THANK YOU FOR BECOMING A LEGAL NIGHT VOLUNTEER

Transcription

1 THANK YOU FOR BECOMING A LEGAL NIGHT VOLUNTEER

2 Legal Night is co-sponsored by the Colorado Lawyers Committee and DBA Young Lawyers Division and Denver Access to Justice Committee

3 Since its inception in 2006, Legal Night has helped more than 21,000 people in the Denver metro area and more than 600 volunteer attorneys have participated. We could not be successful without volunteers like you!

4 Walk in participants are served on a firstcome, first-served basis. Issues generally include: Immigration Family Criminal Housing Consumer/Bankruptcy Employment

5 Volunteer attorneys meet one-on-one with the individuals who come to Legal Night for assistance. If it is your first time at Legal Night, you will be paired with an experienced volunteer until you feel comfortable on your own. Interpreters are provided whenever possible.

6 There are two Legal Nights every month: the first Wednesday of every month at CENTRO SAN JUAN DIEGO 2830 Lawrence Street Denver and

7 The third Tuesday of each month at Mi Casa Resource Center 360 Acoma Street (4th and Broadway) Denver 80223

8 Volunteers generally arrive at 5:00 p.m. and are finished around 7:30 p.m. Pizza is provided for volunteers.

9 Angela Reyes is the Legal Night intake coordinator. She speaks Spanish and greets the participants waiting to see a volunteer attorney.

10 Angela helps to determine the type of issue participants have so they can speak to an attorney who specializes in that type of law, whenever possible. Let Angela know that you are a new volunteer, and she will direct you to the volunteer sign-in room.

11 The volunteers role is to provide legal information. We are not asking volunteers to provide legal advice or representation. Please stay within your own level of comfort.

12 Most participants arrive with very specific questions and legal issues. They have sad stories to tell and are confused and afraid. Many do not speak English.

13 Listen - let them tell their story Gather sufficient information to make an appropriate referral Note significant issues on the referral sheet Provide contact information for the appropriate legal services programs Provide general information about how the legal system/processes works Answer general questions about court deadlines and legal documents (e.g., this is a summons/complaint)

14 Once a volunteer determines a participant s issue, a referral is given from the resource binder. Each binder has the following resource sections: Bankruptcy Consumer Criminal Disability Employment Family -Domestic Violence Family -Child Support Family Children GLBT Housing Identification Immigration Public Benefits Native American Seniors Small Claims

15 Each resource lists contact information and a description of how it can help. Here is an example from the Family - Domestic Violence section: Metro Volunteer Lawyers 1905 Sherman Street, 4th Floor Denver, CO Phone: (303) Website: Serves individuals who live and work in Adams, Broomfield, Arapahoe, Denver, Elbert, Douglas, and Jefferson counties Permanent protection orders and related issues; must first have a temporary protection order Divorce and allocation of parental responsibilities

16 Colorado Legal Services ( CLS ) is the resource most referred by volunteers. There is a CLS entry in almost every section of the binder. Here is an example from the Housing section: Colorado Legal Services See OTHER RESOURCES for list of offices Phone: (303) Website: Housing evictions and lockouts, foreclosures, public housing denials, terminations, reductions, and overpayments, landlord/tenant issues, predator lending, and utility shut-offs.

17 CLS has financial eligibility guidelines for clients. There is a maximum income chart in the front of each binder that is updated every April based on Federal Poverty Guidelines. Please review the chart with the participant before referring them to CLS. As far as we know, they will not be accepted as a client if their income and assets exceed the amounts stated on that chart.

18 CLS cannot accept undocumented clients except in very limited circumstances involving domestic violence. It is important to provide other referrals in addition to CLS because they may have a long waiting list or they may be unable to accept them as a client for another reason.

19 The volunteers provide the information on a Legal Resources Information Sheet (pictured below). These sheets state that the volunteer attorney is not representing them. Some attorneys like to read that portion of the information sheet to the participant. Spanish and English versions of these are provided in every binder.

20 If, during the course of the evening, you have questions or concerns, please consult with one of the Legal Night coordinators: Stephanie Ellie Ilene Elisa Kanan Lockwood Bloom Cozad

21 Upon request, both Centro and Mi Casa will provide a computer with internet access and a printer. If you would like internet access during Legal Night to look up information or print a form for a participant, please consult with one of the volunteer coordinators.

22 Occasionally, our volunteers help a participant beyond Legal Night or even take on a case. This is only done on a pro-bono basis. Sometimes, a volunteer cannot help, due to a conflict, but thinks it might be worth sending an to see if another volunteer is willing to help. If you come across this situation, get the contact and all issue-related information from the participant and consult with one of the volunteer coordinators. If one of the coordinators is not there, the information to them as soon as you can.

23 You have joined a great group of attorneys who are making a tremendous difference in the Denver metro area. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Stephanie Kanan skanan@lindquist.com Ellie Lockwood elockwood@rplaw.com Elisa Cozad ecozad@coloradolawyerscommittee.org

24