Pro Bono Spotlight: VLSP reflects on 2017 with gratitude to many

In 2017, this column acknowledged dozens and dozens of volunteer attorneys who took on Volunteer Legal Services Project cases, volunteered at clinics, met with immigrants seeking guidance and researched questions at the Seventh Judicial District Court Help Center.

The demand for VLSP services continues to grow, and the lawyers in the community do a spectacular job meeting many of those needs. Some examples follow:

Response to need

In early 2017, VLSP responded to the needs of undocumented immigrants and their families living in many of our local agricultural communities by partnering with the Worker Justice Center of New York and the Cornell University Farmworker Program to provide “Family Preparedness Clinics.”

VLSP staff attorney Vasanthi Pillai is grateful for the volunteer attorneys who helped make multiple clinics available (on weekends) in Elba, Sodus, Brockport and other outlying areas.

“The families I met were farm workers performing very difficult work for very little compensation,” noted a repeat clinic volunteer. “After volunteering at three clinics, I found most families had U.S.-born children and some U.S.-based assets. Most were interested in Parental Designation documentation appointing a third party responsible for basic care.”

Although these clinics were not specifically funded in the 2017 budget, VLSP Deputy Director Sheila Gaddis created the program in response to the significant need with rural communities radiating out from Rochester.

Campaign for Justice

The minute the topic of funding arises, it is a great segue into the ongoing 2017 Campaign for Justice, which provides funding to VLSP, Legal Aid Society of Rochester, and Legal Assistance of Western New York. The campaign runs through March 31.

A special thanks to the many campaign donors to date, bringing the CFJ tally to $200,000 (of a $270k goal) over the December holidays. Since this campaign goes a long way towards funding VLSP programs, these next few weeks are critical to ensure VLSP can have a successful 2018, covering current services and responding to additional needs as they arise.

CFJ Co-Chair Karen Schaefer encourages all attorneys who do business in Rochester to consider donating the equivalent of one billable hour. Online donations are secure at: https://www.vlsprochester.org/campaign-for-justice.

Help Center

Looking for guidance a multitude of different legal issues, 11,612 people have sought assistance at the Seventh Judicial District Court Help Center since it opened in January 2013. The annual traffic to this community resource continues to grow each year, and thankfully so does the legal community’s commitment to staffing the centers.

VLSP staff attorney Scott MacPherson oversees both the Court Help Center on the fifth floor of the Hall of Justice and the Friday Help Center hours offered at the Monroe County Public Library by a team of Barclay Damon LLP attorneys. The Court Help Center is staffed 22 hours each week, and the Central Library Help Center operates Friday afternoons for a 3-hour window. While the Help Center does not give people legal advice, it serves as a collaborator in solving programs, providing unrepresented litigants with options about whom to call or what papers/next steps are needed.

In its inaugural year (2013), the Court Help Center assisted 922 people. In 2017, VLSP is proud to report that the Help Centers assisted 3,603 individuals, surpassing 2016’s total by over 750 individuals!

Clinics and ongoing programs

The Debt Management Advice Clinic meets every other month with follow-up sessions for qualifying individuals held within a couple weeks after that.

“Most people who show up [at the clinics] have become wedged into financial situations they cannot extricate themselves from,” said David MacKnight (Lacy Katzen LLP), a frequent clinic volunteer.

VLSP staff attorney Karen Chung currently oversees the clinics, recruiting volunteer attorneys to meet the prospective clinic attendance. A number of paralegal volunteers have loyally supported the clinic, also.

The Family Law Custody Clinic is another long-standing VLSP program that needs volunteer attorneys about 20 times a year for the clinics, plus volunteers to take cases in Family Court. VLSP staff attorney Mary Beth Conway says she typically places 100-120 cases with volunteer attorneys in a typical year besides assigning hundreds more in a clinic setting.

The Willow Domestic Violence Clinic is another outreach clinic that provides an overview of the types of services VLSP provides and answers questions on matrimonial and consumer issues and/or provides appropriate referrals to domestic violence victims who attend.

The Family Law Remote Assistance Project is a relatively new effort to connect unrepresented litigants with VLSP volunteer attorneys via webcam at outlying county libraries. VLSP’s MacPherson reports that VLSP helped 25 individuals in 2017, to find resolutions to their family law issues.

“One of our rural clients is a woman suffering from a disability. She was the victim of domestic violence and is unable to easily leave her apartment,” MacPherson said. “We’ve helped her to obtain an Order of Protection from the courts and continue to help her complete an uncontested divorce through the program. Without our assistance, she would not be able to utilize the courts effectively as she embarks on this new chapter in her life.”

