| October is Pro Bono Month! |
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THANK YOU to Pro Bono volunteers!
In honor of Pro Bono Month in October, LASP extends a special thanks to volunteer attorneys. You increase access to justice throughout the year for economically disadvantaged residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. While the Constitution requires legal representation for those charged with a crime,
people who need help with civil legal issues are NOT guaranteed the right to an attorney. LASP provides free civil legal services to low-income residents, and demand exceeds funding. Pro bono attorneys step forward in all four counties we serve to expand access to justice. And in early 2019,
PA attorneys will be able to receive CLE credit for their pro bono service. Approved by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in May, the three-year pilot program is detailed at
http://bit.ly/2xbuJS4.
Probono.net notes, "The need for legal services among the poor is overwhelming. According to an American Bar Association study,
at least 40% of low and moderate-income households experience a legal problem each year. Yet studies show that the collective civil legal aid effort is meeting only about 20% of the legal needs of low-income people."
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Did you know? LASP has staff members in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties who work with pro bono attorneys!
Several of LASP's pro bono team met in September. Front row (from left): Randi Riefner, Bucks Assistant Pro Bono Coordinator; Jennifer Pierce, Bucks Pro Bono Coordinator; Rita Dawson, Delaware County Assistant Pro Bono Coordinator. Back row: Donna Winterbottom, Montgomery County Assistant Pro Bono Coordinator; Kesha James, Pro Bono Director; Brian Doyle, Chester County Pro Bono Coordinator. |
To learn more about pro bono volunteering, please contact
Kesha James, Pro Bono Director, at 610-275-5400 x131, or one of LASP's pro bono coordinators:
Bucks County: Jennifer Pierce, 215-340-1818 x205 or jpierce@lasp.org
Chester County: Brian Doyle, 610-436-4510 x211 or bdoyle@lasp.org
Delaware County: Tom Kerstan,
610-874-8421 x313 or tkerstan@lasp.org
Montgomery County: Mike Kelley, 610-275-5400 x125 or mekelley@lasp.org
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Pro Bono Month recognition, events & CLEs in all 4 counties, starting Oct. 10 in Montco, & including Sharon Lopez, Pennsylvania Bar Association past president, in Delco Oct. 25
Delaware County
Thursday, Oct. 25 | "Celebrating our Pro Bono Attorneys: Meting Out Sweet Justice for Delaware County's Poor," a CLE lecture with SHARON LOPEZ,
former PBA President, featuring sweets, dessert and wine.
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Sharon Lopez, PBA immediate past president, will visit Delco to celebrate Pro Bono Week. |
Sweet justice for poor clients is not just about winning a case; it's about access to legal advice and someone to help navigate the courts that can change people's lives for the better. The Pro Bono Committee proudly celebrates these unsung heroes with Sharon Lopez, Esq., immediate past president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She will speak about her career as a legal services attorney and as a civil rights advocate and will share anecdotes about her storied legal career.
She also will discuss how pro bono attorneys impact the legal community, the courts, the community at large and its poor residents who otherwise would lack the keys to the courthouse. To register, visit
www.delcobar.org,
http://bit.ly/2HqrVUx, or contact Nancy Ravert Ward at nancy@delcobar.com.
Registration will be at 2:30 p.m.; the seminar will be from
3 - 4 p.m.
Desserts, coffee, and wine will be served immediately following the seminar, at the Delaware County Bar Association, 335 W. Front St., Media PA 19063.
The event is $35 for DCBA members, $45 non-members, or FREE FOR PRO BONO ATTORNEYS AND THOSE WHO SIGN UP AT THE CLE. CREDIT: 1.0 Ethics CLE/CJE Credit Hour.
Monday, Oct. 22 | Wills & Estate Planning Seminar
The seminar, entitled "
Let's Get It Done Day,"
will start at
10:30 a.m.
at the Chester Senior Center, 721 Hayes St., Chester, PA 19013 and will be given by volunteer presenters Patricia Rizzo, John Yanoshak and Jeff Lewin. To register, call 610-237-8100. More information is available at http://bit.ly/2Ocyi58, page 18.
Tuesday, Oct. 23 | Birth Certificate Clinic
A Birth Certificate Clinic will take place from
11 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Catholic Social Services of Delaware County, 130 E. Seventh St., Chester, PA 19013.
