How To Use Your PIP

Guidance on using your PIP to receive support from EDN.

Have you created your PIP already? Great! Read this page to learn how to use it.

Haven't created your PIP yet? Click here to create it, then return to these instructions.

You will need your PIP to communicate

with your team.

  • You will be assigned to a team which includes two attorneys and a law clerk. 
  • You will receive their cell phone numbers for text communication only, as described below.
  • Don't call the attorneys. Use the text threads only. Do not text staff member individually. If you misuse these phone privileges, you will be blocked.
  • If your team has not responded to your text message, it is because they are inundated with requests. Send your PIP the next day at 10 AM until you receive a reply.

How to Request Help Using Your PIP

Text your PIP to your team Monday through Friday between 10 AM - 5:30 PM. Do not text on weekends or court holidays.

Use your PIP to: 

  1. Request a Step 10 binder review. Include your updated PIP, your next court date, and note that you would like to schedule a "Step 10 review." 
  2. Report receipt of discovery (interrogatories, requests for admissions, or production of documents) and ask for help in responding. Include your updated PIP, your next court date, details of what you have received, and when/how it was served.
  3. Request a Step 15 binder review and assistance with the meet-and-confer process and/or with merging your binder with the landlord's binder. 
  4. Report any other document that you have received. Include your updated PIP, your next court date, and a photo of the first page of each document, along with when and how you got it.

Assistance at Each Court Appearance

Text your PIP to your team at 8 AM on the day of your court appearance.

  1. Include your updated PIP and appearance details, including whether it is a Jury Trial (JT) and what appearance number it is. For instance, if it is your 2nd appearance and you have preserved a jury, you will write JT2.
  2. Only send a PIP when you are ready for assistance that day.

Being ready includes watching our videos and gathering and organizing all of your evidence.

Additional information:

  • Attend class to get last-minute counseling before your appearance and to alert us of your court date.
  • We counsel tenants who have appearances on Tuesday and Wednesday: Monday nights
  • We counsel tenants who have appearances on Thursday, Friday, and Monday: Wednesday nights.
  • We will add you to our court calendar so that your team is aware of your court appearance.  It is your responsibility to connect with us. However, if we see your binder and/or you wearing a piece of orange clothing, we may also approach you. 
  • As your case progresses, we color code the calendar so that we can start preparing for an attorney to attend trial with you if one is available. An attorney is only assigned to your case when the case is assigned to a trial judge, and the trial is scheduled to start. We cannot guarantee trial representation. However, following our instructions will significantly improve your readiness to represent yourself should it come to that.

 

What next?

Watch our videos and start attending our webinars right away.