Closer by the minute... 3% from goal

When I checked the VLSP website early yesterday morning, the Campaign for Justice tally indicated only a little over $10,000 was needed to reach this year’s $280,000 goal.

Then when I looked a couple hours later and again this morning… that figure shrunk to $8,400, bringing the 2015 Campaign even closer to the mark.

“The Campaign Cabinet set a high goal this year, and we are making great progress,” stated Frank
Novak, campaign co-chair alongside Arline Santiago and Bill Lowe. “Every year the legal community’s support for the CFJ makes me proud of Rochester. Many parts of the country do not support legal representation for the poor the way we do here.”

Novak also acknowledged the “civic-mindedness is not limited to the legal community. Buckingham Properties, Elite Reporting and many other companies have provided significant support to the effort.”

Of equally exciting news, payment for most (78%) of the pledges has already been received, with the Campaign running through March 31.

“I am very thankful for all the support the Campaign has received,” added Santiago, ESL general counsel (pictured below with VLSP Executive Director Sheila Gaddis).

Those who haven’t pledged yet: Please help us close the gap as soon as possible.

Written by Nora A. Jones

App Div 4th Dept. Attorneys Help with Eviction/Landlord Issues in Irondequoit

Penfield Town Justice James Mulley has encountered cases on his eviction dockets with outcomes which could have been markedly different had the tenants been represented by legal counsel.

This prompted Justice Mulley to contact VLSP for ways in which VLSP and the Appellate Division, Fourth Dept. could collaborate in providing free legal representation in some of the town courts.
Discussions with several of the town court justices culminated in the successful launch of the new Tenant Town and Village Court Program, a partnership between the attorneys of the Appellate Division and VLSP.

On January 4th, seven volunteer attorneys joined VLSP staff in the building you see below: Irondequoit Justice Court at 1300 Titus Avenue.

With the help of pro bono services, three tenants at the Irondequoit Town Court avoided immediate eviction on Monday, with negotiations buying them from 2 weeks to 2 months to work out payment and relocation.

VLSP staff attorney Karen Chung is heading up this project which will include additional town courts in the future. VLSP staff paralegal Pauline Smith ensured everyone needing help was assisted as people arrived at the town court.

Craig Peterson, Alan Ross, Lisa Paine, Joe Dinolfo, Brittany Jones and Chris Larrabee were among the volunteer attorneys on hand Monday evening, when winter temperatures finally took hold – an especially tough time of year to face eviction.

Of four eviction cases on the town court docket, three of the tenants were delighted to have attorney representation, while one declined assistance.

“The one-on-one client contact reminds me why I do what I do,” said Alan Ross, Deputy Clerk of the Appellate Division, Fourth Dept.

“It’s also great experience for younger attorneys who will be looking for new employment after a couple years at the court,” added Sheila Gaddis.

​By Nora A. Jones

83 of 193 Law Firm Challenge donors were first-time contributors

Law Firm Challenge brings out the best of younger attorneys
This year’s Law Firm Challenge did a fantastic job of getting the word out to younger attorneys about the Campaign for Justice and the local demand for civil legal services among the underserved. Volunteer Legal Services Project, The Legal Aid Society of Rochester, and LawNY partner together in this one fundraising effort, and for the second year, a team of attorneys under age 40 helped get the word out to their peers in 19 organizations that participated in the Law Firm Challenge.

With 193 attorneys under 40 donating through the Law Firm Challenge, there were 83 first-time donors.

The Law Firm Challenge results are (almost) in...

As the Campaign for Justice stands at $118,000 of a $280,000 goal [Dec. 2: 9 a.m.], the initiative to
involve younger attorneys is being tallied. This is the second year that a number of law offices joined the Law Firm Challenge, striving to involve as many “under-40” attorneys as possible.

With 14 private firms participating in the Law Firm Challenge, and 5 government law departments, the challenge ended a few days ago, but not all participants have reported in. While waiting on the last 15% to respond (Giddy up!) it is too soon to announce winners in the small firm, mid-size firm, large firm, and government office categories. [For names of participating offices, see the Nov. 18th blog.]

