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Access to Justice: LASP attorney Richard Prebil presents on national panel on increasing representation at administrative hearings
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Annual Giving: Serving Those Who Served
- Pro Bono Spotlight
- Chester County rental assistance: new eligibility guidelines
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Property Tax/Rent Rebate deadline Dec. 31 | LASP LIHEAP
- Congratulations on your retirement, Patricia MacCorkle
- LASP pro bono opportunities
- Monthly Veterans Legal Clinics with Coatesville VA - 2023 flyer
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Join our team! Multiple positions for attorneys, paralegals & staff
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Bringing impactful results for clients: Increasing representation at administrative hearings |
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Legal Services Corporation and the Administrative Conference of the United States hosted a one-hour forum on increasing representation to individuals in administrative proceedings. Richard A.J. Prebil, Supervising Attorney for LASP's Veterans Advocacy Project, was on the panel.
“This year alone, our veterans program at Legal Aid (of Southeastern PA) has increased income for the veterans that we've gotten benefits for, from both the VA and Social Security, by almost $10 million," he said. "This year alone, we've gotten over $520,000 in retroactive benefits for our clients,... who are at risk of homelessness and have lower incomes."
Forum topics included barriers to individuals with low incomes, benefits of representation (as opposed to self-representation), the importance of community partnerships in increasing access to legal services, and more.
Ronald Flagg, LSC President, and Andrew Fois, Chair, ACUS, shared opening remarks. Jeremy Graboyes, Acting Research Director, ACUS, was moderator. Panelists, in addition to Prebil, included:
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Nancy Griswold, Deputy Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor
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Deedee Peterson, Executive Director, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.
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Ashley Tabaddor, Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
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Annual Giving: Serving Those Who Served |
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Your gift supports legal aid for veterans in Bucks, Chester, Delaware & Montgomery counties |
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When veterans can’t cut through red tape and get the benefits they’ve earned, LASP is there to help.
LASP's Veterans Advocacy Project launched in 2020 during the pandemic. Since then, attorneys have obtained more than $13.5 million in lifetime benefits for veterans.
These benefits mean veterans and their families can afford safe, stable housing. A wife could cut back her hours at work to care for her disabled husband. Men and women received the health care they needed.
YOU can bring stability and healthcare to more veterans in 2023.
Read more about LASP's Veterans Advocacy Project in this 2-page PDF (or click image at right).
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Chester County Paralegal Association donation to LASP |
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WEST CHESTER - Donna D'Ortone and Robyn Rykard of the Chester County Paralegal Association presented LASP with a check for $3,547 from the CCPA Encore! Fundraiser on Oct. 20.
Pictured (from left): Sara Planthaber, LASP Staff Attorney; Deborah Steeves, Staff Attorney; Donna D'Ortone, CCPA; Brian Doyle, LASP Staff Attorney; and Robyn Rykard, CCPA.
THANK YOU to CCPA for your support!
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Volunteer attorneys work with LASP pardon client |
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Pro bono attorneys Katy Poterjoy and Vincent LaMonaca submitted pardon applications last year on behalf of a LASP client and agreed to extend their representation through the rest of the pardon process.
LASP staff attorneys initially assisted the client with record-sealing. But because the client's goal is to become a nurse, more extensive relief is needed so that the client can train in nursing school clinicals and seek employment afterwards.
Katy and Vincent helped the client put together a strong application, so the client’s record will be eligible for clearing for a future career in nursing!
Katy is an attorney with QVC Inc.'s Qurate Retail Group Privacy team, and Vincent is Associate General Counsel for QVC, Inc.
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LASP pro bono opportunities |
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Sign up to volunteer for the LASP Pro Bono Program!
A LASP attorney will contact you to learn more about your interests and answer your questions.
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BUCKS COUNTY: Pro bono attorneys needed for PFA hearings Wednesdays (in-person)
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DOYLESTOWN - Pro bono attorneys are urgently needed for Protection from Abuse (PFA) hearings on Wednesdays.
Sign up for any Wednesday and help the court with this unique Bucks County access to justice initiative. The hearings are held at the Bucks County Justice Center, 100 N. Main St., Doylestown, PA 18901.
To volunteer to represent plaintiffs, please contact Durene McCarty, LASP Administrative Support and Assistant Pro Bono Coordinator, at dmccarty@lasp.org or 215-398-6757. (Click here, or image at right, for two-page PDF.)
To volunteer to represent defendants, please contact the Bucks County Bar Association.
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CHESTER COUNTY: Attorneys, paralegals, law students and community members needed for 2023 Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Project
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The 2023 Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Project will begin in February 2023 and continue through summer. Volunteer opportunities are available for attorneys, paralegals, law students and community members. Multiple opportunities are available, and you do NOT need to volunteer for all months of the project.
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Learn more about the project and its impact on our webpage.