Bucks County
Wednesday, Oct. 24 | Free CLE on "System Change: Legal Aid, Youth Courts & Time Banks"
The Bucks Bar Association's Pro Bono Committee will present the free CLE from
4 - 5 p.m. at the Bucks Bar Association, 135 E. State St., Doylestown, PA 18901. One (1) Ethics PA CLE credit.
Opening remarks will be by Jeffrey L. Finley, President Judge. David Keller Trevaskis, Pro Bono Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bar Association, will highlight work in systems change, including the work of Edgar Cahn, J.D., Ph.D, a distinguished legal scholar and activist, and his wife, Christine Gray, Ph.D., a scholar-practitioner and organizational consultant. It will explore legal aid, Timebanking, and youth court. Sponsors are Penn Community Bank and the Bucks Bar Pro Bono Committee. Contact Michelle Froehlich with any questions at MichelleF@bucksbar.org or 215-348-9413 x110. To register, visit
http://bit.ly/2OiwoQn
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Wednesday, Oct. 24: Pro Bono Award Presentation & Reception
The Bucks County Bar Association's Pro Bono Award Presentation & Reception will follow the CLE (see above), from
5 - 7 p.m. at the Bucks County Bar Association, 135 E. State St, Doylestown, PA 18901.
For more information, contact Michelle Froehlich at 215-348-9413 x110 or
MichelleF@bucksbar.org
. To register, visit
https://bucksbar.org/calendar/
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Chester County
Thursday, Oct. 25 | Pro Bono Reception
All pro bono volunteers are invited to attend.a reception from
5 - 7 p.m. at Judge Hall's house. The Chester County Bar Association will be sending invitations to LASP's volunteers.
Friday, Oct. 26 | Pro Bono Family Law CLE
The CLE will take place from
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Topics will include child custody and the new Protection from Sexual Violence and Intimidation Act. The CLE is free for those who agree to take a pro bono case. It will be held at the Chester County Bar Association,15 W. Gay St, West Chester, PA 19380. For more information or to register, please contact Emily Donnon, CCBA Lawyer Referral & Access to Justice Administrator, at edonnon@chescobar.org or 610-692-1889.
Montgomery County
Wednesday, Oct. 10 | Pro Bono Appreciation Reception
The reception will be from
4:30 - 5:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Bar Association,
100 W. Airy St., Norristown, PA 19401. To register, visit
http://bit.ly/2DRcEP7.
Wednesday, Oct. 24 | CLE: "You're Not Alone - A Lawyer's Guide to Social Services in Montgomery County"
Moderators will include Michael E. Kelley, Managing Attorney for LASP's Norristown office, and Barbara M. Smith, Esq. Speakers will be Elizabeth D'Arcangelo, Administrator, Montgomery County Community Connections; Theresa Rines, Montgomery County Navicate; Katie Dunphy, Director of Health and Safety, United Way; Doreen Hespell, Administrator, Montgomery County Aging and Adult Services.
Registration starts at the Montgomery Bar Association, 100 W. Airy St., Norristown, PA 19401 at 8 a.m., with the CLE from 8:30 - 10:45 a.m. It's designed to connect lawyers with Montgomery County social services that can assist with social or physical issues facing clients during the course of a lawyer's representation. Scenarios such as drug addiction, domestic violence and elder abuse will be addressed, along with ethical issues that will impact an attorney's handling of these situations.
Coffee and pastries will be provided.
To register, visit
http://bit.ly/2NVC9U3
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| Highlights from the counties |
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Delaware County
Landlord-tenant law: Topic at Delaware County Fair Housing Task Force meeting Oct. 12
Christina Drzal, Supervising Attorney & Regional Mortgage Foreclosure Specialist, will discuss landlord-tenant law at the Delaware County Fair Housing Task Force meeting Friday, Oct. 12. The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania will have the manual, "Know Your Rights as a Renter in Pennsylvania," available for distribution at the session. Drzal will discuss landlord-tenant law and common issues that arise. The meeting will take place from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. at the Smedley Park Environmental Center, 20 Paper Mill Road, Springfield. For more information and to register to attend, click http://bit.ly/2NRYail.
