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Medical Legal Partnership

Hofstra Medical Legal Partnership (MLP)

Our mission is to provide much-needed legal and medical care to community members across Long Island, and New York City, regardless of the ability to pay. We seek to deliver holistic care to underserved patients in our community by uniting social, medical, legal, and academic resources.

Partnerships

Northwell Health

We have partnered with Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider, servicing NYC, Long Island and Westchester with compassionate care through research and innovation.

New York State Bar Association

We have partnered with New York State Bar Association to assist the COVID-19 Pro Bono Recovery Task Force in facilitating the delivery of effective, comprehensive and efficient pro bono legal services, in urgent civil and criminal matters, to all New Yorkers in need during and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

What We Do

The MLP focuses on three critical areas:

  1. Providing legal services to underserved patients in our community.
  2. Educating current students and future generations of lawyers and health care professionals, and cross-training medical and legal providers in order for them to gain an understanding of each other’s discipline.
  3. Forming relationships with our community-based organizations, and local law firms to expand MLP initiatives.

We identify and address health harming legal needs such as:

Income

  • Public Benefits
  • WIC/SNAP
  • Social Security
  • Health Insurance
  • Utilities
  • Medicare/Medicaid

Employment

  • Discrimination
  • Special Education for Children

Housing

  • Evictions
  • Foreclosures
  • Repairs

Legal Status

  • Refugees
  • Asylees
  • Parolees

Personal/Family

  • Elder Law
  • Mental Health
  • Substance Abuse

Make an Appointment

Make an appointment with an attorney by sending an email to MLP@Hofstra.edu or calling 516-463-6128.

The Medical Legal Partnership office is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Make an Appointment

Get Involved

Pro Bono Projects

Law firms and attorneys can collaborate with Hofstra to provide legal assistance to clients in the following areas:

  • Income: social security, public benefits, Medicare and Medicaid appeals
  • Housing: evictions, foreclosures, repairs
  • Employment/Education: discrimination, special education for children
  • Legal Status: refugees, asylees, parolees
  • Personal/Family: mental health, elder law, domestic violence, guardianships

Join Our Mission

  • Provide high quality representation for clients facing health harming legal needs
  • Create partnerships to provide pro bono services to clients
  • Expand relationships with community-based organizations
  • Facilitate working relationships between law students and licensed attorneys

For all volunteer opportunities and questions, please contact Kerlann L. Flowers, Esq., Legal Director, at Kerlann.L.Flowers@hofstra.edu or 516-463-7360.

Academic Offerings

Law and Medicine Together Class & Practicum

Students are exposed to the core practice areas covered by the Medical-Legal Partnership, including immigration law, education law, disability discrimination law, housing law, and others. The course includes a combination of lectures and skills labs, with each week its own module. Students will also are required to perform fieldwork with the Medical-Legal Partnership.

  • Social Determinants of Health I:  Why Are We Here?
  • The Medical Legal Partnership
  • Information Sharing Ethics, HIPAA, and Informed Consent
  • Social Determinants of Health II: Income Inequality and Healthcare
  • Social Determinants of Health II: Racism as a Public Health Issue
  • Social Determinants of Health II: Introduction to Housing Issues
  • Social Determinants of Health II: Elders and Their Caregivers
  • Social Determinants of Health II: Immigration Issues

About Us

Phone

516-463-6128

Janet L. Dolgin

Janet L. Dolgin
Jack and Freda Dicker Distinguished Professor of Health Care Law; Professor of Science Education, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine; Co-director, Hofstra Bioethics Center; Director, Gitenstein Institute for Health Law and Policy

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Kerlann Flowers
Legal Director and Senior Attorney for the Northwell/Hofstra Medical Legal Partnership and Senior Fellow for the Gitenstein Institute for Health Law and Policy and Visiting Assistant Professor of Law

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Carlos Mulles
Public Assistance Attorney for the Hofstra/Northwell Medical-Legal Partnership and Visiting Assistant Professor of Law

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Michelle Wallace
Senior Executive Secretary