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To learn more or to volunteer, please contact Brian Doyle, Staff Attorney and Chester County Pro Bono Coordinator, at 484-416-4259 x5210 or bdoyle@lasp.org.
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DELAWARE COUNTY: Pro bono attorneys needed for custody cases
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Multiple opportunities
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Divorce cases | Custody cases
Willow Grove outreach
at the Eastern Montgomery County Courthouse Annex in Willow Grove on the second & fourth Thursday of the month from 2-3:30 p.m.
Lansdale outreach at Manna on Main Street
in Lansdale on Wednesdays from 2-3:30 p.m.
Learn more, or sign up!
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Patricia MacCorkle retires from LASP after 20+ years of service |
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BRISTOL - LASP celebrated Patricia MacCorkle Dec. 2 as she retired as Bristol Office Manager, a role she held since 2003. Pat joined Bucks County Legal Aid Society in 1999 and remained based in Bristol when LASP formed in 2001 and throughout her tenure.
Earlier this year, she was recognized as an Honoree at LASP's 20+ Fête for Justice, and she also received the 2020 Patricia L. Brooks Award for her dedicated service.
Pat, congratulations on your retirement, and thank you for your service. We will miss you!
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Above: Jean Gauger, Pottstown Office Manager; Pat MacCorkle; Deborah Steeves, Staff Attorney; and Susan Rizzardi, Norristown Office Manager. Below: Pat with Elise Wilson-Coles, Human Resources Manager.
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Front row (from left): Nanci Hoover, Helpline
Supervising Attorney; Patricia MacCorkle; and Tesla Thomas, Staff Attorney. Back row: Mardi Busanus, Doylestown Volunteer; Mitchi Shafer, Paralegal; Rhonda Sherrod, Staff Attorney; Carol Wilbur, Doylestown Office Manager; Elizabeth Wood Fritsch, former Executive Director; Randi Riefner, Paralegal; Durene McCarty, Bristol Office Administrator; Shawn Boehringer; Executive Director; and Joshua Goldblum, Bristol Managing Attorney.
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More photos from Pat's retirement
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Pat with Robert Kim, Bristol Staff Attorney (above).and Elizabeth Fritsch (below). |
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NORRISTOWN - At the Dec. 14 LASP Board of Directors meeting, current Board President Catherine Voit thanked William L. Baldwin for his service as President in 2020-22 and virtually presented Bill with a thank you gift. Bill attended via Zoom from his office in Southern California, where he became the Executive Director of the San Diego County Bar Association in November, after more than a decade as Delaware County Bar Association Executive Director. He was an Honoree at LASP's 20+ Fête for Justice in May.
Following the meeting, a brief holiday reception was held at the Montgomery Bar Association in Norristown.
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Catherine Voit (at left), LASP Board President; Shawn Boehringer, Executive Director; Joseph P. Lynch and Milton Vélez, both board members. |
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Denise Vicario (at left) Montgomery Bar Association Executive Director; Latanya Martin, LASP Board member; Ann Tydeman-Solomon, Development Director; Jennifer Pierce, Pro Bono Director; and John Farrell, Grants Compliance Specialist. |
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Shawn Boehringer (at left); Joseph Lynch; and Erik Hansen, Deputy Director for Operations. |
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Chester County relaunches Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) with changes in eligibility |
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Starting Monday, Dec.12, 2022, Chester County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) relaunched with new eligibility guidelines to support individuals and families facing court-ordered eviction, a utility shutoff, or a need for security deposits to secure permanent affordable housing.
Chester County’s Dept. of Community Development partners with four organizations – Human Services, Inc., Friends Association, Brandywine Valley Active Aging, and Oxford Area Neighborhood Services – to administer and allocate the local funds.
To access Chester County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, call 211 or 866-964-7922 and follow prompts 2, 2, 2. You also can text your zip code to 898-211 or email info@211sepa.org.
Stay tuned to changes in rent and utility assistance programs in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties! Our website news page provides updates such as the Sept. 10, 2022 application deadline for Delaware County.
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LASP resources on our website |
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4-county LIHEAP information
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps families living on low incomes to pay heating bills with a grant. The money does not have to be paid back.
Learn income guidelines, locations of County Assistance Offices in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, and local LIHEAP helplines.
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Property Tax/Rent Rebate
Deadline Dec. 31
Get up to $975, if:
- Your income is under $35,000 (homeowners) or $15,000 (renters)
- Note: Half of Social Security is excluded.
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- You are age 65 or over as of Dec. 31, 2021
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You are a widow/widower age 50 or over, OR
- You are disabled and age 18 or over
Deadline to apply: Dec. 31, 2022!
Pennsylvanians who are approved for a rebate on property taxes or rent paid in 2021 will receive an additional one-time bonus rebate.
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Virtual: 2023 Monthly LASP Veterans Clinics with Coatesville VA
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- Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 8, April 12, May 10, June 14, July 12, Aug. 9, Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, and Dec. 13, 2023 from 9:30-11 a.m.