Federal Pro Se Assistance Program

In February 2017, VLSP launched the Federal Pro Se Assistance Program (PSAP) in Rochester.  The PSAP is a collaboration among VLSP, University at Buffalo School of Law and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York and provides brief legal advice and assistance to unrepresented litigants in federal court. Students from UB Law provide intake and research support to experienced local federal practitioners to assist clients in need.

The number of unrepresented litigants in the district court has been a growing problem that slows down the justice system. VLSP staff attorney Karen Chung reports that the PSAP served approximately 73 individuals in 2017. Thanks to the support of Chief District Judge Frank Geraci, Jr. and the other judges in the Western District of New York, the PSAP is expecting to serve more individuals in 2018 with two sessions a week.

Looking forward

The Irondequoit Tenant Town Court program staffed by attorneys at the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, is entering its third year. This program provides legal representation to tenants facing eviction proceedings in the Irondequoit Town Court. In its two years of operation, this program has served over 130 individuals. With the continued support of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and the Town Justices at the Irondequoit Town Court, this program will continue in 2018 to help many unrepresented tenants avoid immediate eviction.

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC will continue its initiative that focuses on Grandparent/Kinship cases. Although the firm typically does not handle child custody cases, they have implemented a pro bono signature project to help families where addiction/overdose, alcoholism and similar circumstances make the birth parents inappropriate caregivers.

“The list of VLSP programs goes on and on,” notes VLSP Executive Director Tina Foster, who is learning the ropes alongside Gaddis for a few more weeks. “I am so excited to become part of this vibrant organization in a legal community that has already impressed me with its resourcefulness, generosity and kindness.”

Honor Roll

VLSP offers a wide variety of opportunities for attorneys to provide full representation to low-income clients or provide advice at monthly clinics. Practice areas include divorce, wills, unemployment, insurance, guardianship, consumer, bankruptcy, collections, child support, custody and visitation. Attorneys in our Micro-Entrepreneur Pro Bono Program render advice to low-income entrepreneurs.

Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County announced its “Honor Roll” of attorneys and paralegals who recently took cases or staffed clinics.   

December 2017 Honor Roll

Solo Practitioners: Betsy Album; Eugene Clifford; Gayle Elledge (Juris Doctor); Barbara Heyne; Ardeth Houde; Phillip Hurwitz; Judge Patricia Marks; John McQueen; Michelle Noble; Thomas Rohr; Michael Schnittman; Peter Scribner; Ellen Tomasso; Gary VanGraafeiland; Paul Watkins

Attorneys at Firms: Sharon Stiller (Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP); Gary Abelson (Barclay Damon LLP); Michael Arnold (Barclay Damon LLP); Sanjeev Devabhakthuni (Barclay Damon LLP); Stacy Marris (Barclay Damon LLP); Steven Tranelli (Barclay Damon LLP); Gary Cohen (Basch & Nickerson LLP); C. Bruce Lawrence (Boylan Code LLP); David Hou (Boylan Code LLP); Lesley Niebel (Faraci Lange LLP); Steven Levitsky (Handelman, Witkowicz & Levitsky LLP); Aaron Frazier (Harris Beach PLLC); Beth Wilkens (Harris Beach PLLC); Maura McGuire (Harter Secrest & Emery LLP); Benjamin Mudrick (Harter Secrest & Emery LLP); Kevin Bambury (Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys at Law); David MacKnight (Lacy Katzen LLP); Robert Yawman (Leclair Korona Vahey & Cole LLP); Siddharth Bahl (McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP); Lisa Mazur (Paralegal Student, Monroe Community College); Judith Lynch (Paralegal, Nixon Peabody LLP); A. Darren Miller (Nixon Peabody LLP); Derrick Spatorico (Pheterson Spatorico LLP); Alissa Brennan (Phillips Lytle LLP); Andre Lindsay (Pullao & Farrow LLP); George Schell (Schell & Schell); Rae Clark (Sutton, DeLeeuw, Clark & Darcy PLLC); Robert D. Hooks (Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP)

Government: Joseph Dinolfo (Appellate Fourth); John T. Ryan (Appellate Fourth); Erin Sanger (Appellate Fourth)

Corporate Attorneys: Eliot Katz (Thomson Reuters)

Nora A. Jones is a freelance writer. She also contributes to the VLSP blog at www.vlsprochester.org.  She can be reached at [email protected].