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Michelle Terry, Nancy Paul & Nancy Walsh receive 2019
PLAN Excellence Awards in Harrisburg March 26
HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) honored 2019 Excellence Award winners at the Hilton Harrisburg Hotel March 26. Congratulations to Michelle R. Terry, Esq., longtime LASP Managing Attorney of the Delaware County Division, for 40 years of service to legal aid and for your leadership, and to
Nancy R. Paul, Executive Director of the Montgomery Bar Association and LASP Board of Directors member, and Nancy O. Walsh, Special Project Development Manager of the Montgomery Bar Association, who were honored for their work at the Montgomery Bar Association on behalf of low-income residents of the county.
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Following the 2019 PLAN Excellence Awards ceremony in Harrisburg March 26 (from left): Erica Briant, LASP Regional Expungement Attorney; Nancy O. Walsh, Special Project Development Manager for the Montgomery Bar Association; Nancy R. Paul, Executive Director of the Montgomery Bar Association & LASP Board of Directors member; Shawn Boehringer, LASP Executive Director; Michelle R. Terry, LASP Managing Attorney, Delaware County Division; Phil Rosenthal, LASP Staff Attorney; Kesha James, LASP Deputy Director for Advocacy; Venezla Moses, LASP Helpline Paralegal; and William Baldwin, Executive Director of Delaware County Bar Association & LASP Board of Directors member. Photo by Christina Drzal, LASP Supervising Attorney/Regional Mortgage Foreclosure Specialist.
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| From left: Nancy O. Walsh, Nancy R. Paul, Shawn Boehringer, Michelle R. Terry, and Kesha James. Photo by Christina Drzal. |
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| LASP's Michelle R. Terry with Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Board President Jay W. Alberstadt, Jr., Esq. Photo courtesy of PLAN. |
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| Michelle R. Terry with her mother, Mrs. Lorraine E. Terry. Photo courtesy of Venezla Moses, LASP Helpline Paralegal. |
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| Christina Drzal (at left), Supervising Attorney/Regional Mortgage Foreclosure Specialist, with Gwenn Rosenthal. Photo by Venezla Moses. |
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Legal Services Corp. defunded under 2020 Trump federal budget proposal
The 2020 federal budget plan proposed by President Donald J. Trump defunds Legal Services Corp. (LSC), a major funder of many U.S. legal aid agencies, including LASP.
"I believe that the bipartisan support LSC has enjoyed in Congress for almost 45 years will continue long into the future," said LSC President Jim Sandman in a March 18 press release:
http://bit.ly/2ufYj77.
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PA Board of Pardons votes to waive $63
in pardon application fees
The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons voted to waive all $63 in fees for the pardon process, for applications filed on or after March 18, 2019. The PA Post story by Katie Meyer is at
http://bit.ly/2UL2yDv. A March 14 press release from the Board of Pardons is at:
http://bit.ly/2TUavcl. The announcement notes, "Applicants must currently pay $8 just to download the application online or to secure a copy through the mail. Then they must pay $20 for a criminal history record and $10 for a driving record through Penn DOT. When the application is complete, the Board of Pardons collects a $25 processing fee."
Navigating the civil justice system
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LASP introduces John Farrell, Chester County staff attorney
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John C. Farrell, Esq. |
John C. Farrell
joined LASP's Chester County division in West Chester as a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Attorney. He works with clients in obtaining Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders and handles custody and divorce cases.
John holds a J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law and a B.A. from St. John's College, Annapolis. He served as Judicial Law Clerk for Hon. John R. Rauh in New Jersey Superior Court - Atlantic County. As part of a semester internship with the
Sheller Center for Social Justice Lawyering Clinic, he worked on the Berks Family Detention Center project and filed an urgent appeal with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. He also interned with Community Legal Services Family Advocacy Unit and the Women Against Abuse Legal Center. In his free time, he reviews board games as Senior Tabletop Editor of Gaming Trend online magazine and has a podcast.
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| Highlights from the counties |
Bucks County
Second Chance Expo in Bristol March 14
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Tesla Thomas (at left), Staff Attorney, Bristol office, with Erica Briant, Regional Expungement Attorney based in Norristown, at the Second Chance Expo. |
BRISTOL - As part of the Second Chance Expo in Bristol March 14, LASP Regional Expungement Attorney Erica Briant explained the new Clean Slate law as well as the expungement and pardon processes. "The new Clean Slate law is a huge step forward," she noted. "It greatly expands the existing laws. But there's a lot of misunderstanding about it." For some of the nuances, please see the Frequently Asked Questions provided by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS), which provides legal aid in the city of Philadelphia:
http://bit.ly/2V1akcl. A flow chart is at:
http://bit.ly/2U8s8WQ.
Additional presentations included:
- PennDOT on new driver's license restoration laws.
