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State bar will conduct free legal clinic today at Focus
Tuscaloosa News
October 29, 2009
Tuscaloosa – The Alabama State Bar will conduct a free legal clinic from 1-4 p.m. today at Focus on Senior Citizens, 1920 Sixth Street.
The clinic is for senior citizens 60 and older and low-income residents. Volunteer lawyers and law students from the University of Alabama School of Law will prepare advanced health-care directives – also known as living wills – powers of attorney and simple wills for clients , and will also provide guidance on bankruptcies, foreclosures and other legal issues.
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Pro Bono week spotlights need for equal access to legal service
Greenville Advocate
October 24, 2009
Both the City of Greenville and Butler County Commission have issued proclamations declaring Oct. 25-31 as Pro Bono Week, participating in both a national and state weeklong campaign to spotlight those individuals needing access to legal service.
The Alabama State Bar is sponsoring the campaign.
“Providing access to justice for those who cannot afford it levels the playing field,” said State Bar President Thomas J. Methvin. “When we improve access to the state’s courts we are actually helping Alabama families help themselves.”
Greenville attorney Cleve Poole, who is the 2nd Judicial Circuit representative on the state Board of Bar Commissioners, said attorneys frequently offer their services pro bono, (Latin: “For the public good”), at a reduced rate to those clients who exhibit need.
This week, he said, is the chance for attorneys on a local, state, and national level to focus on low-income citizens who lack basic access to legal assistance.
“Many people know that when you are accused of committing a crime, then the court appoints you an attorney if you’re unable to afford one,” said Poole. “But not in civil cases, which can be anything from divorce, to child support, to lawsuits. And there’s a lot of people who just don’t have the money to pay for legal service.”
According to the Alabama State Bar, Alabama currently ranks 51st in the U.S. and its territories in the amount of funding provided for civil legal aid.
On average, the state spends $10 annually for every low-income citizen, which places Alabama behind even Puerto Rico.
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Coffee County Bar Association hosts free legal aid clinics
By Carole Brand, The Enterprise Ledger
October 29, 2009
More than 25 people received free legal advice Tuesday during a legal aid clinic in Enterprise sponsored by the Coffee County Bar Association in celebration of National Pro Bono Week. Pro bono is a Latin term which means “for the public good,” and CCBA President Shannon Clark said the free legal aid clinic was an effort to help the community and the disadvantaged. “We felt like this was a way to assist the community without cost and to provide access to civil legal justice that is fundamental and our ethical responsibility as attorneys,” she said. Clark said most of the legal issues addressed were civil problems in the areas of wills, powers of attorney, advanced health care such as Medicaid, government insurance and nursing home questions. Local attorneys Joe Sawyer, Joe Cassady Sr., Harry Gilder, Cindy Gleisberg, Richard Whittaker, Carmen Howell, Paul Young, Stan Walker, Jimmy Parker and Clark participated in the legal aid clinic. National Pro Bono Week is celebrated Oct. 25 through Oct. 31. Another legal aid clinic is planned today in Elba at the Elba Public Library from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
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County to observe Pro Bono Week
By Amy Jones | Shelby County Reporter
October 14, 2009
The Shelby County Commission is working to make sure local citizens in need get legal help, regardless of whether they can pay for it.
The commission Oct. 12 passed a proclamation declaring Oct. 25-31 Pro Bono Week in Shelby County. The Alabama State Bar sponsors Pro Bono Week, which will happen across the state.
While many communities across the state will host legal aid clinics to assist the needy, Commissioner Lindsey Allison said such events are not necessary in Shelby County because of the bond among those in the legal community.
“We don’t necessarily do those events. We don’t have to because we have such a tight community, the judges get us to help the people who need to be helped.”
According to the proclamation, 7 percent of Shelby County citizens live in poverty. In the state of Alabama, there are more than 422,000 low-income households, and there are less than 55 paid legal aid lawyers available to serve them.
Allison said more people are now attempting to represent themselves in legal issues because of the fear they will be unable to afford an attorney.
Since such concerns have touched Shelby County citizens, it’s important for attorneys to remember the less fortunate. Pro Bono Week will help serve as a reminder, Allison said.
“I think what the state bar is trying to show, even though we’ve consistently done it in Shelby County, is that there are those who are less fortunate that can’t afford legal services,” she said. “We have an obligation as attorneys to help those who can’t help themselves.”
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Lawyers donate time for legal aid
By Michelle Mann, The Enterprise Ledger
October 14, 2009
Fourteen percent of Enterprise residents live in poverty, according to Shannon Clark. That is part of the reason the Coffee County Bar Association will host two free Legal Aid Clinics next week, she said.
