The Rhode Island Bankruptcy Legal Clinic ("the Clinic") is a free legal clinic that is a partnership between the RI Bankruptcy Court and various members of the Rhode Island bankruptcy legal community.   This program provides debtors with an opportunity to meet, one-on-one, with a volunteer bankruptcy attorney for a free half-hour consultation. The Clinic provides limited legal advice to individuals without an attorney by answering their questions about bankruptcy and required paperwork, as well as how bankruptcy may be used to help prevent foreclosure. The Clinic cannot provide an attorney to complete your paperwork for you or represent you. Please review the Clinic Brochure for information on the services available and answers to frequently asked questions.  The  Clinic is located at the Rhode Island Bankruptcy Court, 380 Westminster Street, 6'th Floor, office adjacent to Court Library, Providence, RI 02903.  

The Clinic operates two days each month -- the first and third Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.  All sessions are by appointment only and must be scheduled below in 30 minutes sessions or by contacting the Clerk's office at (401) 626-3100.   Since each appointment lasts no more than 30 minutes, the volunteer attorney is able to handle two appointments per day except in extenuating circumstances, therefore early booking is recommended.  If both appointments on a clinic day are booked, please contact Clinic Coordinator, Janet Descoteaux at (401) 626-3100 to determine if an additional one can be scheduled.

Our attorneys participate in the Clinic program as volunteers, without payment, and as such, their time is incredibly valuable.  If you sign up for a Clinic appointment and fail to appear by telephone at the scheduled time (without notice or prior rescheduling), you will not be eligible to attend any future clinic session.  

***NEW PROCEDURE DUE TO CORONAVIRUS SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS:***

Effective immediately the Rhode Island Bankruptcy Legal Clinic (“RIBLC”) will be conducted by telephone conference only, rather than in-person at the Court.

Individuals signed up for a Clinic session are REQUIRED to complete two documents prior to being served telephonically by the volunteer attorney – an Intake Form and a Liability Waiver form.  Both of these forms must be completed in full, emailed to the clinic coordinator, Janet Descoteaux at janet_descoteaux@rib.uscourts.gov, with a contact telephone number no later than TWO days before the clinic appointment.  If these forms are not received by the clinic coordinator and a contact telephone number, the appointment will be cancelled.

The volunteer attorney will initiate the telephone conference on the date and time of the scheduled appointment at the contact number provided.  It is possible that the first appointment of the clinic session may go longer than the allotted time, so the second appointment customer should remain available for up to thirty (30) minutes after their scheduled time.  Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to try and provide free bankruptcy legal clinic services during this difficult pandemic period.

You must complete the following forms prior to your appointment at the Clinic and bring them with you:

1.  the "Intake Sheet", which is used to gain an understanding of the client’s financial condition and is shredded on-site or returned to the client after the meeting and

2. the "Agreement for Limited Legal Advice", which confirms the limited scope of legal advice provided and contains a conflict waiver.

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