- PA CareerLink of Bucks County on workforce retraining opportunities and basic career services.
- Neighborhood First on working with youth in Bucks County Juvenile and Probation and Bucks County Children & Youth services.
- Clarifi on credit repair.
Norton Avenue First Baptist Church in Bristol hosted the event, which was sponsored by the office of PA Rep. Tina Davis.
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Staff Attorney Robert Kim presents landlord-tenant info at homeless shelter
LEVITTOWN
- Robert Kim, Staff Attorney based in LASP's Bristol office, discussed landlord-tenant law at the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter, Levittown, on March 7.
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Chester County
Deborah Steeves, Staff Attorney, presents at Clean Slate Workshop & Chesco Elder Abuse Task Force
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Deborah Steeves (at left),
LASP Staff Attorney, and Darshana Shyamsunder, Manager of Community Impact for United Way
of Chester County. |
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EXTON - Deborah Steeves, LASP Staff Attorney, has been on the road in Chester County in March.
She presented information about LASP's legal services at the
Chester County Elder Abuse Task Force on March 6 at Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester.
On March 13, she explained
Pennsylvania's expungement process and the new Clean Slate law and pardon procedure to 20 Chester County residents, at PA CareerLink of Chester County, Exton. United Way of Chester County and PA CareerLink of Chester County
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o-sponosored the event. (Photo at left.)
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15th annual Trial Run 5K - Saturday, June 15
Struble Trail | Downingtown | 8 a.m.
For information about
Trial Run 5K sponsorships, please contact Brian Doyle, LASP Staff Attorney, at 610-436-4510 or bdoyle@lasp.org.
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Delaware County
Delco Bar Association's Family Law Section presents "A Night at the Races" Thursday, April 25 to benefit LASP
 MEDIA -
Delaware County Bar Association members, guests, colleagues and friends. ... The Family Law Section of the Delaware County Bar Association invites you to join us for an evening of food, spirits and friendly wagers, to benefit LASP!
A Night at the Races ...
Dinner, Open Bar,
& Live Auction
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
$30 per person or a table of 10 for $250
at
Delaware County Bar Association
335 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063
Donations are now being accepted for auction items including themed baskets, event tickets, gift certificates, whatever makes you feel good!
For tickets and donations, please contact Kathleen A. Piperno, Esq. at piperno@raffaelepuppio.com.
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Outreach for grandparents at Family & Community Service of Delaware County April 2
 MEDIA - LASP Staff Attorney Phil Rosenthal will discuss grandparents' and their grandchildren's rights to receive benefits from the County Assistance Office at a "Second Time Around Parents" (STAP) support group meeting Tuesday, April 2 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. The support group is sponsored by Family & Community Service of Delaware County (FCSDC). Phil's presentation will take place at FCSDC headquarters, 600 N. Olive St., Media, PA 19063 during the support group meeting; please note that the support group starts half an hour before Phil's presentation.
For more information, please contact
Heather Grinar, LPC, at
610-566-7540, ext. 233 or
hgrinar@fcsdc.org.
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Housing Symposium: Creating successful partnerships between landlords & subsidized housing Fri., May 17
 WALLINGFORD - The PA Link to Aging & Disability Resources is sponsoring a Housing Symposium Friday, May 17. This free event, from 8 a.m. - noon, will explore the benefits of partnerships between landlords and subsidized housing programs in Delaware County. The partnerships expand the pool of affordable housing opportunities for lower-income individuals and families. The symposium will be at The Springhaven Club, 600 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, PA 19086.
Natalie Diaz, LASP Staff Attorney based in the Delaware County division, Chester city office, is on the planning committee for this event.
Topics will include:
- An introduction to subsidized housing programs in Delaware County, including Section 8, Rapid Rehousing, Permanent Supportive Housing, and how landlords can participate.
- Introduction to the Prepared Renters Education Program (PREP) and dispelling negative myths that may be held by landlords and housing advocates/care managers about each other.
- Panel discussion providing a "day in the life" perspective of landlords and tenants who currently participate in subsidized housing programs.
Speakers will include representatives from Delaware County Housing Authority, Delaware County Continuum of Care, Self-Determination Housing Project, and current landlords and tenants in subsidized housing programs.
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LASP at Career & Expungement Fair in Yeadon
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| Phil Rosenthal, LASP Staff Attorney, and Brittany Murphy, LASP Pro Bono Volunteer & paralegal student at Delaware County Community College, helped 28 people learn about the expungement, sealing and pardon processes at a Career Fair & Expungement Clinic March 21 at Yeadon Borough Hall. The offices of State Rep. Joanna McClinton and State Rep. Margo Davidson co-sponsored the event, which also included 40+ employers. |
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Montgomery County
20 Pottstown area residents learn about new Clean Slate law
& other options for clearing their record
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Shawn Boehringer, LASP Executive Director; Cessely Nixon (center), Social Services Coordinator for Better Tomorrows; and Erica Briant, LASP Staff Attorney, following the information session. |
SANATOGA
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Erica Briant, Regional Expungement Attorney for LASP, explained Pennsylvania's new Clean Slate law and existing expungement and pardon processes to 20 western Montgomery County residents March 4. The Clean Slate Act went into effect Dec. 26, 2018. Better Tomorrows hosted the information session at Rolling Hills Apartments Community Building, in Sanatoga.