Clark is president of the local 50-member bar association that will hold free the free clinics from 4:30 until 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Enterprise Public Library and Oct. 29 at the public library in Elba.
Nearly 20 percent of Coffee County’s attorneys donate their time in free legal services each year, Clark said, “But there is still a huge, unmet need for legal assistance for the disadvantaged in our area.”
This is the first time the local bar has participated in the nationwide week that recognizes the volunteer service of lawyers. Last year, Clark said, some 3,000 lawyers statewide donated 5,000 hours of free legal services to assist disadvantaged residents.
“We’re trying to heighten public awareness about legal services,” Clark said. “The concept of providing access to civil legal justice without cost is fundamental to the culture of the legal profession and has been viewed as an ethical responsibility of attorneys since the beginning of the profession.”
Reservations are not required for to attend the clinics, Clark said. She said she can be contacted at 393-7680 for more information.
“People just need to come,” she said.
“To provide justice for all,” is the focus of Pro Bono Week, Clark said. “Unlike the criminal defense system, the constitutional guarantee of funding for low-income Alabamians who need civil legal assistance is not met.”
Alabama ranks 51st in spending for legal aid from all sources to the poor, according to Clark. “The legal problems faced by those living in poverty can have serious, long-term consequences for children and as a result, for society as a whole,” Clark said.
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Pro bono legal services offered Nov. 13
By David Snow, Demopolis Times
October 27, 2009
DEMOPOLIS — The City of Demopolis was the first municipality in the State of Alabama to proclaim Oct. 25-31 as Pro Bono Week, a week in which attorneys statewide provide free services to those unable to afford a lawyer.
“The goal of Pro Bono Week is to educate the public about the extensive work that Alabama lawyers are doing, donating their time to improve the lives of vulnerable members of our community,” according to a release issued by the Alabama State Bar Pro Bono Celebration Task Force. “We hope to encourage more individuals in the legal community to get involved in pro bono work and financial support the legal aid system.”
“Pro bono” is a Latin phrase meaning “for the good,” and refers to work done by professionals for no fee or for a greatly reduced fee.
The week will feature legal aid clinics, recruitment and recognition events and service projects throughout the state, helping lawyers and law students make volunteer connections with legal aid organizations.
“There is a bar services program on Friday, Nov. 13, at the Demopolis Civic Center,” said Demopolis attorney Scott Stapp. “There will be local lawyers on hand to answer questions of anybody, and it’s all open and free to the public.”
Demopolis native Alyce Manley Spruell, the president-elect of the Alabama Bar Association, played an active part in getting Demopolis to be the first city in Alabama this year to proclaim Pro Bono Week.
“Regretfully, we are the state that gives the least to funding pro bono legal representation,” she said in an interview last July. “We are trying to emphasize not only that our membership do more in its volunteering, but also that the state citizenry understand and support the need for this.”
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Free Legal Help
CBS-TV42 (Birmingham)
October 27, 2009
Some local residents are getting a chance to get some free legal work this week. The American Bar, and the Alabama State Bar Association, have designated this National Pro Bono Celebration Week. Local attorneys are volunteering their services to senior citizens to help get their affairs in order, as well as Lovelady Center residents in hopes of freeing them of their legal problems.
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Lawyers spread word about poor’s legal needs
By Eric Velasco, The Birmingham News
October 26, 2009
Alabama lawyers will provide free legal clinics and spread the word about the need to improve funding for poor people seeking justice in civil courts, as part of the national observance of Pro Bono Week, according to the Alabama State Bar.
Separate clinics will be held Tuesday and Thursday in Birmingham to provide free legal assistance to seniors and to women making the transition from prison.
Several cities in the Birmingham-Hoover metro area also plan to issue proclamations in observance of the week set aside to call attention to the legal needs of poor people and families.
The recession has sent more people seeking free legal help but groups such as the Legal Services Corporation don’t have the money to meet the demand.
Individual lawyers willing to work pro bono, or free, can’t take up all of the slack, according to the bar association.
“Providing access to justice for those who cannot afford it levels the playing field,” Thomas Methvin, the state bar president, said.
“When we improve access to the state’s courts we are actually helping Alabama families help themselves.”
Alabama ranked 51st nationally, below every other state and Puerto Rico, in providing funding for civil legal aid according to an American Bar Association survey in 2006.
Funding that year was less than $10 for every low-income person in the state, said Tracy Daniel, executive director of the Alabama Law Foundation, a nonprofit organization promoting programs to provide civil legal aid to the poor.
Funding increased in 2007 to about $11 per year for every low-income person, and reached approximately $12.50 in 2008 due to increases in grants from the Legal Services Corporation and other sources as well as initiatives by the state Supreme Court, Daniel said.
