Paul, Weiss Partners With NYLPI and HCC to Host Rent Increase Exemption Pro Bono Clinic

Paul, Weiss partnered with the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) and the Housing Conservation Coordinators (HCC) to host a legal clinic helping eligible tenants apply for rent increase exemption programs.

In preparation for the clinic, on June 6, HCC attorneys and staff provided a training to Paul, Weiss volunteers, which included information about program application requirements. Low-income senior and/or disabled tenants who are living in rent regulated apartments and spend more than one-third of their monthly household income on rent can apply for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE). Qualifying applicants are eligible to have their rents frozen under NYC’s SCRIE and DRIE programs, with the landlord receiving a property tax credit to cover the difference between the original and new rent.

At the day-long clinic at Paul, Weiss’s New York office, Paul, Weiss volunteers worked in teams to assist 16 clients with preparing their SCRIE or DRIE applications.

The clinic was supervised by litigation partner Geoffrey Chepiga and counsel Daniel Juceam; corporate counsel Hilary Christian, Jeremy Larkins and associates Adrienne Parms, Ashley Augustin, Dana O'Shea, Kevin Miri and Lanlie Zheng; and executive compensation associate Teri Tillman. It was coordinated by pro bono attorney Jeremy Benjamin.