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Senior Expo in Essington Oct. 18
LASP will join other exhibitors at State Sen. Thomas McGarrigie's Senior Citizen Expo Thursday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. - noon at Lazaretto Ballroom, 99 Wanamaker Ave., Essington, PA 19029. Admission is free. Health screenings, door prizes and refreshments will be offered. For more information, please call Sen. McGarrigie's office at 610-853-4100 or visit http://bit.ly/2RDk7UQ. |
Chester County
Encore! 2018: Chester County Paralegal Association presents
a Legal Community Talent Showcase
& Auction Fundraiser in West Chester
Wednesday, Nov. 14
This encore event will take place from 5:30 - 8 p.m. at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 N. High St., West Chester, PA 19380.
$20 advance registration, $25 at the door
Food, drinks, a silent & live auction, 50/50 & wine grab!
For more information or to pre-register for the event, please call Luciann Givonetti at 610-840-0233.
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Coatesville Center for Community Health to host fall expungement workshops Oct. 23, Nov. 29 & Dec. 12
LASP will present expungement workshops at the Coatesville Center for Community Health, 1001 E. Lincoln Highway, Coatesville, this fall.
Individuals with criminal histories are often denied employment or fired from jobs because of their criminal records. A conviction or a guilty plea can be used to keep a person out of a job.
The two-hour workshops about the pardon and expungement process are scheduled for:
- Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 29 at 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m.
Advance registration is required. Send your name, phone or email address, and choice of workshop date to kathryn@coatesvillecenter.org, fax to 610-383-4613, phone to 610-383-4612, or mail to: CCCH Director, 1001 E. Lincoln Highway, Coatesville, PA 19320. The event flyer is available at: Expungement Workshops at Coatesville Center for Community Health - Fall 2018.
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Wills for Heroes at Coatesville VA on Nov. 3
 LASP and Wills for Heroes are partnering to bring an estate planning workshop to the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center on
Saturday, Nov. 3.
Veterans, active and retired first responders, and their spouses with estates valued below $750,000 can sign up for an appointment to have a volunteer attorney draft a will, power of attorney, and medical directive. More details, eligibility requirements etc. are outlined in flyer:
The Coatesville VA event is at
1400 Blackhorse Hill Road, Building #5, Conference Room #3, Coatesville, PA 19320. Appointments for each person last approximately one hour. Please schedule your appointment early as this event is sure to fill up fast.
Appointments must be scheduled online at:
www.pabar.org/wfh/ The
password is: WFH
If you have any questions, please contact Courtney Wiggins at courtneywiggins08@gmail.com or Jodi Oley at JOley@eckertseamans.com.
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Bucks
Free Birth Certificate Clinic at Levittown Public Library Nov. 9
LASP will hold a free birth certificate clinic Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., at Levittown Public Library, 7311 New Falls Road, Levittown, PA 19055.
Attendees will meet with an attorney who will assist with requesting a birth certificate on their behalf. No ID is required. The clinic is presented by Penn Community Bank, Hill Wallack LLP, and LASP.
To register, please call LASP's Doylestown office at 215-340-1818. Click for the event flyer.
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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month launches in Montco at bar association family law section meeting
LASP Staff Attorney Beverly Boyle (at right) gave a brief presentation at the Oct. 3 Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section meeting on "
Domestic Violence: A View from Different Perspectives." Other presenters included (from left) Sherry Kral, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office; Rachel Becker, Laurel House Attorney; Joel Bernbaum, Esq.; Kara Siegrist; Kerri Holt, The Women's Center of Montgomery County; and David Rothwell, Creative Health Sciences.
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| LASP's fall semester interns |
Meet LASP's fall 2018 paralegal interns
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| Cheryl Chamberlin (left) and Rachel Flanagan are paralegal interns in LASP's Doylestown office. They both attend Bucks County Community College, Newtown campus. |
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Gina Sanfilippo, paralegal intern in LASP's Norristown office, is working with Staff Attorney Erica Briant on expungements. She's a student at Delaware County Community College. |
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To directly support LASP's mission & increase access to justice in Bucks, Chester, Delaware & Montgomery counties, please visit: http://bit.ly/LegalAidHelps.
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