The state also appropriated $200,000 for indigent civil services in 2008, the first-ever allocation for that purpose, Daniel said.
But money for indigent civil legal services in Alabama still lags. Alabama is one of nine states where spending is less than $20 per indigent person, according to a 2009 American Bar Association. In 12 states the funding level exceeds $50, the report said.
“We are grateful to our elected representatives for including in the state budget funds for legal aid, but it’s still a shameful situation,” said Methvin, who has made increased funding for civil services for the indigent a top priority during his term as bar president. “Given the tough economic times, we have to do more.”
Nationally, half of the people seeking free help through legal aid programs were turned away because the programs lack sufficient funding, according to a study by the legal Services Corporation, a national nonprofit network providing legal aid for the poor.
Alabama lawyers from all 42 judicial districts will participate in Pro Bono Week according to the state bar.
In addition to legal clinics and addresses to city councils, some lawyers plan to meet with civic groups and ask them to lobby for improved legal aid funding.
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Lawyers recognize pro bono week
By Lisa Tindell, The Brewton Standard
October 26, 2009
Facing legal problems is stressful enough, but facing those same problems without benefit of an attorney can be life altering. Alabama attorneys are joining this week to recognize the 2009 Pro Bono Week.
John Jernigan, a Brewton attorney, said he is part of a group of attorneys who want to help those in need.
“I am part of the volunteer lawyers program,” Jernigan said. “We have four in Escambia County now. Our goal is to be available to offer free legal services to those with low income who qualify.”
State Bar President Thomas J. Methvin of Montgomery said the act of providing fee legal services can help improve the state of Alabama. “Providing access to justice for those who cannot afford it levels the playing field,” Methvin said. “When we improve access to the state’s courts we are actually helping Alabama families help themselves.”
Jernigan said he is currently representing two clients on a pro bono basis and encourages other attorneys to join the cause.
“Right now there are only four attorneys in Escambia County who take pro bono cases,” Jernigan said. “We certainly need more participation in the program.”
A proclamation signed by Brewton Mayor Ted Jennings in recognition of the celebration week states that some 23 percent of Brewton citizens live in poverty.
The situation is particularly acute now as the recession has caused many financial problems to become legal problems and increasing numbers of the poor and disadvantaged are turning to legal aid programs because they have nowhere else to go, Jernigan said.
“Low-income people who need legal advice can apply to have an attorney represent them in legal matters,” he said. “There are certain qualifications that have to be met, but there is help.”
Methvin said the types of unresolved civil legal problems include women who are seeking protection from abuse, mothers trying to obtain child support or custody of their children, families who are facing unlawful eviction or foreclosure that could leave them homeless, and individuals who have lost their job and need unemployment benefits.
During the week of Oct. 25-31, lawyers across Alabama will join in a national observance and celebration of Pro Bono. Lawyers in each of the state’s 42 judicial circuits will participate in events like conducting free legal clinics offering advice and counsel in areas such as elder and family law; discussing with community and civic groups the critical need for the Legislature to provide a continuous stream of funding for legal services, and recruiting additional lawyers to volunteer to provide pro bono service.
Attorneys who are members of the volunteer lawyers program in Escambia County are Jernigan, Everette Price, Eric Coale and Shirley Darby.
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Pro Bono week spotlights need for equal access to legal service
The Greenville Advocate
October 23, 2009
Both the City of Greenville and Butler County Commission have issued proclamations declaring Oct. 25-31 as Pro Bono Week, participating in both a national and state weeklong campaign to spotlight those individuals needing access to legal service.
The Alabama State Bar is sponsoring the campaign.
“Providing access to justice for those who cannot afford it levels the playing field,” said State Bar President Thomas J. Methvin. “When we improve access to the state’s courts we are actually helping Alabama families help themselves.”
Greenville attorney Cleve Poole, who is the 2nd Judicial Circuit representative on the state Board of Bar Commissioners, said attorneys frequently offer their services pro bono, (Latin: “For the public good”), at a reduced rate to those clients who exhibit need.
This week, he said, is the chance for attorneys on a local, state, and national level to focus on low-income citizens who lack basic access to legal assistance.
“Many people know that when you are accused of committing a crime, then the court appoints you an attorney if you’re unable to afford one,” said Poole. “But not in civil cases, which can be anything from divorce, to child support, to lawsuits. And there’s a lot of people who just don’t have the money to pay for legal service.”
According to the Alabama State Bar, Alabama currently ranks 51st in the U.S. and its territories in the amount of funding provided for civil legal aid.
On average, the state spends $10 annually for every low-income citizen, which places Alabama behind even Puerto Rico.
