Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Elder law outreach program gaining traction

In 2015, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP launched the HELP-U program in conjunction with the University of Rochester General Counsel Office to reach the underserved older population by focusing on residents in Rochester Housing Authority buildings. Since then information clinics have been held at Kennedy Tower, Ridge Hudson Towers, Lena Gantt Estates, Lexington Court, University Tower, Lake Tower, Keeler Park Apartments, and Danforth Towers.

“VLSP has offered Wills Clinics in the past, but this outreach program has more potential to reach clients in need by bringing information into the community where many of the eligible clients live,” noted Ann Williams, VLSP staff attorney.

Jon O. Webster
Jon O. Webster, pro bono coordinator at HS&E, was instrumental in establishing this program to focus on the area’s underserved older population. Webster enlisted colleague David Ferris, an experienced elder law attorney, to mentor volunteer attorneys who don’t regularly work with wills, health care proxies, and powers of attorney.

For any specific location, an information clinic is first held to advise residents on the purpose and need for a will, health care proxy, or other end-of-life documents.   A second clinic is scheduled a couple weeks after that to provide one-on-one guidance for those interested.   There is no charge for the clinic or the preparation of documents that can provide a great deal of peace of mind and protection as residents live out their senior years.

“The second clinic is particularly enjoyable since we have already built a bond with the clients, and they get to see their wishes put into writing,” said Webster.

From Harter Secrest & Emery, the following attorneys have participated in clinics to date:  Andrew J. Anderson, Emily R. L. Cohen, Jeffrey M. Donigan, Lucrecia Z. Knapp, Jacob C. Miller, Glenn R. Schieck, Scott Simpson, Edward (Ted) Townsend, Ferris and Webster. 

Due to the success of the local initiative, Harter Secrest & Emery initiated a similar pro bono program in conjunction with their Buffalo office, working with VLSP’s Erie County counterpart.

Shani Mitchell
Mark Wright from the UR General Counsel Office and Aileen Shinaman have also been involved, along with several volunteers from Rochester Black Bar Association (Shani Mitchell, Nicole Harris, and LaToya Lee) and the Attorney Emeritus Program (Gary VanGraafeiland, Seymour Weinstein and Barbara Heyne.)

Written by Nora A. Jones

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

By the numbers…

While most of us have been distracted by the single digit numbers on the thermometer to start 2018, the VLSP offices have been tracking the incoming donations for the 2017 Campaign for Justice. With 81% of goal recorded, the actual dollars needed to make the $270,000 goal hovers around $51,000.


Many of the individual donations to date are from lawyers who also donate pro bono hours to VLSP over the course of a year. Some of the dollars came from young attorneys who participated in this year’s Law Firm Challenge where 202 young attorneys raised $9,466.68 in a special 3 weeks competition in November. The average “under-40” donation was $46.86. Ten of the 20 participating law offices had 100% participation by the age-eligible attorneys.

“Now that we’ve had a break in the weather, I hope to see more activity around incoming pledges,” noted VLSP’s Executive Director Tina Foster.

The start of a new year is also a great time to review some of the civil legal services available through VLSP, the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, and LawNY -- which utilize the campaign dollars.

The 7 th Judicial District Court Help Center just marked its fifth anniversary, with annual traffic to this community resource hitting 3,600 last year. That surpassed the 2016 total of Help Center requests by 750.

The Family Law and Custody Clinic is held about 20 times a year, and VLSP staff attorney Mary Beth Conway typically places about 115 cases with volunteer attorneys each year—in addition to matters handled at the clinics.

The Federal Pro Se Assistance Program is committed to two sessions per week in the Rochester location as it approaches its one-year anniversary since launched last February. In the course of 2017, the PSAP served approximately 73 pro se litigants in Rochester’s U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.

More numbers next time…. Let’s focus on the $50k needed to complete the Campaign for Justice.

Written by Nora A. Jones