Albany County Bar Association

Transcription

1 Albany County Bar Association Snapshot of Accomplishments, The Albany County Bar Association (ACBA) is able to offer a variety of programs and services to our members and the community. As an accredited CLE provider, we provide lowcost, and free, CLE programs to our attorneys. We also offer free training to attorneys in exchange taking pro bono cases. We sponsor community events including an Annual Clothing Drive, Community Law Day, Senior Citizens Law Day and Bike Safety Day. The ACBA provides valuable information about community resources and attorney referrals through out Lawyer Referral Service. We receive over 7,500 calls per year for attorney referrals or information about resources. The ACBA also offers a Pro Bono Program for eligible individuals. The program provides additional training for attorneys while providing free legal services to low-income people. The ACBA is an active participant in the Third Judicial District Pro Bono Discussion Group. We have also partnered with this group to coordinate events for the National Pro Bono Recognition Week, which is held in October. Our current Pro Bono Program consists of the Pro Se Divorce Program, our Pro Bono Panel, the Albany Family Court Help Desk Program, and Attorney for the Day. The Albany County Bar Association has partnered with Albany Family Court and Albany Law School to provide the Help Desk Program, through which the Pro Bono Coordinator and law students sit at the Albany Family Help Desk to assist pro se litigants with petitions. Response from the Judges, Court personnel, and litigants, has been overwhelmingly positive. The Attorney for the Day Program (AftD) reflects a partnership between ACBA and the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (LASNNY). Through this program, representatives from the ACBA and LASNNY work with volunteer attorneys, who provide limited representation to qualified tenants in their first appearance in an eviction proceeding. Participating attorneys were recruited through a CLE program on Eviction Proceedings, and agreed to take cases in Continued on last page This Provider At a Glance Population Served: General Low Income Population Area Served: 6-County Area in Eastern New York Total Funding: $111,278 Total IOLA Grant(s): $36,778 Staffing - Full Time Equivalents Total (Other) Staff: 1.00 Service Area: 6-County Area in Eastern New York Types of Services Provided Direct Civil Legal Representation Brief Services ) Extended Services * Hotlines and Other Phone-Based Services ) Community Legal Education * Pro Se Assistance * Support for Other Service Providers * Major Cases or Other Advocacy Projects ) The IOLA Grant(s) Pro Bono Program $36,778 See page 3 Albany County Bar Association - 1

2 Outcomes 365 Individuals Benefited from Direct Civil Legal Representation Extended Representation Outcomes 250 People obtained a divorce, legal separation or annulment 50 People prevented eviction from public housing 35 People obtained or maintained custody of children 20 People obtained preserved or increased child support 10 People obtained benefits from other "extended representation" Examples... Outcomes for Clients CBA assisted a legally blind gentleman A with a divorce. This required pre planned special accommodations, reading each document to him, assisting him in signature of documents and making an appointment with him and his assistant to explain the filing process with the assistant so she could help him manage his way through the clerk's office. There was a missing document when the client filed his papers and ACBA was able to satisfy the courts needs with a copy of the document. This resulted in a successful divorce. CBA assisted a client with a bankruptcy. A The client had Bi-Polar disease and unfortunately charged his way into unmanageable debt. Interestingly, one of the possible symptoms of someone with Bi-Polar disease is uncontrollable spending. An attorney, which had participated in the Bankruptcy Training offered by ACBA earlier that year, is representing this client in bankruptcy court. This case is currently unresolved but a good example of how the training offered by ACBA recruits Pro Bono attorneys that in turn help low income clients. Breakdown By Legal Problem Area Total 365 People Family 315 People Housing 50 People Housing 14% Family 86% Albany County Bar Association - 2

