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Announcing a new fund for child custody
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Liz Fritsch Fund launches to support child custody
LASP established the Elizabeth Wood Fritsch Fund for Child Custody to recognize her 20+ year career in civil legal aid, most recently as Executive Director of LASP from 2013-July 31, 2018. Previously, she was Executive Director of Bucks County Legal Aid from 1997-2001 and was Co-Executive Director of LASP when it formed in 2001, through 2013.
Her leadership
helped LASP become a major regional resource that impacts the lives of more than 17,000 people each year.
Civil legal aid provides critically important representation to low-income people who face challenging legal problems. "Ms. Fritsch's dedication to making justice accessible to all, regardless of income, is in the best tradition of our profession," noted Tina Mazaheri, Esq., President of the Bucks County Bar Foundation, in announcing the Foundation's donation to the fund on Oct. 3.
The fund aims to increase LASP's capacity to help parents and caregivers with child custody problems. Daily, LASP's regional Helpline receives calls from people with custody issues who need immediate help. LASP simply does not have enough staff to assist all the parents and caregivers who reach out for assistance. LASP aims to strengthen its capacity to resolve the many difficult situations that arise in child custody disputes.
LASP deeply appreciates the generosity of the Bucks County Bar Foundation and friends of LASP.
In accepting the ceremonial check on behalf of LASP, Liz explained her inspiration behind the fund. "The ever-present domestic violence problems that plague the residents of this county have really taken so many of LASP's resources, and custody is often left behind, because it's not seen as quite as urgent" as some other civil legal issues, she said. "But when you think about it, having a stable custody order, particularly for a single parent with limited income, is so important, and has an impact on all aspects of their ability to be financially self-sufficient, to be safe from domestic violence, to take good care of their children and provide them with a stable home, I've always felt that it's been neglected because we just haven't had the capacity."
To directly support the Elizabeth Wood Fritsch Fund for Child Custody, please visit:
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/LASP and designate the fund, or send a donation to Legal Aid of Southeastern PA, 625 Swede St., Norristown, PA 19401, and specify the fund.
Questions? Please contact Ann Tydeman-Solomon at 610-275-5400, ext. 123 or asolomon@lasp.org.
The Liz Fritsch Fund for Child Custody launched Oct. 3 with a $12,000 donation from the Bucks Bar Foundation, members of the Bucks Bar Association, and many friends of LASP.
Pictured (from left): Melanie Wender, Esq., Bucks County Bar Foundation Trustee; Robert T. Repko, Esq., Bucks County Bar Association President-Elect; Mitsue Shafer, LASP Paralegal & Receptionist; Brandon McFadden, Esq., BB&T & Bucks County Bar Foundation T
rustee; Barbara N. Lyons, Esq., Vice President, Bucks County Bar Foundation; Jennifer Pierce, Managing Attorney, LASP Doylestown office;
Tina Mazaheri, Esq., President, Bucks County Bar Foundation
; Shawn Boehringer, LASP Executive Director; Elizabeth Wood Fritsch, former LASP Executive Director; Carol Wilbur, LASP Doylestown Office Manager; Carol Shelly, Esq., Secretary/Treasurer, Bucks County Bar Foundation; Jessica Pritchard, Esq., Bucks County Bar Association President; and Susan Eisenberg, Esq., Bucks County Bar Foundation Trustee.
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Giving Tuesday
YOU can help bring access to justice!
Please join in this global day of generosity and
make a donation
to support LASP's free civil legal services in Bucks, Chester, Delaware & Montgomery counties.
With your help, legal aid changes lives.
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Montgomery Bar Association & Montgomery Bar Foundation present $46,000 donation to LASP, raised through 2018 Legal Aid Golf Classic & MBA matching gift
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MBA President Mary C. Pugh, Esq. and MBF Treasurer Michael F. Rogers, Esq. present a check for $46,000 to LASP Executive Director Shawn Boehringer (pictured at right). Photo courtesy of Montgomery Bar Association. |
The Montgomery Bar Association (MBA) and Montgomery Bar Foundation (MBF) announced in October that $46,000 was raised as a result of the 2018 Legal Aid Golf Classic. The net total includes matching funds from the Montgomery Bar Association, and all proceeds go to Legal Aid of Southeastern PA. A check for the proceeds was presented to LASP Executive Director Shawn Boehringer during a recent meeting of the bar association's Board of Directors.