LFC Committee Chair Bill Lowe is chasing down the last reports as this blog is written, and plans for a December 7th celebration at the Strathallan are well under way.

With 85% of the responses in, the chart below shows this year’s incomplete results compared to last year’s final results.

Keep in mind, the pool of “under-40” attorneys at participating firms remains about the same size – ballpark 200 attorneys. Stay tuned for the final tally and announcement of firm winners.

Of course, the true Law Firm Challenge winner is the Campaign for Justice itself! Striving to meet or exceed the CFJ goal – for the 29th year.

Written by Nora A. Jones

Who will win the law firm challenge?

So far, 63 attorneys under the age of 40 have made contributions to the 2015 Campaign for
Justice. Last year, 176 attorneys under age 40 and another 16 in that 40-ish category, contributed in the first Law Firm Challenge.

Bill Lowe, committee chair for this year’s challenge, is confident there is enough time left (until
November 27) to exceed last year’s level of participation.

“The goal is to get younger attorneys engaged in the community’s need for civil legal services for
Rochester’s low income population,” Lowe explained. “The firms and legal organizations have been very responsive.”

Dividing the legal community into 4 categories to compare participation level, the competitors
include:

Large firms: Harter Secrest & Emery, Nixon Peabody, Harris Beach, and Woods Oviatt.
Mid-size firms: Barclay Damon, Bond Schoeneck, Boylan Code, Phillips Lytle, Underbert & Kessler, and Ward Greenberg.
Small firms: Pullano & Farrow, Littler Mendelson, and Faraci Lange.
Gov/Public law: Rochester City Law Dept, District Attorney’s Office; Public Defender’s Office, and Monroe County Law Dept.

The number of participants, so far -- 11/18/2015 – looks like this:

Law firm challenge committee members Bill Lowe, Meghan McGuire, Jack Heisman, Sanjeev
Devahakthuni, Jeremy Cooney and Anthony Orphe are counting on a lot more “under 40s” to contribute in the next few days. Don’t forget, with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, next week is a short week!

​Written by Nora A. Jones

2015 Campaign for Justice is off to the races...

Frank Novak, William Lowe, and Arline Santiago want to get the word out that the 2015 Campaign for Justice is already picking up momentum. With a goal of $280,000, to be distributed to Volunteer Legal Services Project, Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc., and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, the traditional phone-a-thon is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 18th.

The Law Firm Challenge, geared to increase the number of attorney-donors under the age of 40, and to raise awareness of the legal service agencies that coordinate civil legal relief for low income residents in Monroe County, kicked off on October 19. Last year’s inaugural Law Firm Challenge raised $11,198 contributed by 176 new donors.

“Based on the information available so far, we hope to surpass both totals this year,” stated Bill Lowe in talking about the efforts of his committee, which includes: Meghan McGuire, Jack Heisman, Sanjeev Devabakthuni, Jeremy Cooney (who headed last year’s challenge) and Anthony Orphe.

The competition, which concludes November 27, includes four categories of participants: Large firms; Medium-sized firms; Small firms; and Public Sector entities. The status, by category can be found at www.vlsprochester.org, under the donate tab, with a link to law firm challenge.

A winner from each category will be determined by the highest percentage of participation.

“We are looking at ways to strengthen our ties with the participating entities,” Bill added. “We want to ensure that the Challenge becomes a fixture within each of the firms and entities.”

The Campaign for Justice has been conducted annually since 1986 raising critical funds to ensure our community’s poor have access to the legal system. With the region’s poverty population expanding, the funding also needs to grow.

By Nora Jones

The Best Yet!

With near-final-numbers settling into place, it looks like the 2015 Art of Lawyering fundraiser for civil legal services will net $11,500. That’s at least $3,000 more than the 2013 auction, and the highest net proceeds since the fundraiser began in 2007.


The Village Gate venue and range of art work (84 items!) also raised the FUN factor, so that chart looks something like this:

• A big thank you goes out to all the sponsors, art donors, and auction shoppers!
• A special salute to the School of the Arts for their collaboration on an art/justice project. 
• A round of applause for the pro bono performance of Special Counsel – a 5 piece band that kept attendees entertained and engaged. 
• And HATS OFF to the committee of volunteers who made this a success!