Residents of Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware Counties who wish to determine if their record is eligible for Clean Slate or expungement can call LASP's free Centralized Helpline at 877-429-5994 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, or apply online at
http://lasp.org/apply-here
, where they can schedule a call-back from a paralegal or attorney.
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34 Drexel students volunteer for
expungement project during spring break
NORRISTOWN - Erica Briant, Regional Expungement Attorney for LASP and Adjunct Professor at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, hosted 34 Drexel law students during their spring break March 11-15, for a pro bono expungement project at LASP's central office in Norristown. "I wanted to thank you for allowing my classmates and I to work in your office this week," law student Cassidy Heiserman wrote later. "I learned so much and truly think the experience was invaluable."
Briant presented seminars March 11 and March 14 to separate groups of students, discussing the details of
PA's new Clean Slate law, which went into effect Dec. 26, 2018, as well as existing
expungement and pardon laws.
The students went straight to work, analyzing records to determine eligibility for expungement or sealing. They also opened cases for new clients, interviewed clients and scheduled them for meetings with Briant, contacted law enforcement agencies to confirm compliance with court-ordered expungements, drafted expungement petitions, observed court, and more. Each student volunteered for at least two days. "I am very excited about the opportunity to work with you," Briant said. "Together, we will help clients break the cycle of poverty and incarceration by clearing their records!"
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| March 11 seminar. Front row (from left): Paige Baldwin, Kayla Panek, & Kellie Wiltsie. Back row: Robert Donovan, Mark Plachta, Cassidy Heiserman, Jared Paul Miller, Perry Cox, Jordan Williams, Joshua Dix, Erica Briant, Thomas Maksymiuk, Carla Solano, Khendel Ruffin, Ali Munshi, Ceena Ford, & Robert Vasquez. |
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| March 14 seminar. Front row (from left): Alina Park, Elaina Foster-Allen, Steve Bara, Joe Russomanno, Matt Rossi, & Ceara Thacker. Back row: Yosef Palanker, Sean Kilkenny, Nathan Orians, Spencer Plante, Jaleelah Abdulai, Erica Briant, Christian Prisco, Colin Wethered, Michael McMaster, Megan Sprance, Jens Defoor, Kira Sedberry, & Juliana Muhej. |
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Spring interns in Doylestown, Norristown & West Chester
Jennifer Baskerville, paralegal student at Bucks County Community College, is working on Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders
at LASP Doylestown with Barbara Kaner, Staff Attorney, and Mitsue Shafer, Paralegal.
A native Philadelphian, she volunteers at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum during the annual Spring Clean Up.
Sarah Fishel is working with Erica Briant, Regional Expungement Attorney, on expungement cases in the Norristown office. She's a Drexel law student and is also pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a concentration in forensics. At the College of William & Mary for undergrad, she double-majored in psychology and sociology and worked with a prison re-entry program for pregnant women.
Greg Golbitz, a law student at Drexel, is working with Jennifer Pierce, LASP Doylestown Managing Attorney, on involuntary termination of parental rights cases. "I graduated from Temple in May with a degree in English Literature," he said. "For fun I read, hike and cook."
Allan Kupersmith is a paralegal student at Bucks County Community College. He's an intern in the Doylestown office, and is working on Protection From Abuse (PFA) cases and going to PFA court. Allan graduated from Delaware Valley University with a B.A. in media and communications, plays guitar and skateboards for fun, and volunteered with A Woman's Place's legal program.
Celia Morrison, a Villanova law student, is working on expungements with Erica Briant in LASP Norristown. She majored in business at the College of New Jersey. A native of Atlantic County, she's a former competitive swimmer and recently returned to swimming for fun and exercise.
A 2L at Temple Law School,
Kelly Young is an intern at the West Chester office, where she has been working on PFA, custody, and Social Security matters. Before law school, Kelly served two years in AmeriCorps teaching reading, and before that she majored in Russian (she isn't fluent). She proudly hails from (and remains in) the Downingtown area.
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Support LASP's Annual Giving Campaign
Did you know? LASP's Annual Giving Campaign is ongoing. Your support makes an impact! To support free civil legal aid for low-income and vulnerable people in Bucks, Chester, Delaware & Montgomery counties, please visit:
http://bit.ly/LegalAidHelps
.
Your donation changes lives. Thank you!
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