3 Other Services Hotlines and Other Telephone Based Legal Services The ACBA provides a Lawyer Referral Service in Albany County. While the attorneys on the referral list are primarily from Albany County, we get calls from all over New York State and the rest of the US also accepting international calls. The lawyers on our referral service agree to charge a reduced consultation fee of $25 for the first half hour of consultation with the client. During the grant period, this office gave out over 7,500 lawyer referrals. In addition we referred approximately 900 callers to different agencies like Legal Aid, The Legal Project, Disability Advocates, Albany Law School clinics, etc. ACBA also handles calls from people requesting services of a Pro Bono Attorney doing an initial intake on the phone. ACBA also accepts s from inquiring people for both attorney referrals and Pro Bono requests. Legal Services Other Than Direct Legal Representation Through our Family Court Help Desk we were able to assist approximately 3,500 pro se family court petitioners. Through the Senior Citizens Law Day we were able to advise approximately 1050 elderly persons about legal issues affecting their population. Through our Senior Celebration we were able to help educate 550 seniors on protecting themselves from predatory lending and identity theft. Through our training seminars we were able to provide 100 clients with pro bono representation. During the grant period, we again helped over 220 clients obtain their pro se divorces. This program has made a name for itself in our community and has expanded to reach more IOLA Project Grants Pro Bono Program IOLA Funding Amount: $36,778 The goal of the Albany County Bar Association's Pro Bono Program is to identify the needs of the indigent within our community and to establish new programs and clinics that address those needs. Through our own efforts and as part of the Third Judicial District Pro Bono Discussion group, we have been able to accomplish that goal thanks largely to IOLA funds. We have worked with The Legal Project, Albany Law School and the Empire Justice Center to develop new programs. Our current programs pertain to family law (including divorce), elder law, bankruptcy law, and landlord/tenant law. The Attorney for the Day (AftD) program places Pro Bono Attorneys in City Court to represent eligible clients that are being evicted from their homes. Albany Law School Students volunteer to assist the ACBS Pro Bono Coordinator and the AftD with the recruitment and the intake process. We hope to continue our already established programs and add more in the coming year, which would not be possible without the assistance of the IOLA grant. Number of People Benefited by Legal Services Other Than Direct Legal Representation Total: 6,400 People Community Legal Education: 2,450 People Pro Se Assistance: 3,950 People Albany County Bar Association - 3

4 Other Services, continued counties in the Capital Region. The judges in the area continue to be receptive to our program, which has therefore been able to help even more members of the community. The ACBA has undertaken a Diversity Intake Program to increase the number of Minority lawyers within the Capital District. Through our office, law firms in Albany hire an Intern from Albany Law School for a six-week period. The purpose of the Program is to enhance the likelihood that students of color will remain in the Albany area after Law School and create a more diverse legal community. The program has worked so well that several area firms have hired them as an attorney upon graduation. Our Young Lawyers Committee (YLC) which has grown impressively. The YLC has hosted social events during the grant period included a cocktail party and series of CLE seminars. The Young Lawyers have been active participants on Habitat for Humanity builds and well as Regional Food Bank food drives. Whenever possible we hold events in conjunction with other agencies. A good example is the Senior Citizens Law Day, which is co-sponsored with the Albany Law School and various service agencies that assist senior citizens. We also include agencies like the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York in training seminars for pro bono services. The clothing drive in 2010 helped collect over 650 bags of clothes for local homeless shelters. Many suits were collected for people reentering the workforce, as well as warm clothes, blankets, sweaters and socks for the cold winter months. Support for Other Service Providers We work closely with local Domestic Violence agencies in the Albany area. Equinox contacts ACBA to assist their clients with a divorce. Unity House residents have also come through our divorce program. Women from local Half Way Houses have been referred to and assisted by ACBA. We also have a close working relationship with Hospitality House, a local agency that assists chemically-dependant people to fight their addiction and re-enter society in a positive and meaningful way. Many of our pro bono attorneys also serve agencies like the Legal Project, Equinox, and Unity House, helping to close the gap in the need for legal services. In addition, our Family Court Help Desk has brought more awareness to the community about our Pro Se Divorce program and thereby expanded our clientele. Our Attorney for the Day Program assists the Tenants Association by providing Pro Bono Attorneys to tenants facing an eviction. We continue to increase the number of clients who benefit from our pro se divorce program. In the past we have trained other local Bar Associations to provide these invaluable clinics in their communities. ACBA has also recruited a process server that does Pro Se Divorce service for free. Sources of Funding Foundations 5% Total $ 111,278 Other IOLA Grants $ 36,778 Bar 4% Bar Associations $ 64,500 Associations Foundations $ 5,000 58% Other $ 5,000 IOLA Grants 33% Albany County Bar Association - 4