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Two-page flyer: Click here, or image at right.
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Please call 610-383-0289 to schedule, or visit the Coatesville VA Medical Center, Building 57, Room 232. Walk-ins are also welcome.
LASP's monthly Legal Clinics with the Coatesville VA will be the second Wednesday of each month in 2023, via Zoom.
Please have documents pertaining to your legal situation. Veterans can get help with civil legal topics including expungements, pardons, Social Security, Unemployment Compensation, public benefits, housing, bankruptcy, Veterans benefits, discharge upgrades, custody and visitation, no-asset divorce, Protection from Abuse (PFA), elder law, appeals, employment problems, and more.
A referral by social worker, clinician or case manager is suggested but not necessary. The clinics are part of the medical center's Veterans Justice Outreach Program which connects Veterans with VA health care services.
- Meeting ID: 824 6750 9878
- Passcode: 832781
Questions? Contact VA staff members Diana Zinnie (Chester County) at 484-744-3442, Rhonda Sanford (Montgomery County) at 484-667-1988, or Lily Thomas (Delaware County) at 610-496-5007.
Veterans can also call LASP's Veterans Helpline at 610-283-0884 at anytime. If you do not get an answer, please leave a message and your call will be returned.
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Mock Appellate Argument with North Penn School District Rainbow Alliance
NORRISTOWN - The Montgomery Bar Association hosted students in North Penn School District's Rainbow Alliance for a Mock Appellate Argument held in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The simulation exercise brought together a talented and inspiring group of students, faculty and local leaders from the legal community, and played before a packed house in the MBA’s CLE Room Dec. 2, 2022.
Pictured are some of the day's speakers, clockwise from top left: Michelle R. Dempsky, LASP Staff Attorney and co-chair of MBA's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; Lori Schreiber, Montgomery County Clerk of Courts; Pamula Hart, NPSD Director of Curriculum and Equity; David Hall, North Penn High School social studies teacher; and Michelle with David Keller Trevaskis, PBA Pro Bono Coordinator. Thank you to MBA for photo collage!
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Women Veterans Panel
at Upper Darby American Legion
UPPER DARBY - Kimberly Hollenback (at left), LASP VOCA Supervising Attorney & Media Office Managing Attorney; and Elizabeth Tarloski, Veterans Advocacy Project Staff Attorney, share information about LASP services. They tabled at a Women Veterans Panel at the Upper Darby American Legion on Dec. 6. Panelists were representatives from VetCenter, Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC), and the VA. They discussed their military experiences, the transition to civilian life, how to improve VA services, and more.
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Lansdale Legal Clinic at Manna on Main / North Penn Commons
LANSDALE - LASP resumed regular legal clinics in Lansdale on Nov. 2. The clinics are held most Wednesdays at North Penn Commons / Manna on Main Street from 2-3:30 p.m. January clinics are scheduled for Jan. 4, 11, 18 and 25.
Pictured at the Nov. 30 clinic (from left): Joanna M. Furia, Pro Bono Attorney; Kathryn M. Palladino, LASP Staff Attorney and Montgomery County Pro Bono Coordinator; and Erika Felpel, Pro Bono and Helpline Paralegal.
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LASP's Domestic Violence team tours Laurel House's Safe Haven Center
LANSDALE - Members of LASP's VOCA team visited Laurel House's new shelter, Safe Haven Center, on Dec. 7. Located in Lansdale, Safe Haven Center opened in June and provides emergency shelter and support services to victims of domestic abuse and their families.
Leigh Fuga (back row, center), Montgomery County VOCA Paralegal; Kimberly Hollenback (third from right), VOCA Supervising Attorney & Media Office Managing Attorney, and Guy Marinari (second from right), Staff Attorney, are part of LASP's legal team helping victims of domestic violence in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
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Current openings
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CHIEF COUNSEL ~ Norristown
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Fiscal Director and Accounting/HR Administrator ~ both Norristown
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Managing Attorney ~ Doylestown
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Veterans Advocacy Project Staff Attorney ~ Chester City, Delaware County
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VOCA Staff Attorney ~ Bristol
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Staff Attorney (public benefits) ~ Bristol
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Staff Attorney ~ Pottstown
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Regional Staff Attorney (local offices)
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Paralegals ~ Norristown, Helpline in Norristown, & West Chester
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Office Manager ~ Bristol
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Executive Administrative Assistant ~ Norristown
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If you received e-news as a forward or found it on social media, please subscribe at lasp.org/enews, or contact Marion Hoffman Fraley, Communications Director, at mfraley@lasp.org.
E-news is published 11-12 times per year.
Photo: Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, at Winter Solstice, Dec. 21.
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Legal Aid of Southeastern PA
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Copyright ©2022. All Rights Reserved. |
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