According to the Oct. 28 issue of Newsweek, the foreclosure crisis has escalated to a 22.5 percent increase over the past year and more middle class homeowners and renters are finding themselves facing eviction.

To educate homeowners in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, The People's Law School will present a seminar on the foreclosure process and new protections for homeowners facing foreclosure; options for homeowners who are delinquent on mortgage payments; alternatives to foreclosure, strategies and defenses homeowners can utilize to prevent loss of their homes to subprime mortgage foreclosures; information on challenging property tax assessments and self help Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) procedure for challenging assessments on homes without going through expensive court proceedings, and rights and duties of landlords and tenants.

The seminar is scheduled for next Nov. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m, at Distance Learning Centers at Dunkirk High School in Dunkirk, Jamestown High School in Jamestown, Chautauqua Lake Central School in Mayville, and BOCES center in Olean.

Attorneys Arthur N. Bailey, Esq, Jeffrey G. Passafaro, Esq. and Peter A. Pillittieri, Esq. will lecture and provide written materials at the seminar which is part of a legal education series sponsored by the Robert H. Jackson American Inns of Court with the involvement of local attorneys who provide lectures for no compensation as a part of community service.

Through informative, interesting and easy-to-understand sessions, the presenters will use real-life examples and anecdotes to explain how the law works and how costly legal entanglements can be avoided.

A seminar covering various aspects of the Matrimonial and Family Law is scheduled on Nov. 17, and the final seminar will cover Intellectual Property Law on patents, trademarks and copyrights on Nov. 24. Interested persons may attend any one or all of the remaining seminars.

The E2CCB Distance Learning network will enable attendees at each of the sites to participate in the same informative, interesting and easy-to-understand sessions and interact with the local attorneys who will lead the discussions.

The People's Law School is modeled after a similar program sponsored by The New York State Bar Association to educate the general public on laws that impact directly on the average citizen and to explain legitimate ways to avoid legal expense, family disputes, or loss of property.

The seminars are made possible by a partnership between Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Adult & Community Education division (E2CCB), the Robert H. Jackson Inn of Court and attorneys from the Jamestown, Northern Chautauqua and Cattaraugus bar associations.

Pre-registration is requested. To register, interested persons should contact Sally Horton at the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Adult & Community Education division toll-free at (800) 228-1184 ext. 4060, or may call 484-1010 for the Jamestown and Mayville sites, 679-0404 for the Dunkirk Site, and 373-1600 for the Olean site.

There is no cost for those who call to pre register, but, there will be a $5 charge to those who register at the door the night of the seminar.