Letter to the Editor: Lawyers Needed to Protect Jefferson County Residents

A lawyer who believes in protecting families rights, especially during this economy, hopes a few more attorneys will work pro bono (to work for the public good) in Jefferson County and in eastern Missouri.

ArnoldPatch is publishing attorney Jim Guest's article, which was emailed to editor Michael de los Reyes, as a Letter to the Editor.

___________________

Great Lawyers Doing Great Things, The Power of Pro Bono In A Time of Need

By JIM GUEST, Managing Attorney of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s Volunteer Lawyers Program

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) is a nonprofit organization providing free civil legal assistance to individuals and families in eastern Missouri, including Jefferson County. Legal assistance is provided on important legal matters involving housing rights, domestic violence, consumer disputes, immigration, special education and guardianship matters to name just a few practice areas. The entire scope of LSEM’s work can be found at www.lsem.org.

Last year alone, LSEM provided assistance in 7,664 cases (affecting 21,051 individuals) in our region, including close to 500 cases in Jefferson County. This work was critical and made a lasting impact in the lives of those clients served – preserving essential housing, protecting victims of domestic violence (including children) and providing stability to families facing the devastating effects of poverty.

Unfortunately, these services did not meet the full need for assistance in our community; thousands of prospective clients were turned away due to a lack of resources necessary to help everyone in need. (National estimates are that only approximately 1 in 5 low income people obtain the real legal assistance they desperately need.)

While LSEM and its partners actively pursue new sources of funding to increase its resources, another effective means of meeting the increasing need for help is relying on the amazing network of volunteer lawyers willing to provide meaningful pro bono service to low-income clients in need.

LSEM’s active pro bono effort, the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP), partners with attorneys throughout the region to refer cases to volunteers who in turn provide legal representation on vital matters to clients who could never hope to afford an attorney. Last year, close to 500 cases were referred to volunteer attorneys, meaning that 500 clients who would have otherwise been turned away, instead received outstanding legal assistance in matters essential to the survival of families.

In one VLP case, a father and his two daughters had been threatened with an
immediate “self-help” eviction by their landlord, despite the fact that they were current with rent and the girls were finally in a school where they were flourishing. This eviction would be devastating; the family had nowhere to go and would essentially be on the streets. The landlord had not gone to court or obtained any judgment allowing this eviction, but he told the tenants to vacate within two days or he would put their belongings on the curb and change the locks. The father felt powerless to stop this injustice.

Fortunately, he called LSEM and his case was immediately referred to the VLP. In turn, the case was sent to a volunteer lawyer who began representing the family, working to preserve their basic housing. The volunteer lawyer immediately informed the landlord that he was not entitled to evict the family in this manner and if he intended to continue his efforts, the attorney would bring him into court. The landlord then brought an eviction case in court, but the volunteer lawyer appeared with the father and presented the court with all the rent receipts showing the tenants were current with rent and not in violation of their lease. The case was dismissed by the court and the family was able to stay in the apartment. Ultimately, the father decided to find a new apartment in the same school district and the volunteer lawyer helped ensure that he received his full security deposit upon his departure.

This is a great example of the profound effect a volunteer lawyer can have. It is doubtful this type of favorable outcome would have been achieved without the involvement of an attorney representing the clients. And while the lawyer made a real impact on the lives of these clients, he spent less than 15 hours total working on this case.

Too often lawyers get a bad rap for being selfish or greedy. Haven’t we all heard hundreds of jokes at the expense of attorneys? Hopefully, stories like this about outstanding pro bono service start to surface more – highlighting the selfless, generous work being done in our communities by volunteer lawyers.

If you are interested in learning more about Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and the Volunteer Lawyers Program, especially relating to the work being done in Jefferson County, please go to LSEM’s website at www.lsem.org.