Spreading the word about the Campaign for Justice…

Franz Wright, Bill Lowe, Jonathan Falk

 Jonathan Falk (Legal Aid Society) and colleagues Franz Wright (Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC) and Bill Lowe (Harris Beach PLLC) were on a mission in November to spread the word about the Campaign for Justice to Rochester attorneys in the early years of their careers. Targeting attorneys under age 40, they engaged 20 law firms and legal organizations, getting 202 young attorneys to contribute to the campaign.

“The goal was percentage participating,” explained Falk, CFJ Co-Chair, talking about the Law Firm Challenge which ran Nov. 6-29. “And 10 of the 20 organizations had 100% participation by their under-40 attorneys.”

LawNY staff and volunteers

The phonathon portion of the CFJ kicked off November 15, and dozens of volunteers have been making phone calls to colleagues and friends seeking pledges toward the $270,000 campaign goal. There are more than 2200 names in the Campaign database, so it takes a lot of volunteers to get through the list.

Staff at Legal Services of Western New York have been making calls to attorneys with no record of donating to the Campaign – and there are quite a few names. Among them, many who don’t know about the great need for civil legal services in our own community where so many live in poverty.

 

Karen Schaefer

“If every lawyer in the greater Rochester area would donate the value of one billable hour, we’d easily make our goal, but not every lawyer knows about the Campaign and how this single fundraiser serves three legal service organizations: LawNY, Legal Aid Society of Rochester, and VLSP,” Karen Schaefer, CFJ Co-Chair explained.

So, if you are reading this and haven’t yet donated to this year’s campaign, go to https://www.vlsprochester.org/campaign-for-justice and make a donation now. Get that payment in before December 31 to get a tax break on your 2017 charitable deductions.

Written by Nora A. Jones
 

Volunteer attorneys present options regarding tenants’ potential eviction

It’s almost 5 p.m. Monday at the Irondequoit Public Safety Building and I am directed into Room B where volunteer attorneys from the NYS Appellate Division, Fourth Department are checking in with VLSP staff attorney Karen Chung to learn about the issues that brought numerous tenants to Town Court this evening.

Since January 2016, Alan Ross, AD4th Deputy Court Clerk, has worked behind the scenes to ensure VLSP has attorneys to staff the Tenant Town Court Program twice a month.  From the Office of Attorneys for Children, Linda Kostin also helps recruit volunteers, facilitating training and collaboration for new law clerks cycling through the Fourth Department.

John T. Ryan and Gabriela Wolfe are both on two-year assignments as court attorneys, Ryan starting last August, and Wolfe now in her second year.

Ryan, who spent two years as an associate at a small firm before coming to the Appellate Division noted, “In tenant court, there is no time to make sure you are perfect on the law, it is about understanding your client’s situation and finding a solution that works best for them.”

Wolfe, a 2016 Syracuse Law graduate, added: “I have participated approximately 5 times and always come away feeling as if I have directly and positively impacted someone’s life.  It can be challenging to meet and represent a client within such a tight timeframe, but it is certainly worth the almost palpable look of relief on the faces of those clients I am able to help.”

            Nicole Thompson is finishing her Monroe Community College Paralegal Certification program and is volunteering with VLSP to meet the pro bono requirement of her legal certification program.  She’s quick to greet clients looking for help and gets their basic information collected on some forms on a clipboard.  

 “I plan to come back and volunteer in the future,” Thompson said.

Once clients were all checked in Thompson had the opportunity to observe Linda Kostin’s discussion with a client about a payment schedule for overdue rent.  Kostin and the attorney for the landlord were able to negotiate a settlement with payments spread over several weeks.  The court accepted their terms and eviction was avoided.

This particular Monday evening there are four tenants seeking relief from imminent eviction.  Most hinge on money owed.  The problem is, most tenants do not know their options or how to go about negotiating a payment plan the landlord will accept. 

“Most clients don’t know what their options are, and having a volunteer attorney walk through the choices goes a long way towards calming the panic a notice of eviction puts into people,” VLSP attorney Karen Chung explained. 

Additional attorneys from the Appellate Division who currently volunteer for the program include Michael G. Paul, Michael Tuohey, Lisa Paine, Adam Oshrin, Joe Dinolfo, Kristen Henderson, Kristen Warner, Erin Sanger, Cory Schoonmaker, Jon Caterero, Michael Staszkiw, and Maria Gaige.

Because many of the court attorneys involved are on two-year assignments at the Appellate Division, reinforcements have been needed at times to meet client needs.  That’s where Nixon Peabody, LLP came to the rescue on several occasions.  Special thanks to Darren Miller and Daniel Brennan for responding to the plea for help.

Written by Nora A. Jones