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National Pro Bono Celebration being observed locally
By Meredith McCay, The Daily Home (Talladega)
October 14, 2009
Alabama State Bar has asked the city of Talladega and Talladega County to approve proclamations recognizing the National Pro Bono Celebration planned for the end of October.
Lawyers throughout the state have been busy organizing task forces and events leading up to the official celebration, set for Oct. 25-31, to bring about more awareness of available programs, both for lawyers not already involved in pro bono work and citizens who may not have known such services were available.
Jeanne Dowdle Rasco, an attorney in Talladega and a member of the task force responsible for informing law school students at the state’s five law schools about the importance of pro bono work, said she is excited the city and Alabama as a state have been so proactive about the event so far.
“This is the first time Alabama has focused and participated in a national campaign for this program,” Rasco said. “This is such a good project and it is so exciting that the city has jumped right in with preparing to approve a proclamation. I am anticipating that the county will do the same, although I don’t have confirmation from them just yet.”
The city agreed to approve a proclamation at its meeting Monday in support of the pro bono celebration and the efforts lawyers in Talladega have put forth to be a part of the events scheduled throughout October.
Events planned in Alabama include forums with law students at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, information clinics for women recently released from prison, speeches at Kiwanis Clubs throughout the state, information clinics for senior citizens and information clinics about domestic violence and the legal steps that can be taken to stop it.
Lawyers throughout the state are passionate about providing free legal services for low-income families because as many as 48 percent of these families have experienced at least one civil legal issue a year in recent years.
When those low-income households experienced legal issues – part of the 422,000 households experiencing 733,000 legal issues in 2008 – only about 16 percent of them were able to find legal assistance.
Currently, the Supreme Court does not recognize a constitutional right to a lawyer in civil cases unless actual loss of liberty – commitment to a mental hospital – is the cause of the civil case.
Therefore, anyone who falls below the poverty line must either hope a lawyer is available and willing to represent them pro bono, or they must deal with the issue themselves.
For example, to be considered eligible for free legal services, the family income for a family of four could be no greater than 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which equates to a salary of $27,563 for the entire family.
“There is quite a gap between people who can afford to pay for a lawyer with no problem and those who don’t have any money, but still need help,” Rasco said. “It can be hard to navigate the legal system without the assistance of a lawyer.”
In Talladega and Talladega County, the numbers of citizens living in poverty considerably outweighs the number of lawyers who have agreed to donate their time and talents to providing free legal services to those who can’t afford to pay.
In the city, about 19 percent of its citizens are experiencing a life of poverty. In the county, about 18 percent of citizens live below the poverty line.
About 15 percent of Talladega Bar members have donated a portion of their time to pro bono work.
By having a weeklong pro bono celebration, lawyers in Talladega and Alabama hope to educate the public about the extensive work pro bono lawyers are doing to donate their services to improving the lives of some of the community’s most vulnerable members, according to Rasco.
The goal is to get more individuals in the legal community involved in pro bono work and financially support the legal aid system.
“So many folks can slip through the cracks if we don’t volunteer our services,” Rasco said. “I hope this continues to grow and that next year we could host a one-day clinic here in Talladega.”
For more information about the events throughout the month or pro bono services in general, visit the Alabama State Bar’s Web site at www.alabar.org.
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Mobile lawyers take to the stage for a good cause
By Amy Browning, The Mobile Press-Register
October 25, 2009,
MOBILE, Ala. -- Local lawyers will sing and dance for a good cause in "Broadway Briefs: Lawyers Take the Stage" on Oct. 29 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Mobile Marriott.
The production is presented by the Volunteer Lawyers Program, the pro bono branch of the Mobile Bar Association.
"The show will feature a collection of songs, scenes and monologues from various plays related to the law," said Blakely Davis, VLP executive director. "The public is invited."
The production will also include legal scenes from "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Barefoot in the Park."
The cast includes Chris Kern, Barney March, David Peeler, Gaby Reeves and Bill Watts. The emcees are Jeff Deen and John Green.
"It should be wonderful," said Davis. "We are so excited. So often we don’t often have an opportunity to thank the attorneys and show our appreciation for them."
The presentation will conclude the American Bar Association’s pro bono week, which is Oct 25-31. The events leading up to the show are designed to educate the public about the efforts made by lawyers to provide free legal services to those in need, Davis said.
"It is an opportunity for our local community to celebrate the attorneys who provide legal services free of charge to low-income Mobile County residents with civil legal matters," she said. "It is also about spreading the word to the eligible population."
Tickets to the event are $50; table sponsorships are available. Proceeds support the Volunteer Lawyers Program. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Call 251-432-1102, or visit www.vlpmobile.org.