In the past 10 years alone, the Legal Aid Golf Classic has raised $368,000 for LASP and its mission.
MBA, MBF and LASP would like to acknowledge and thank all 2018 Legal Aid Golf Classic participants, sponsors, and donors for their incredibly generous support and continued commitment to the mission and work of Legal Aid.
LASP is deeply grateful to the Montgomery Bar Association and Montgomery Bar Foundation's long-term commitment to increasing access to justice.
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In Memoriam:
Maryjane B. Kelley, longtime LASP attorney
 Longtime LASP Doylestown attorney Maryjane B. Kelley passed away Oct. 22, 2018.
Throughout her six-year battle with cancer, she continued supporting families through her work with LASP because she wanted to do as much as she could for as long as she could.
Maryjane worked in LASP's Doylestown office since 2002 as Managing Attorney and recently, as staff attorney until her retirement in late September. "Respected by the bar, the judiciary, and by the staff she supervised and mentored,
Maryjane compiled a distinguished record of community and public interest service beyond her work at LASP which included time as a Commander in the Navy JAG Corps," said Shawn Boehringer, LASP Executive Director. "
Maryjane
leaves us a wonderful legacy with her son Michael, Managing Attorney in Norristown. LASP extends thoughts and sympathies to Michael, his siblings, and
Maryjane
's husband of 40 years, Kevin."
Mary Ann Grossman, Esq., former LASP attorney and managing partner of We Care Legal Services, remembered Maryjane:
"Saying that last goodbye. . .
I met attorney Maryjane Kelley about 20 years ago. I had just finished one of my very first hearings for Legal Aid. I had represented a young woman who had unselfishly relinquished temporary custody of her toddler to Social Services for 30 days because she was homeless, poor and without resources. We were in court at the end of the 30 days because she wanted her baby back. We lost but I understand why the court ruled that way. My client was bereft and crying as only a poor, young mother could be. As she stood in the doorway dealing with not having her baby returned, nothing I could say would give her comfort or hope. (Law school does not teach those skills.) For some reason, I looked up and saw Maryjane talking to someone. Inexplicably, I went up to her, introduced myself, told her what happened and asked her if she had any advice on what I could say to help my client. Maryjane then walked with me to this young mother, and began talking with her. I heard Maryjane ask her "Do you believe in God?" The young woman said "No." Maryjane then said, "Well, that's okay because God believes in you." She then spent some time in quiet conversation with my client who eventually left with the peace and resolve she needed. You see, Maryjane did not have a law practice. She had a ministry and treated all her clients as she treated that young woman. We became close friends and I was blessed to know her. Rest In Peace, MJ. I will miss you."
A memorial service was held Oct. 26. To read Maryjane's obituary in the Doylestown Intelligencer, please visit http://bit.ly/2PQePDT.
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Winter heating season
 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program opens
LIHEAP helps families living on low incomes pay their heating bills with a cash grant. Crisis grants also are available for households in immediate danger of being without heat. With cash grants, a one-time payment is sent directly to the utility company/fuel provider, and will be credited on the heating bill. Cash grants range from $200 to $1,000 based on household size, income, and fuel type. Remember: This is a grant and does not have to be repaid. The program is available to homeowners or renters who meet income guidelines. To qualify, recipients
don't have to be on public assistance. They also
don't need to have an unpaid heating bill.
"LIHEAP is a very underutilized program; only approximately 65% of eligible households apply for and receive this benefit," said Phil Rosenthal, LASP Staff Attorney in our Chester, Delaware County office.
The Pennsylvania Dept. of Human Services administers the program, sets eligibility requirements and application processes (online, on paper or in person), and provides full details about heating crisis grants, at
http://bit.ly/LIHEAP_PA_2018.
