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Haverhill Arranges for Free Legal Aid for Residents; Program Aims to Address Housing Issues

Free legal help is now available to low-income and other vulnerable Haverhill residents with housing and other issues.

Mayor James J. Fiorentini said Tuesday the city developed and is paying for the program staffed at the Haverhill Citizen’s Center by local lawyers from Northeast Legal Aid. The program kicks off today, March 8, and will run Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from noon to 4 p.m., at the Citizen’s Center, 10 Welcome St., room 13 on the lower level.

The mayor said he has been working on getting the program up and running for several months as part of a package of proposals to address the need for more affordable housing and support residents struggling with rising rental prices.

“When a landlord dramatically increases the rent or is threatening eviction, many times low-income individuals and families don’t have the means for legal advice or help,” Fiorentini said. “There are a lot of heartbreaking stories out there right now, and this is a program where people can go to get help.”

Northeast Legal Aid has been providing free legal services to the poor, indigent and underrepresented for 50 years. The organization offers free legal services for civil cases including housing matters, especially tenant/landlord issues, as well as elder law, family law, consumer protection, disability benefits and education advocacy.

Residents may reach Northeast Legal Aid by calling 978-458-1465 or visiting northeastlegalaid.org.

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March 20, 2023 by LEGAL

CMBA working to eliminate financial barriers for those in need of legal services

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is celebrating 150 years in existence.

To honor their long-standing history, the organization says they want to continue improving people’s lives and have plans to introduce a new initiative they say is needed in the community.

“It’s needed because a lot of people don’t know about the legal system, and if you don’t have the means to pay for it, then you’re walking into a situation blindsided,” said Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association Client, Cherea Humphrey.

A game-changing opportunity is in the works for those who are struggling to get access to legal services.

“This is going to create all kinds of opportunities to eliminate barriers that will create better lives,” said Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association CEO Becky Ruppert McMahon.

This help comes at a time, McMahon says, many people simply can’t afford legal services because they’re already living paycheck to paycheck or at or below the poverty line – and don’t qualify for free help.

“That’s either because they make quote-unquote, ‘too much money,’ so that they don’t qualify for free legal services, but they still can’t afford a market-rate lawyer,” McMahon said.

Cherea Humphrey says this can put people in a difficult situation like she once experienced before she qualified for free legal assistance thanks to a partnership between the bar association and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

“By me not being able to afford one, you know, it was like, okay, well, what I’m going to do,” Humphrey said.

That’s where Ruppert McMahon says the Cleveland Legal Collaborative will step in to help.

Starting next year, Ruppert McMahon says lawyers in their first five years of practice will work with more experienced law professionals to provide quality legal services at a flat, fixed, low fee – and in some cases at no

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March 14, 2023 by LEGAL

City introduces free legal aid for low-income residents | News

HAVERHILL — The city has launched a free legal assistance program to help low-income and other vulnerable residents with housing and other issues.

Mayor James Fiorentini said the program, which is located at the Citizen’s Center and is staffed by local lawyers from Northeast Legal Aid, is available from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The legal assistance program debuted, March 8, in the Citizen’s Center, Room 13 (lower level), 10 Welcome St.

Fiorentini said free legal aid, funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act money, is part of a package of proposals to address the need for more affordable housing and support residents struggling with rising rental prices.

Free pro bono legal services for civil cases include housing matters, especially tenant/landlord issues, as well as elder law, family law, consumer protection, disability benefits and education advocacy.

“When a landlord dramatically increases the rent or is threatening eviction, many times low-income individuals and families don’t have the means for legal advice or help,” the mayor said. “There are a lot of heartbreaking stories out there right now, and this is a program people can go to for help.”

Northeast Legal Aid is an organization that for 50 years been dedicated to providing free legal services to the poor, indigent and underrepresented.

You can reach Northeast Legal Aid at 978-458-1465 or online at northeastlegalaid.org.

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March 12, 2023 by LEGAL

Partnership offers free legal services for MCC students

McLennan Community College is teaming up with Greater Waco Legal Services to provide free legal counsel on campus for students.

The partnership, part of MCC’s Title V Grant Project, is meant to increase student success by strengthening supports for low-income students and minority students. From 1 to 5 pm every Thursday at the Student Life Center, attorneys will do intakes and conduct free consultations. Greater Waco Legal Services founder Kent McKeever said if someone needs further representation, the firm will either offer it directly or connect students to other options.

The nearly $3 million grant from the Hispanic-Serving Institution Program of the US Department of Education was awarded to MCC in 2020 and is broken down to about $600,000 per year for five years. The grant program is meant to boost MCC’s ability to create successful outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students. About 34% of MCC students are Hispanic, and about 70% of all MCC students qualify for financial aid.

