Case Study · Mobile Legal Aid

The Justice Bus: legal counsel for those in need.

A mobile legal aid vehicle built for the Legal Aid Society, bringing free legal services directly into the community. We've since built a very similar van for the NY Legal Aid Group on a 170 wheelbase, with two rooms, one for intake and one for counseling, each with its own HVAC.

The challenge, the solution

The Challenge

Many people eligible for free legal help never reach a lawyer. Opening new office locations means rent and overhead, and the traditional answer, a legal aid vehicle built on a large RV, comes with a noisy generator, poor insulation, no real climate control, and no ADA accessibility. The organization's previous bus had another problem: it was simply too big to maneuver city streets and park where the clients were. The Justice Bus needed to work as both an outreach vehicle and a genuine place to provide counsel, in a vehicle that actually fits the city.

The Build

A Sprinter conversion where the interior looks and works like an office, in a van that weaves city streets to reach people in crisis. Modular, removable seating and tables reconfigure the same space for intake, counseling, community events, or cargo. A TV on an arm swivels outside for event activations under the awning. Everything runs all day without the vehicle engine on or a generator.

Modular power system with all day battery capacity
AC and heating with all seasons insulation
Satellite internet and remote fleet monitoring
TV and monitors with HDMI, on a swivel arm for outdoor activations
Modular, removable seating and tables
ADA wheelchair ramp

In the field

31

NYCHA developments

Stops in a single summer, bringing resources to residents dealing with poverty, housing issues, and over policing.

5

Boroughs served

Legal representation efforts, legal clinics, and Know Your Rights trainings across all of New York City.

145+

Years of service

The organization behind the Justice Bus has served New Yorkers for more than a century and a half.

ADA

Wheelchair accessible

A ramp and a layout that let the vehicle serve every client who comes to it.

Specifications

Build specs

Platform: Mercedes Sprinter
Configuration: Modular intake and counseling space with removable seating and tables
Accessibility: ADA wheelchair ramp
Connectivity: Satellite internet + remote fleet monitoring
Activation: Exterior swivel TV + awning

Van interior with light grey LED-lit overhead cabinets, black leather seat, white pedestal folding table and roof fan

Related Build

The next generation: a two room legal aid van

The NY Legal Aid Group came to us for the next iteration of the concept: a 170 wheelbase Sprinter with two separate rooms, one for intake and one for private counseling, each with its own HVAC. Two conversations can happen at once, with real sound privacy between them. It's the same mission in a layout built for higher volume.

Gallery

Inside this build

Mercedes Sprinter interior looking forward with black swivel seats, white folding table, leather rear seats and roof fan

Side awning tent of a light blue Mercedes Sprinter with bamboo folding table, NYLAG print and the street beyond

Van office interior facing the cab with white cabinet, black leather bench, folding table and two wall-mounted monitors

Light blue Mercedes Sprinter with the NYLAG side awning tent set up outside the Brooklyn shop

Two black seats and a white table inside the van, facing the open side door and the awning tent

HP printer on a counter above an under-counter fridge, with a wall-mounted control screen

Van interior aisle toward the cab, with black seats, a white table and LED ceiling lights

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Start Your Project

Planning a mobile legal aid program?

We can adapt this spec to your organization, your client population, and your funding source.