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| Highlights from the counties |
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In all four counties that LASP serves, bar associations celebrated October's Pro Bono Month and Pro Bono Week Oct. 21-27. Photos from many of these events are included with each county's news below. Once again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION to pro bono service, which directly expands access to justice.
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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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Delaware County
Meting out sweet justice: Delaware County celebrates pro bono service
Pictured following a Pro Bono Week celebration & CLE in Delaware County (from left): Shawn Boehringer, LASP Executive Director; Michelle R. Terry, Esq., Managing Attorney of LASP's Delaware County Division; William L. Baldwin, Esq., Vice President of the LASP Board of Directors and Executive Director of the Delaware County Bar Association; Thomas Kerstan, Esq., LASP Delaware County Pro Bono Coordinator; David K. Trevaskis, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bar Association; Sharon López, Esq., immediate past president of the PBA; Hon. Stephanie H. Klein (Ret.), member of the LASP Board of Directors and chair of the DCBA Pro Bono Committee; Kevin M. Madden, member of the Delaware County Council; Vincent B. Mancini, Esq., President, DCBA; and Michael P. Pierce, Esq., member of the PBA Board of Governors, representing Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery county lawyers.
Steven Koense, Esq. (speaking at left), Sharon López, Esq. and Robert Keller, Esq. shared compelling stories of their pro bono work, as did Hon. Stephanie Klein (Ret.), member of the LASP Board of Directors, pictured in top photo.
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Birth Certificate Clinic in Chester:
Thanks to Santander Bank of Villanova & Catholic Social Services of Delaware County
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| 47 applications completed! THANKS to attorneys & paralegals from Santander Bank's Villanova branch for pro bono assistance, and to Catholic Social Services of Delaware County for hosting the clinic! Thomas Kerstan, LASP Delaware County pro bono coordinator, organized the clinic, held Oct. 23 in Chester. Without a birth certificate, people often cannot apply for a driver's license, obtain medical assistance or other benefits, enroll in school, and sometimes enter a building that requires ID. Together, we helped children, adults, and senior citizens! |
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Erica Briant, Esq. to discuss new Clean Slate law Nov. 14
Pennsylvania's new Clean Slate law will be the topic at the Delaware County Bar Association's Inns of Court CLE Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. Presenters will include Erica Briant, LASP's Regional Expungement Attorney; Robert Keller, Esq., Senior Partner at Keller, Lisgar, & Williams; and
Michael H. Hill, Delaware County
Assistant District Attorney. The
CLE will be held at the Springfield Country Club,
400 W. Sproul Road,
Springfield, PA 19064. For more information or to register:
http://bit.ly/2zGHfcZ
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Chester County
Celebrating pro bono volunteering in Chester County
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| Pro bono volunteers in Chester County gathered Oct. 25 to celebrate their service in expanding access to justice to low-income and disadvantaged county residents. Photo courtesy of Chester County Bar Association. |
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Encore! 2018: CCPA presents
a Legal Community Talent Showcase
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
, please call Luciann Givonetti at
610-840-0233
.
To see full-page flyer:
Chester County Encore! event at Uptown, West Chester
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Pro Bono Week
Family Law CLE
Toward the end of the Chester County Bar Association's intensive four-hour Family Law CLE Oct. 26, members acted out a potential legal scenario.
Photos courtesy of Brian Doyle, LASP Staff Attorney and Chester County Pro Bono Coordinator.
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Wills for Heroes event helps veterans & first responders at Coatesville VA
About three dozen veterans and first responders received help with wills, financial powers of attorney and medical directives at a Wills for Heroes event Nov. 3. LASP and Wills for Heroes partnered to bring the session to the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The Pennsylvania Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division co-sponsors Wills for Heroes. Pictured below are the volunteers -- local attorneys, law students, and paralegals/notaries -- who staffed EIGHT tables. Through the program, they were able to assist veterans, active and retired first responders, and their spouses.
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 Legal Services Workshop Saturday, Nov. 17 in West Chester
LASP Staff Attorney Deborah Steeves will present a free Legal Aid Services workshop Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10 - 11:30 a.m. at North Star of Chester County, 330 W. Market St., West Chester, PA 19382. Topics will include debt relief, child custody and child support, landlord-tenant and other housing problems, utility problems and more.
