Circuit Project Name and Description Volunteer Participant/Contact Person

Transcription

1 PRO BONO OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO GOVERNMENT ATTORNEYS, JUDICIARY, AND JUDICIAL STAFF Information Compiled from Circuit Committee Reports and Members of the Florida s Association and Prepared by The Florida Bar s Standing Committee on Legal Service August 2002 Circuit Project Name and Description Volunteer Participant/Contact 1 Hotline Client Screening - Screen clients for services and give general advice via telephone. Pro Se Clinics - Give general advice and answer questions. Filling out forms and notary provided by NWFLS. 2 Night Clinic Project - Interview, advise and can accept clients. Small Claims Advice Clinic - Assist general public with answers to questions on how to file small claims actions Leon and Wakulla Counties. Pam Bauman, Northwest Florida Legal Services, Inc. (850) x 148 Doug White, Northwest Florida Legal Services, Inc (850) ext. 132 Harry Hooper, State Comptroller s Office (850) Li Baldwin, Florida Banker s Association (850) Sybil Sahuque, Northwest Florida Legal Services, Inc. (850) x 146 John Fenno, Legal Services of North Florida (850) x 15

2 Homeless Clinic - Help homeless persons with civil legal advice and intake and referral to legal services office. Family Mediation Assistance Project - Represent legal services clients at family law mediation hearings in 2 nd Judicial Circuit. Neighborhood Justice Center Legal Advice Clinic- Government attorneys agree to interview and provide legal advice to incomeeligible clients. 2 Legal Advice Telephone Hotline - Provide telephone legal advice to income eligible clients in civil legal matters specific to family, consumer and housing law. Landlord/Tenant Clinic - Assist general public with answers to question on landlord/tenant matters. Mike Ufferman, Florida Supreme Court (850) Ken Ayers, Retired Government Attorney (850) Ed Bayo, Office of the Attorney General (850) Cathy Lannon, Office of the Attorney General (850) Thomas Crapps, Governor s Legal Office (850) John Fenno, Legal Services of North Florida (850) x 115

3 4 Sulzbacher Homeless Center - intake held every other month; provide legal counsel/advice, case acceptance or referrals. Each session includes Public Defender and family law attorney. Teen Court - participate ad advisor or judge. Sponsored by the State Attorney s Office. State Attorney s Office community group presentations and participates with their youth mentoring project. 5 Family Law and Family Services Symposium/Clinic - Provide low income people with education and advice in area of family law. (Lake County) Divorce Advice Clinic - Provide low income people with advice regarding use of and simplifying family law forms. (Lake County) Sarah Fowler Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (904) x 330 Ann Marie Cavazos Great Orlando Area Legal Services, Inc. (407)

4 5 Community Education - State attorneys and judges participate in education symposium. Speakers address groups, civic and community service organizations. These sumposiums also provide CLE credits to participating attorneys. Advice is provide to groups and those in attendance. (Lake county) Senior Citizen Law Related Education - Attorneys participate in various meetings at community centers to discuss the legal system and needs of senior citizens (wills, public benefits, health and housing issues). (Lake County) 6 Teen Court - Juvenile first time offenders appear before a court of their peers. Government attorneys serve as advisers and trainers. See Beverly Andringa State Attorney s Office (727) Ann Marie Cavazos Greater Orlando Area Legal Services, Inc. (407) Kelly Rauch Community Law Program, Inc. (727)

5 Evening Intake - Interview clients at legal services office to determine the extent of their legal needs. Community Education - Talk to groups in order to educate members of the public on their legal rights and responsibilities, including teens. Soup Kitchen - Assist clients with civil legal matters at St. Petersburg soup kitchen. Family Law Forms Review - Provide low income people with advice regarding use of Florida Supreme Court Approved Simplified Family Law Forms. 6 Forms In classroom setting, explain how to complete pro se family law forms. Kelly Rauch Community Law Program, Inc. (727)

