6/3 eBrief

June 3, 2016

eBrief

A Grandmother needed help and Attorney Ida Tyree-Hyche came to the rescue !

When this grandmother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she knew she needed to make sure that her family and especially her granddaughter was taken care of. Buried underneath crippling medical debt, she could not afford an attorney to help get a will. Attorney Ida Tyree-Hyche volunteered to take her case. Ms. Tyree-Hyche not only set up a will but also an advanced healthcare directive. "Rendering legal service to persons who can least afford it warms my heart," says Ida. The Birmingham Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program can help with wills on Mondays and Thursdays at the Civil Help Desk.

HELP A CLIENT IN NEED

1. Help client avoid foreclosure

An attorney is needed to help this client who has records of making her mortgage payments but the bank who purchased her mortgage claims they never received her money. The new bank has started foreclosing on her house (16-0005983)

2. Please help this disabled women get a divorce from her husband who is currently in prison

For most of their 25-year marriage, this client's husband has been in prison on theft and robbery charges. She never divorced her husband because she could not afford an attorney. Please help her get a divorce. (16-0005959)

3. Mother of four needs help getting rats and mold out of her public housing apartment

This mother of four needs help compelling the Tom Brown Village housing authority complex in Avondale to repair her public housing apartment that has mold from plumbing flooding, a hole in the wall, rats, and insects. The client sent a 14-day letter to the property manager who did not respond. The client is trying to turn her life around and works nights as a certified nurse assistant at a senior citizens home. Her children's father is in jail and she has begun the process to establish child support once he gets out. The client has pictures of the issues and is well-organized.

4. Client needs help with Heirs' property to keep Pratt City house from falling into disrepair

This 65-year-old client needs help gaining title to a house that her grandfather owned in Pratt City. There are no other relatives who would contest the ownership as the client is the only child of her father who was her grandfather's only child. The client wants to obtain the deed so she can transfer the property to her cousin, who has been living in the house and trying to keep it from falling in disrepair. The cousin has secured help repairing the roof and other repairs but needs clear title to get them done. Please help these women keep their family home and help keep the Pratt City neighborhood vibrant by being good homeowners. Click here to read Alabama Appleseed's pamphlet on Heirs' Property.

BE A HELP DESK VOLUNTEER

Civil Help Desk

Monday & Thursday Mornings

Attorneys Kendra Johnson and Alex McSwain prepare to speak with clients at the Civil Help Desk.

Domestic Relations Help Desk

Wednesday Mornings

Gregory Buchanan, The Buchanan Law Firm, is participating in the BBA's New Lawyer Mentoring Program where he volunteers at the Domestic Relations Help Desk. For more information on the program, click here .