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MCC’s Title V project includes a few goals for first-time college students:

Increasing the first-year course completion rate to 85%

Bringing the percentage of students who return for a second year, the persistence rate, to 70%

Raising the graduation rate from 20% to 30%

And increasing transfer rates to four-year schools from 13% to 20%.

“Our goals are to enhance the first-year experience and increase our students‘ sense of belonging,” Title V Grant Director Paula Unger said in a press release. “When students have unrelated legal issues, they will have a harder time focusing on their education. We want this new partnership to help alleviate some of that burden.”

McKeever said in providing more direct access to affordable legal services for students the partnership is meant to ease some stress and help

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March 12, 2023 by LEGAL

Director of indigenous legal services in Maine resigning

The executive director of Maine’s Indigent legal defense program has announced he is leaving the agency by the end of June.

In Tuesday’s email titled “Changing of the Guard,” Justin W. Andrus tells other lawyers working for the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services that he gave his notice Monday.

Justin Andrus, executive director of the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, speaks in front of the Judiciary Committee at the State House on Jan. 17. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

“Getting here has not been easy for any of us. I agreed to serve a brief interim while the Commission found an Executive Director, and ended up staying through a whole new chapter. My chapter is at an end, however. Last night I formally advised the Commission that my last day as Executive Director would be no later than June 30, 2023,” Andrus said.

“I look forward to seeing what the next chapter looks like for indigenous defense in Maine. Thank you all for being part of it,” Andrus added.

Andrus did not provide a reason for his decision to leave, and did not respond to an email and phone message seeking further comment.

The commission uses assigned private attorneys and contract counsel to provide representation to independent criminal defendants, juvenile defendants, parents in child protective cases, and people facing involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital. The commission does not provide representation to people in other types of cases, such as divorce, eviction, foreclosure or small claims.

Andrus said the MCILS office has come a long way in the past two years. It started with three staff and has grown into a “legitimate public defense organization,” he said in his email.

“Two years ago, our future was completely opaque. Today, you will be paid fairly and, with your work and the

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February 23, 2023 by LEGAL

1,000 Legal Aid workers in New York City hold walkout in contract struggle

Legal Aid and Legal Services workers, please contact us and tell us about your working conditions, what you think about the Legal Aid contract struggle and socialist Will Lehman’s exposure and challenge to the UAW union election.

New York Legal Aid attorneys protest (New York City Central Labor Council AFL-CIO Facebook) [Photo: New York City Central Labor Council AFL-CIO Facebook]

One thousand Association of Legal Aid Attorneys conducted a one-hour strike and informational picket for a new contract last week on Wednesday, February 8. They chanted “two percent won’t pay the rent” during lunch-hour pickets at Legal Aid Society offices in all five boroughs of New York City. The Legal Aid Society is a non-profit corporation operating in New York City, funded mostly by the city and state with some private donations. Among their responsibilities, legal aid lawyers and support staff are responsible for providing legal representation to lower-income tenants facing evictions who are employed by the Legal Aid Society and Legal Services, nonprofit corporations that contract with the city to provide these services.

This followed a strike authorization vote of 92 percent, with 93 percent of the eligible membership voting, announced by UAW Local 2325 on January 23. Local 2325 represents civil and public defenders employed by the Legal Aid Society. Their previous contract expired last summer.

The overwhelming strike vote was announced two days before negotiations with Legal Aid were set to begin. During the negotiations, Legal Aid proposed a derisory 2 percent wage increase amid soaring inflation and cost-of-living increases in one of the most expensive cities in the world. In the face of overwhelming strike authorization by the members, the UAW 2325 leadership rejected the insulting offer and called for the one-hour strike on Wednesday.

The strike announcement on February 6 stated the action was being

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February 20, 2023 by LEGAL

The Victorian Legal Services Board initiates investigation into Veronica Nelson’s lawyer following a coronial request

The head of the Victorian Legal Services Board has initiated a complaint and investigation into the conduct of a lawyer engaged to assist Aboriginal woman Veronica Nelson, who died in custody.

NOTE: The family of Veronica Nelson has been granted permission to use her name and image.

Melbourne barrister Tass Antos was engaged by the Law and Advocacy Center for Women to assist Ms Nelson after she was arrested for shoplifting-related offences.

The 37-year-old Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman died alone in her cell in a Melbourne prison on January 2, 2020.

Ms Nelson had represented herself in court at a hearing where she was refused bail in the days before her death, which coroner Simon McGregor described as “preventable”.

Handing down his findings in January, Coroner McGregor criticized Mr Antos, describing the legal service he provided as “inadequate”.