6 Bankruptcy Clinic - Help low income people understand their financial situation, explain bankruptcy and other options when client judgment proof. 7 Legal Advice Clinic - Screen clients for representation on consumer, education, employment, family law, health, housing and public benefits matters. 9 AIDS Special Will Project - Provide simple wills and related documents to persons with AIDS, ARC, and who are HIV positive. Attorneys interview clients at support groups such as AIDS Resource Alliance, Hope and Help. Steve Braun, Central Florida Legal Services, Inc. (904) Sue Walsh, Central Florida Legal Services, Inc., (904) Angie Garst, CFLS, Palatka Catherine Tucker, Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association (407)

7 Attorneys Fighting for Seriously IllChildren - Provide assistance for families with children who are suffering from a critical illness. These families in crisis need help with insurance, wills, credit and bankruptcy. Panel attorneys provide advice, counseling and negotiation and referral to other pro bono panel attorneys for litigation issues. 9 Citizen Dispute Settlement Program - Provide for mediation over civil matters such as neighborhood disputes, landlord/tenant, etc. Telephone Screening - Screen callers for appointments at the legal aid society office. Catherine Tucker, Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association (407)

8 Teen Court - Juveniles appear at a teen court composed of other teens as prosecutor, defense attorney and jury. Pro bono attorneys serve as advisors and trainers. 9 Family Law and Family Services Symposium/Clinic - Provide low income people with education and advice in area of family law. (Oseola County) Divorce Advice Clinic - Provide low income people with advice regarding use of and simplifying family law forms. (Osceola County) Benefits for You - Judges and government attorneys provide education and a clinic on landlord tenant issues. Ann Marie Cavazos Greater Orlando Area Legal Services, Inc. (407)

9 Community Education - State attorneys, private attorneys and judges participate in education symposium. Speakers address groups, civic and community service organizations. These symposiums also provide CLE credits to participating attorneys. 9 Senior Citizen Law Related Education - Pro bono attorneys participate in various meetings at community centers to discuss the legal system and needs of senior citizens (wills, public benefits, health and housing issues). Teen Court - Juvenile first time offenders appear before a court of their peers. Government attorneys serve as advisors and trainers. Ann Marie Cavazos Greater Orlando Area Legal Services, Inc. (407)

10 10 screening through Florida Rural Legal Services. Screen indigent individuals for pro bono eligibility, alternate dispute resolution panel/mediation services, education law/assisting juveniles with educational matters/ Participation in Saturday Morning Advice Clinic Catherine Cummings Florida Rural Legal Services (863) x Seminar Trainings - Government attorneys and members of judiciary lecture at CLE Seminars to train pro bono attorneys in the areas of family law, domestic violence, child advocacy, probate, bankruptcy and tax. Lecture at Schools - Government attorneys participate in a Speaker s Bureau lecturing on legal issues in the community Honorable Eugene J. Fierro (305) Katherine Fernandez-Rundle State Attorney s Office (305) Karen Josefsberg Ladis Put Something Back (305)

11 Juvenile Advocacy Mentoring - Serve as mentors to at risk youth in Dade County Public Schools. Mentoring/Litigation Support: Serve as mentors, provide litigation support and handle pro bono appeals. 11 Small Claims Clinics - Staff bimonthly self-help small claims clinics in the evenings in conjunction with legal services Domestic Violence/Permanent Injunctions - An active panel of government attorneys represent (in non-conflict cases) victims of domestic violence at Permanent Injunction Hearings. Carlos Martinez Public Defender s Office (305) Michael Neimand Attorney General s Office (305) Scott Ray U.S. Attorney s Office (305) Karen Josefsberg Ladis Put Something Back (305)

12 Child Advocacy/Guardian Ad Litem - Government attorneys accept child advocacy cases on behalf of the abused, abandoned and neglected children. Training is provided on site. 12 County Attorney Involvement - Conduct hearings between tenants and local housing authority. 13 General Civil Intake - Government attorneys assist by screening and interviewing applicants seeking legal services. All intakes are supervised by program staff attorneys. Thomas Ronzetti Abigail Price Williams Miami-Dade Co. Attorney s Office (305) James Nichols Legal Aid of Manasota, Inc. (941) Elva Kennis Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program (813) ext. 145 Linda Harradine Legal Aid of Manasota, Inc. (941) Sheila Seig Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program (813)

