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- New Helpline hours: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. AND 1-4 p.m.
- Outdoor outreach: Chester Co. Mobile Home Tax Appeal Project nears Aug. 3 filing deadline
- Community Engagement Unit: Expedited Pardons Project
- Bar Leadership Institute
- Distance Learning CLE Aug. 5: Trauma Informed Advocacy for attorneys
- Virtual outreach: unemployment compensation, Clean Slate & expungement | Full list at lasp.org/events
- Meet some of LASP's summer interns!
- LASP in the news & on the web
- Job announcements
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Newly expanded Helpline hours!
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LASP has newly expanded Helpline hours! Call 877-429-5994
Monday-Friday
,
9 a.m.-12 p.m.
AND 1-4 p.m.
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Helping mobile home owners in Chester Co.
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Pictured from left:
Brian Doyle, LASP Staff Attorney and Chester County pro bono coordinator;
Sara Planthaber, LASP intern;
Randy Blough, Volunteer;
Patricia Beans, UWCC Donor Services Administrator;
Darshana Shyamsunder, UWCC Director of Community Impact; and
Kelly Young, LASP intern.
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Outdoor outreach: legal aid during a pandemic
Chester Co. Mobile Home Tax Appeal project nears Aug. 3 filing deadline
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PHOENIXVILLE - In the Phoenixville YMCA parking lot, the
2020 Chester County Mobile Home Tax Appeal Project resumed in-person outreach July 17 and 18 for the first time since the COVID-19 public health crisis began. Braving heat and humidity, staff from LASP, United Way of Chester County and Volunteer Randy Blough set up tents and a mobile hotspot to help mobile home owners complete appeals of their tax assessments. Twelve clients received help with the paperwork from their car hoods, under a tent or while seated in their cars. Chester County's tax appeal filing deadline is Aug. 3.
Randy and his wife, Debbie Blough, along with fellow volunteer Kevin Zeeger, initiated the project in 2018, helping 22 mobile home owners file successful tax appeals. UWCC and LASP joined the project in 2019, winning all 177 of the tax appeals filed. Launching in January, the 2020 project expanded to all of Chester County. Pre-COVID, 126 tax assessment appeals were filed. During the pivot to online workshops during COVID, 236 mobile home owners attended online workshops. As of July 21, 119 more tax appeals were ready to be filed, and additional appeals are waiting for signed documents to arrive via mail.
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Photo above: Checking mobile home book value are (from left) Brian Doyle, Kelly Young, Darshana Shyamsunder and Randy Blough.
Photo at right: Brian Doyle and Sara Planthaber confer with a client (not pictured) on tax appeal paperwork.
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Community Engagement Unit
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LASP begins helping clients through PA's expedited marijuana pardons project for those with minor, non-violent convictions
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Have a minor, marijuana-related criminal conviction? LASP's Community Engagement Unit is helping people apply for the
Pennsylvania Board of Pardons'
expedited review program in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. The Board of Pardons started the program in fall 2019. In June, LASP reached out to more than 1,300 people potentially eligible for expedited pardons.
To be eligible, applicants must have
non-violent, marijuana-specific convictions. The Board of Pardons website outlines eligibility, exceptions, and provides a downloadable application packet and resources for treatment:
If successful, a client could obtain a pardon in 9-12 months instead of two to three years.
The Board of Pardons website notes,
"While there certainly is no guarantee that applicants for this program will receive a favorable decision from the Board, it should be noted that there will be
less of an emphasis on how recent the conviction is
, and more of an emphasis on
how compelling the applicant is at demonstrating how a pardon would improve their overall quality of life
."
A client whose pardon application is approved then must get the record expunged. Criminal records expungements improve access to jobs, education and housing, all which increase stability and economic viability for clients.
"
We encourage you to spread the word about this program," said Daniel Cortes, Community Engagement Staff Attorney, "and feel free to reach out to us with any related questions!"
For more information about the program or to check your eligibility for an expedited pardon review, please contact the
Helpline
at
877-429-5994
, Monday-Friday,
9 a.m.-12 p.m.
AND 1-4 p.m.
You can also complete an online application:
lasp.org/apply
.
