partner with the LGBTQ Law Project and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund so that LGBTQ patients have access to lawyers to assist them with a wide range of legal issues such as gender marker and name changes, discrimination matters and housing issues.
Legal Services for Breast Cancer Patients
We offer an integrated medical-legal partnership to provide free legal assistance to low-income breast cancer patients and survivors receiving treatment at the Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Center at the Tisch Cancer Center as well as at other sites at Mount Sinai. This clinic is staffed by LegalHealth and supported by funding from the Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert.
Legal Services for Cancer Patients
Legal Services for LGBTQ Patients
We partner with the LGBTQ Law Project and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund so that LGBTQ patients have access to lawyers to assist them with a wide range of legal issues such as gender marker and name changes, discrimination matters and housing issues.
Program Spotlight | Data-Driven Approach to Addressing Health-Harming Legal Needs Among Mount Sinai Patients
We collaborate with our colleagues at Mount Sinai Health Partners and the legal services organization, LegalHealth, to provide free legal services to Medicaid patients. This program utilizes data analytics developed by Mount Sinai to identify patients who are potentially facing health-harming legal needs based on four key categories of legal risk: income maximization; immigration/naturalization; housing; and personal safety. Once the Mount Sinai analytics team has identified patients with potential legal risks, Mount Sinai care managers conduct screenings to confirm the patients’ legal needs and obtain consent to refer them to attorneys for an initial consultation and possible provision of free legal services. This program is generously supported by the Health First Foundation.