13 Domestic Violence Assistance Project - Assist in completing petition forms for domestic violence injunctions. Participation does not require court appearances or representation. All volunteers must watch training video before participating Teen Court - Government attorneys serve as mentors or judges in the teen court program a diversionary program for juvenile first offenders. 13 Mentor Panel - Government attorneys with specialized legal expertise advise and assist less experienced volunteer attorneys handling pro bono cases or legal services staff attorneys representing indigent clients. Elva Kennis Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program (813) ext. 145 Laura Karas (813) Charlene Van Cleve Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program (813) ext. 135 Sheila Seig Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program (813)

14 14 First Saturday Clinic - Interview and provide legal advice and/or accept income-eligible clients. 15 Adopt a School - Provide educational seminars and forums in public schools monthly. Topics include vandalism, alcohol, dangers of guns and the consequences of crime. Drug Court Projects - Civil contempt procedures are utilized to help community residents fight drug problems. Non-Profit Organization Panel - Provide assistance with the initial incorporation of a non-profit organization and will assist organizations in obtaining tax exempt status. Nancy O Conner, State Attorney s Office (850) Nettie Burke State Attorney s Office (561) John Fenno, Legal Services of North Florida (850) x15 Rob Johnson, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County (561)

15 Client Screening - Government attorneys spend a morning or afternoon at Legal Aid s office interviewing prospective clients and prepare cases for referral to Legal Aid s pro bono project. The Fourth DCA s Judges Clerks provide intake services at Legal Aid s offices. 15 Café Joshua - A reservation-only restaurant provides a bridge between homeless guests and business and social service sectors by providing guests with a variety of services aimed at promoting reintegration to the community. Services include: job programs, medical and dental care, mail service and alcohol and drug programs. Donna Krusbe Fourth DCA (561) Steve Malone Public Defender s Office (561) Rob Johnson, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County (561)

16 Teen Court - Cases are heard by County and Circuit judges and a sentence is handed down by a jury of the defendant s peers. Self-Help Center - Attorneys assist pro se litigants in completing forms in family law and landlordtenant cases. No attorney client relationship is established. 17 Domestic Violence/Permanent Injunctions/Family Legal Matters - Attorneys from the Attorney General s Office and Broward County Attorneys office take several cases per year and assist and represent individual clients. 18 Teen Court - Juvenile first time offenders appear before a court of their peers. Government attorneys serve as advisors and trainers. Mike Hunt or Mike Bowen State Attorney s Office (407) Sandra Keagle Broward Lawyer s Care (954) x 279 Susan Christmas Brevard County Legal Aid, Inc. (407)

17 18 Law-Related Educational Activities with Senior Citizens in Need - Speaking engagements or meetings are arranged where government attorneys discuss the legal system to result in better access to the court system by senior citizens without sufficient means to have ready access to legal assistance. Speaking Engagements/Meetings - Government attorneys speak to groups, civic or service organizations where the group or individuals within the group qualify, as in need, and where direct legal needs of the poor are discussed. Wayne Holmes State Attorney s Office (407) Wayne Holmes State Attorney s Office (407) Susan Christmas Brevard County Legal Aid, Inc. (407) and Erin Flemester Seminole County Legal Aid (407)

18 19 Annual Seminar Professionalism, The Public and You - Attorneys and judges receive training on ethics and pro bono. Judges participate on panels and break out in sessions. Judicial assistants help run registration. Screening through Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. - Screen indigent individuals for pro bono eligibility. Project Response - Program for individuals with AIDS. Government attorneys provide legal services for HIV clients such as wills, etc. Teen Court Drug Court Media Plan for Attorneys See coordinator See Diamond Liddy Public Defender s Office Donna Graf, Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. (561)