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Daniel Cortes of LASP named to PA Bar Association 2020-21 Bar Leadership Institute class
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HARRISBURG—
Daniel Cortes
, Community Engagement Staff Attorney, is one of 18 Pennsylvania lawyers named to the
Pennsylvania Bar Association’s 2020-21
Bar Leadership Institute
(BLI). He is among three attorneys representing Montgomery County.
LASP pro bono volunteer
Mariam W. Ibrahim
also was named to the Institute, representing Bucks County. She is an attorney with Antheil Maslow & MacMinn in Doylestown.
Pennsylvania Bar Association President David E. Schwager made the announcement June 11. “Each BLI class member this year has a unique, diverse background and perspective along with new ideas and goals for the future to help shape the association,” said Schwager.
To apply for the BLI, candidates had to demonstrate leadership ability, commit to attend and participate in the required events, be currently licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, be a PBA member, and be age 40 years or younger or have practiced five years or less.
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by Gary Puleo
Lansdale
Reporter
| Sunday, July 19, 2020
Pottstown
Mercury
| July 16, 2020
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Grandparents' Rights
With a grandfamily information event canceled due to COVID-19,
Jennifer Pierce
, LASP's Doylestown Managing Attorney, explained grandparents' rights in family court in a 3-minute video:
https://youtu.be/JMKERkLsSdg
. Learn the differences between physical and legal custody and how they apply to those living in grandfamily relationships. Pierce created the video for the
Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, Inc.
, whose full KinCare video series is at
https://bit.ly/301J6XY
.
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Bucks County
Courier Times
July 3, 2020
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Bucks County Bar Association
The Writs
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Chester County Bar Association
New Matter
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Montgomery County Bar Association
Sidebar
Eviction Prevention and Intervention Coalition (EPIC)
by Michelle Dempsky, LASP Staff Attorney
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CLE for attorneys: Trauma Informed Advocacy
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Former LASP attorney Christine Zaccarelli will be among the presenters at a CLE, "
Trauma Informed Advocacy: What it Means, Why it Matters and Strategies for Engagement and Representation" on
Wednesday, Aug. 5 from
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The CLE is open to
pro bono attorneys who would like to participate and
receive 1.5 free CLE credits in exchange for taking a LASP case pro bono. It’s also open to LASP staff. LASP attorneys will receive 1.5 CLE credits.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://bit.ly/39F1CZt. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Presenters
:
Allie Dolan, LSW, Support Center for Child Advocates in Philadelphia
Christine Zaccarelli, Esq., Chief Executive Officer, Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County
Chelsea Melrath, Chester County ACES Coalition
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Unemployment Compensation: free workshop Aug. 13
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- Thursday, August 13, 2020
- 2-3 p.m.
In partnership with
Royersford Free Public Library
, LASP Staff Attorney
Deborah Steeves
will present an update on Unemployment Compensation / Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, how and when to apply, and answer your questions about both programs.
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Clean Slate / Expungement Workshop Aug. 20
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LASP Staff Attorney
Deborah Steeves will present information about record-clearing on
Thursday, Aug. 20 from
2-3 p.m. Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law allows certain criminal cases to be sealed – taken out of public view – so they cannot be used as barriers to employment, housing, etc. She will discuss:
Questions about this event? Please contact Darshana Shyamsunder, Director of Community Impact Initiatives for United Way of Chester County, at 610-429-9400 x4112 or
dshyamsunder@uwchestercounty.org.
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Clean Slate / Expungement Workshops with Coatesville Center for Community Health scheduled through November
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LASP Attorney Deborah Steeves will present
Clean Slate and Expungement Workshops in September, October and November in partnership with the
Coatesville Center for Community Health. Register for your preferred workshop by emailing
ccch@comcast.net. After you register, you will receive the meeting link through email.
- Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 3-4 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 4-5 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 3-4 p.m.
The workshops will help individuals with criminal records who may have been denied employment or other services because of their record. Participants will learn about the Clean Slate and expungement process, eligibility, and learn how to proceed.
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This listing is updated frequently, so
please check back for new offerings.
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Trial Run 5K has been moved to autumn!
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Save the date:
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020
Due to COVID-19, the
Trial Run 5K has been
MOVED to
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020! Save the date, and please stay tuned for updates! For more information, contact Brian Doyle at
610-436-4510 x211 or
bdoyle@lasp.org.
