More Hard Times for the Legal Community

In addition to law firm layoffs, the legal services community and law schools are getting pinched by the economy. 

According to Above the Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law is cutting its budget by approximately 2% for the current academic year because Temple’s overall budget will be cut by 4%.  The post also indicates that private law schools are going to have to make even more drastic cuts, ultimately leading to less financial aid for students, which will make it harder for those from middle class and low income backgrounds to attend law school.

According to the New York Times, legal services agencies are being forced to cut their budgets as the interest rates drop and donors are not able to give as much money.  As requests for services have risen approximately 30%, the NYT article estimates that many agencies will have to cut 20% or more of their staff. 

Locally, I have heard that IOLTA donations to legal services organizations are down from what they were a  year ago.  Please remember our local legal services organizations when considering making donations this year.

A New Year’s Resolution: You were there for us. For this I am grateful.

As we start a new year, I encourage you to include taking a pro bono case on your list of resolutions for 2009.  We are all struggling in these uncertain economic times, but those even less fortunate than us are struggling on a level that most of us are unable to imagine.

I specificially encourage you to consider taking a family law case from Philadelphia VIP, an agency that matches low income Philadelphians with much needed volunteer attorneys who provide civil legal representation to those who would otherwise go unrepresented.  I received the following letter from a couple of hard working VIP paralegals and was compelled to share it with you:

 

 

Dear Abbie,

 

Over the last year, Philadelphia VIP has received an increased number of requests for pro bono representation with the greatest number of cases in the area of family law. 

Every time we read through the file of a new family law case, we are moved by the client’s compelling story.  After all, a client’s divorce, custody, support, adoption or guardianship matter affects the most personal aspect of his or her life.  Taking such a case on a pro bono basis will certainly make a positive difference in any volunteer attorney’s life as well. 

According to Matthew Olesh, a litigation associate at Dechert LLP and a first-year volunteer with VIP who has already helped 4 clients with family law matters, “we always work as hard as we can for our clients, and it is especially rewarding to help someone who truly needs and deserves legal assistance.”  When opposing counsel challenged a VIP client’s attempts to visit her child who was living almost two hours outside of Philadelphia in a remote area of the state that was inaccessible by public transportation, Olesh helped the client obtain physical custody of her child.  Olesh noted, ”from the first time I met my client, I could tell that she had nothing but the purest intentions in wanting to be reunited with her child.  Not only was she genuinely upset at being cut off from all contact, but she was legitimately concerned for the child’s well-being.” Through Olesh’s dedication to the case, the client’s year long struggle to see her child was rejuvenated and ultimately validated.  At the conclusion of the case, Olesh’s client noted, “I consider myself very fortunate and appreciate everything that VIP and my attorney did for my family and me.  You were there for us.  For this I am grateful.” 

Unfortunately, even though there are many dedicated attorneys who represent family law clients diligently and consistently, there are not enough volunteers to meet the demand of VIP’s case load – in 2008, VIP was forced to turn away over 50% of Philadelphians who sought representation on family law matters.

Many attorneys have told us that they feel uncomfortable accepting family law cases through VIP because they have no prior experience in family law.  If you are not a family law practitioner, there are several reasons why you are still an ideal fit to represent a pro bono client in the area of family law, including:

 

• VIP provides a group of experienced family law practitioners who mentor volunteer attorneys new to family law representation; 
• VIP provides an online library of training materials, which volunteers can access from their own desks;
• volunteers gain invaluable client counseling, negotiation and trial advocacy skills;
• volunteers can help counsel clients to make good legal decisions and single-handedly afford give clients a much needed voice in an otherwise intimidating legal process; and
• volunteers will find the benefits of their representation reciprocal. 

 

VIP is offering substantive preparation for family law cases to all interested volunteer attorneys through a CLE on custody scheduled for February 13th and a CLE on divorce scheduled for April 3rd.  The CLE credits are free in exchange for pro bono services.

 

To become a Philadelphia VIP volunteer or to learn more about upcoming trainings, visit the Philadelphia VIP website or call 215-523-9550.  We hope to hear from you soon!

 

 

Janine LaBletta & Dana Barnett

                 Philadelphia VIP Paralegals

 

Please consider using your legal prowess to help a fellow Philadelphian deal with a family law matter this year.  You will be amazed at your ability to impact a local family.

Pro Bono Opportunities Day 2008

All attorneys are invited to attend Philadelphia VIP’s signature training seminar on Wednesday October 22, 2008 from 8:30 am to 12:15 pm at Montgomery McCracken Walker and Rhoads, LLP.  From first year associates new to the practice of law to those with many years of experience, attorneys will learn how to use their legal experience to help those most in need in our community. 

Training sessions for the day are available to professionals from all areas of practice and include probate procedures, name change and birth certificate amendments, consumer cases and legal wills.  Following the training event, VIP offers each participant the opportunity to take a pro bono case, and each attorney who attends the seminar and accepts a case will earn two (2) substantice CLE credits.  The cost of the training is $45 per attendee with breakfast and educational materials provided.  The deadline for registration is Monday, October 13, 2008.

Through the efforts of pro bono volunteers, Philadelphia VIP is able to provide equal access to the legal system for low-income Philadelphians and serve more than 1100 individuals and families every year who are unable to afford legal representation.

Contact Andrew Keating at 215-523-9550 or akeating@phillyvip.org to register.

2 Minutes of Your Time Needed for Juvenile Law Center

So you don’t have money to donate to public interest organizations and you don’t have time to handle pro bono cases.  You can still help the Juvenile Law Center by FOLLOWING THIS LINK and voting for the Foster Youth Speak Out project by September 1, 2008. 

American Express is providing $2.5 million in funding to the five projects that receive the most votes, with grants ranging from $100,000 to $1.5 million. If local attorney Jessica Feierman’s project makes it to the final five, Philadelphia’s JLC expects to be the non-profit that implements the program.

500,000 youth are in foster care nationwide. FYSO will allow them to have their voices heard so they can advocate for safe, nurturing, permanent homes and for positive school experiences. FYSO will create an interactive web community connecting foster youth across the nation with each other and the public to improve the foster care system. Youth will get further support from volunteer lawyers, who will teach them the advocacy skills they need to transform foster care from the inside.

Foster Youth Speak Out needs about another 1000 votes to make the top 25 as they currently rank.  You do not need to be an American Express Card member to nominate FYSO — just sign in as a guest and follow directions to nominate the project.  You do not need to be an attorney to vote.

It really takes less than 1 minute to help and if you have another minute you can watch the video.