COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates

Because of the of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic, courts, agencies and other governmental agencies have made many temporary changes to their policies and procedures. This informational post is part of a series put together by Neighborhood Legal Services to keep you informed of these changes. Neighborhood Legal Services will update these informational posts regularly.

If you have questions about any of the below, please contact Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. If you live in Erie or Niagara county, call (716) 847-0650. If you live in Genesee, Wyoming or Orleans county, call (585) 343-5450. Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) is not able to accept walk-in clients at this time. If you need help, please do not come to our office. Our reception staff will answer your calls and connect you with an NLS advocate who can help you with your legal problem.

Family Issues

All Temporary Orders of Protection in the 8th Judicial District (Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties) have been extended 90 days.

Courts will hear cases involving:

emergency juvenile delinquency cases,
child protective proceedings where there is an imminent risk of harm to the child,
emergency family offense cases,
temporary orders of protection,
emergency support matters,
emergency guardianships,
emergency adoptions,
any other matters deemed essential by the Court.

All other non-emergency court cases in the 8th Judicial District (Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties) are adjourned until after April 30, 2020. You will receive a notice from the court about your next court date.

If you have further questions, you should contact the following courts:

Allegany County – 585-449-3462
Cattaraugus County – 716-379-6639
Chautauqua County – 716-753-4266
Erie County – 716-845-9301
Genesee County – 585-201-5731
Niagara County – 716-280-6393
Orleans County – 585-283-6657
Wyoming County – 585-228-3199

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Sources:

Office of Court Administration (OCA) Memo, 3/15/2020

8th Judicial District, Supplemental Press Notice (with attachments) 03/20/2020

OCA Administrative Order AO/78/20, 3/22/2020

v.1.0 (03/24/2020)