The coroner hands down the findings of an inquiry into Veronica Nelson's death
Coroner Simon McGregor found Mr Antos fell “short of the standard expected of a legal practitioner”.

In a statement, the Victorian Legal Services Board commissioner and CEO, Fiona McLeay, said calls to investigate Mr Antos’ legal conduct came after Coroner McGregor’s findings.

“As the regulator of the legal profession in Victoria, we believe everyone who exercises their basic right to have legal representation should also receive an appropriate standard of legal service,” Ms McLeay said.

“I have initiated a complaint and investigation of my own motion into the conduct of lawyer Tass Antos, following the finding by Coroner McGregor that the legal services he provided to

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February 17, 2023 by LEGAL

ACLU, RI Legal Services file federal complaint against PPSD. Here’s what it says.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Legal Services announced on Wednesday they filed a federal complaint against the Providence Public School District for allegedly failing to give parents of special education students important documents on services they may receive.

According to a news release, the complaint, filed with the US Department of Education, states that the documents “contain student test protocols, which include notes and observations of evaluators that form the basis of reports on the services that must be provided to address the child’s special educational needs.”

“The complaint, on behalf of a Providence parent and her child, was filed as a class administrative complaint on behalf of all children with disabilities or suspected disabilities in the school district,” the release said. “The school district has admitted that it has failed to maintain and/or cannot locate evaluation and test protocols for the child and, presumably, other students.”

More on PPSD:What’s happening with Providence school closings? Everything you need to know

The RIACLU and RI Legal Services said they’re seeking “a variety of forms of relief,” including trainings for school staff on protocols and an order barring the district from “using evaluations where protocols have been mislaid, lost, or destroyed illegally if a parent or guardian objects to their use.”

Reaching for comment, Rhode Island Department of Education spokesman Victor Morente said the school district “was recently made aware of the complaint.”

“It is under review by PPSD’s legal counsel, and they will respond accordingly,” he added.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: ACLU, RI Legal Services file complaint against PPSD on special education records

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February 15, 2023 by LEGAL

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee relocates office to Hatcher Lane in Columbia
The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands announced the opening of its relocated Columbia office at 1503 Hatcher Lane, Suite 105.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands announced the opening of its relocated Columbia office at 1503 Hatcher Lane, Suite 105.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm, announced today the opening of its relocated Columbia office at 1503 Hatcher Lane, Suite 105.

The Columbia office’s attorneys and legal services will continue unchanged in the new location, although additional staff may be joining in the near future. Previously, the office had been located at 1121 Trotwood Ave., Ste. 4.

“The Legal Aid Society is proud to have been a part of the Columbia community for more than 40 years,” said Patricia Jones, lead attorney of the Columbia office. “In this new location, which is just a short drive away from our old offices, we will continue to provide needed free legal services to low-income residents of Columbia and the surrounding area.”

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands advocates for fairness and justice under the law. The nonprofit law firm offers free civil legal representation and educational programs to help people in its region receive justice, protect their well-being and support opportunities to overcome poverty. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. The Legal Aid Society is funded in part by the United Way. Learn more at www.las.org or by following the firm on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Legal Aid of Middle TN relocates office to Hatcher Lane in Columbia

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February 14, 2023 by LEGAL

The market for alternative legal services is growing dramatically, new report shows

In our biennial report on the ALSP market, we find a sector that has grown exponentially over the past two years and is making great in-roads with both law firms and corporations

The market for alternative legal services providers (ALSPs) is showing itself to be a highly dynamic part of the overall legal ecosystem and one that is growing at an increasing rate as it forges new paths to serving both traditional law firms and corporate law departments.

Indeed, ALSPs now comprise a $20.6 billion segment of the legal market, according to the Alternative Legal Services Providers 2023 Reportpublished today by the Thomson Reuters Institute, the Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law, and the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

The biennial report shows that ALSPs experienced a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% from 2019 to 2021, a significant jump from the 15% CAGR recorded between 2017 and 2019. Overall, it reveals an evolving legal market in which the boundaries between alternative legal service providers, law firms, corporate law departments, and even technology and software firms are rapidly blurring.

“Both law firms and in-house counsel are increasingly seeing the value of alternative legal service providers,” said James W. Jones, a senior fellow at the Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law and the report’s lead author. “Meanwhile, ALSPs are expanding the services they offer to law firms and corporate law departments by providing specialized services, improving cost efficiency, and delivering greater flexibility in headcount.”

A dynamic market

While independent ALSPs are the largest segment of the market, representing 87% of all ALSP revenue, captive ALSPs — those owned by law firms — are a smaller segment, but it’s also the fastest-growing, posting a six-fold increase since

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February 9, 2023 by LEGAL
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