5 Other Services, continued Pro Bono Private Attorney Involvement The Attorney for the Day program consists of volunteer attorneys providing assistance to tenants in their first appearance in an eviction proceeding. Some attorneys agree to further assist the tenant in subsequent court proceedings on a Pro Bono basis. Many attorneys volunteer year after year. When a call comes in for pro bono representation, the Executive Director or Pro Bono Coordinator sends an to specific groups of our members to request assistance. This has proven to be a very successful way of seeking and obtaining pro bono attorneys. The paralegals in our community are also very supportive of our programs and clinics. The Capital District Paralegal Association continues to assist lawyers, at no charge, when they take pro bono cases through our program. The attorneys and judges of the Albany County Bar Association support the training, mentor program, Help Desk, and clinics throughout the year. Pro Bono Statistics During , volunteer lawyers participating in our program achieved the following results: Number of cases completed: 150 Hours contributed: 722 Dollar value of services*: $108,300 *estimated at $150 per hour Snapshot of Accomplishments continued from page 1 exchange for the free CLE program. At the training in October 2010, over 25 attorneys were recruited. This program also involves Albany Law School students that have attended training on court and intake procedures. There, the students assist the ACBA and LASNNY representatives with completing intakes and assisting the representatives and attorneys as needed. Feedback has been extremely positive from the clients and the courts, saving the taxpayers money, as the mediation between the pro bono AftD and the paid landlord attorney resolve issues prior to appearing before the Bench, averting many low income clients from being evicted from their homes and potentially becoming homeless. On Community Law Day (2011), the ACBA co-sponsored an event with several legal service agencies and the Third Judicial District. Each agency, along with several volunteers, provided legal and referral information to community residents at a local mall. The Albany County Bar Association sponsors an Annual Law Day Run Against Domestic Violence - currently in its 17th year, this run raises over $20,000 for local domestic violence service agencies. The Annual Senior Citizens Law Day provides senior citizens and their caregivers with access to information on legal issues such as health care proxies, wills, and estate planning where attendees have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with attorneys, and complete intake applications for ACBA's Pro Bono Program. The ACBA participates in National Pro Bono Week providing legal information in several locations where legal service providers are available to distribute information and book individual attorney/client consultations. A central component of the ACBA's Pro Bono Program is our Pro Bono Panel, which provides free access to attorneys in the areas of Bankruptcy, Estate Planning, Eviction, Family, and Unemployment law. In 2010, approximately 120 attorneys had volunteered in at least one of the above areas. In 2011, we have already had two seminars, which resulted in the recruitment of more volunteer attorneys. One focused on representing claimants in unemployment hearings and the other provided information about representing victims of domestic violence in custody and eviction proceedings. If an attorney needs assistance, s/he can be partnered with a more experienced attorney through the ACBA's Mentor Program. Our Pro Se Divorce Program provides eligible clients with assistance in filing divorce papers. Clients meet one-on-one with the Pro Bono Coordinator who guides them through a computer program, which produces the forms necessary for a pro se divorce. We are also in the process of having an updated program written, so that we can maneuver through the forms easier, thus reducing the amount of time required for each appointment and allowing the Coordinator to assist more individuals as the number of requests is increasing daily. During the grant period we had over 220 people complete our divorce program. Albany County Bar Association - 5