To register, please visit http://bit.ly/2qysPY8. Click the flyer at left to see a full-size version. If you have questions, please call 610-696-5675.
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Coatesville Center for Community Health to host fall expungement workshops 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:
- 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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Bucks County
PBA Pro Bono Award given to Shari Gelfont Williams
Shari Gelfont Williams of Gelfont Williams Law LLC, Huntingdon Valley, was presented with a 2018 Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Award Oct. 24 at the Bucks County Bar Association. Williams was a coordinator of the Legal Representation Project for the Network of Victim Assistance. Among her duties were recruiting, training and supervising pro bono attorneys, certified legal interns and law students to represent domestic violence victims seeking restraining orders.
Earlier in the evening,
David K. Trevaskis, Esq., PBA Pro Bono Coordinator, presented a wide-ranging CLE on the importance of pro bono volunteering. He highlighted the work of
Sharon Browning, Esq., and the
JUST Listening Project at
justlistening.net, along with the career of
Edgar Cahn, Esq., now 83, who continues to travel to promote his work on
timebanking and
youth courts.
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In making the case for pro bono volunteering at a CLE Oct. 24, David K. Trevaskis (photo at left), Esq., Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Coordinator, discusses the inspiring work of Sharon Browning of JUST Listening and of legal scholar & activist Edgar Cahn, J.D., Ph.D, and his wife, Christine Gray, Ph.D.
Charles Eppolito III (photo above), Esq., President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, presents Shari Gelfont Williams with a PBA pro bono award.
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Pro Bono Week CLE: "You're Not Alone: A Lawyer's Guide to Social Services in Montgomery County"
Acknowledging that client needs sometimes go beyond legal remedies, the Montgomery Bar Association presented a Pro Bono Week CLE Oct. 24 highlighting several county and regional social services. A
former
LASP client, accompanied by her advocate Michael Kelley, Esq.,
shared her story of overcoming opioid addiction and navigating Montgomery County social services while staying clean, earning the chance to have her children back with her, and overcoming loss of personal relationships during the crisis. The former client is currently back-to-work 12 hours a day.
Other speakers described services offered by their respective organizations. Pictured in the photo above are Stacy Dougherty (at podium), Director of Community Outreach for Laurel House; Elizabeth D'Arcangelo (center), Administrator of Montgomery County Office of Community Connections, and Theresa Rines, a Montgomery County Navicate. In addition, Katie Dunphy, Director of Community Health & Stability for United Way, outlined the "Call 211" program, which connects residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties to health and human services; and Doreen Hespell, Administrator of Montgomery County Aging & Adult Services, described her agency's work to keep senior citizens safe in their homes as long as possible. Barbara M. Smith, Esq., opened the CLE by discussing specific situations in which some of these services have been needed. More information on Montco social services is at: http://bit.ly/2RGwWgj.
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Montco's Pro Bono Month Appreciation Reception
The Montgomery Bar Association honored pro bono volunteers at a reception Oct. 10. For additional photos, please visit LASP's Flickr album at https://flic.kr/s/aHsms2mhuF.
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| From left: James F. Mannion, Esq.; Kesha James, Esq., LASP Deputy Director for Advocacy; Erica Briant, LASP Regional Expungement Attorney; and Stewart J. Greenleaf, Jr., Esq., LASP Board of Directors. |
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| Joseph P. Lynch (left), Esq., LASP Board of Directors; and Philip L. Gazen, Esq. |
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| Nancy Walsh, Montgomery Bar Association Special Project Manager, and Jeffrey S. Feldman, Esq., MBA Director. |
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| Barbara M. Smith, Esq., Montgomery Bar Association Director; Nancy Paul, Montgomery Bar Association Executive Director; and Shawn Boehringer, LASP Executive Director. |
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| Sarinia M. Feinman, Esq., MBA Secretary, Eric B. Smith, Esq., immediate past President of MBA, and others enjoy the reception. |
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