Ready, Willing & Able | The Doe Fund

George McDonald of the Coalition for the Homeless said the move is an attempt to persuade the derelict to accept psychiatric and medical attention.

The homeless lawyer, whom McDonald identified only as Gary, his first name, was spotted over the weekend at Grand Central Terminal by two of his friends.

The two were part of a team of friends and former classmates formed to search for Gary, who has been living on the streets for about six months.

"He shook hands and said, 'I know you are looking for me, and I know I need help, but I need more time,'" McDonald said yesterday. Gary then walked away.

In the past, attempts by Gary's friends to force him to seek help have been frustrated by his eloquence and knowledge of the law of involuntary confinement.

McDonald said an affadavit has been obtained from the man's mother, who lives in Phenix City, Ala., asking a state Supreme Court judge to appoint a legal guardian.

A brief will be filed in the case today, McDonald said.

After a hearing at which the guardian represents Gary's interests, a warrant will be sought for his confinement, McDonald said.

Gary, 28, is a graduate of Harvard College, employed as a law clerk by a federal judge in Montgomery, Ala., after graduating from Columbia Law School in 1982.

He became depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend and failing the Florida bar exam in 1984, and eventually moved back to New York.

His friends say he apparently slept in Central Park until the arrival of cold weather and often has been seen rifling garbage cans in midtown.