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Meet some of LASP's summer interns
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WEST CHESTER - A J.D. candidate at Widener University Delaware Law School,
Jessica Buttner
is based in the Chester County office. She's also interning with the Chester County Bar Association Diversity Law Student Program and the Dean's Coronavirus Pro Bono Relief Program with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. Jessica is an alumna of Moravian College with a B.A. in business management and sociology. She has completed internships with Hon. Emil Giordano, Northampton County Court of Common Pleas in Easton, and with State Sen. Lisa Boscola in District 18. She has volunteered with the United Nations Millennium Network as food insecurities subcommittee leader and with Moravian College as poverty programs and special events coordinator.
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WEST CHESTER -
Renee Harris is an intern with the West Chester office. A student at Widener University Delaware Law School, she holds a B.S. in health information management from Temple University. As Health Management Information Specialist for Capital Health Medical Center in Trenton, she utilized electronic record applications to analyze and synthesize qualitative and quantitative health information. Last summer she was part of the Robert E. Slota 1L Diversity Program in Montgomery County and worked as a 1L Summer Associate at Fox Rothschild in Blue Bell.
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MEDIA - During this "summer of COVID," intern
Brett Hollenback
has a little
less
social distancing to worry about than almost everyone at LASP. He's working with the Media office under the guidance of Staff Attorney Kimberly Hollenback. ... his sister and roommate. Brett is a student at Widener University Delaware Law School and a political science graduate of La Salle University. He won La Salle's
Brogan Award for his senior research paper, “Measuring the Effectiveness of Progressive Bail Reform Policies.” When sports are happening, he's
Neumann University statistician/scorekeeper and during his undergrad days, he was La Salle University Club Soccer co-manager
. With LASP, he said, "My main responsibility each day has been to aid the attorneys with whatever they need done. ... However, my favorite part of working at LASP has been observing PFA court. I've learned so much from watching Kim in court each week. I can't wait to apply all I have learned here at LASP in future positions."
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POTTSTOWN - Elan Kaplan is IOLTA Summer Fellow with LASP's Pottstown office. He holds a B.A. in history and Latin American studies from the University of Arizona. Currently a rising 3L at Penn State Dickinson Law, he spent last summer as a Legal Intern at the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender in the Gloucester County Trial Division, and as part-time research assistant to Professor Lance Cole. Originally from California, he worked in entertainment for a couple of years and prior to his law school matriculation, spent some time working at nonprofits in the Philadelphia area.
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NORRISTOWN -
A student at New York University School of Law,
Eric Pecci
is working with the Community Engagement Unit this summer. After earning a bachelor's in chemical engineering from Drexel University, he worked as a process engineering consultant for O'Brien & Gere (OBG), East Norriton. There, he designed air pollution control systems and a chemical process to convert waste tires into activated carbon. His co-ops with Drexel included work in development lab engineering at Johnson Matthey in New Jersey, pilot plant engineering at Arkema in King of Prussia, and a utility co-op with Merck in West Point, Montgomery County.
Eric is interested in Intellectual Property Law and is a proud member of the Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law at NYU Law.
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NORRISTOWN - Joining the Community Engagement Unit this summer,
Lucas Slevin
is a law student at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He holds a B.A. in political science and government from Georgetown University. After graduation, he supervised a free tax preparation service in Mobile, Alabama with AmeriCorps, and worked as courtroom clerk at Arlington County Circuit Court in Virginia. In addition to writing draft court orders for Circuit Court judges and managing the daily criminal and civil docket and tracking evidence in trials, he facilitated transitions into "alternative to incarceration" programs, and worked with the Arlington County Detention Facility, Office of Probation and Parole, and VA Dept. of Behavioral and Health Services. As an undergraduate, he helped launch the Georgetown University Prisons & Justice Initiative.
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Additional job openings
will be posted in early August.
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LASP CARES Attorney Fellows
LASP will implement a
LASP CARES Attorney Fellows program
through CARES Act Funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. LASP CARES Attorney Fellows will serve
temporary full-time positions through Nov. 30, 2020
to address issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fellows will receive salary and benefits commensurate with experience and LASP’s personnel policy.
7 Fellows will be funded with 1 each in Bucks and Chester County, 2 in Montgomery County, and 3 in Delaware County
who also may work with LASP’s Regional Housing Unit. Fellows will address problems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please visit our website to read the
full job description
.
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Legal Aid of Southeastern PA
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