It Takes All Kinds of Help

One major misconception of legal aid is that attorneys are needed only to handle individual family law cases for pro bono clients. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Although some assistance is provided to individual clients through pro bono case representation, the majority of the assistance provided by Community Law Program is given through formal clinics. From family law and divorce forms clinics, to probate, bankruptcy and housing clinics, pro bono clients most times receive their legal advice in one-on-one limited interactions with attorneys through the more than 30 clinics held each month.

Often times, pro bono clients simply need advice regarding how to begin representing themselves, whether they are pointed in the direction of forms or packets for sale by the Pinellas Clerk, or advised on the filing of an answer or Motion to Dismiss. Sometimes, clients simply need to know the issues that are important in their case, and how the legal process works. Those clients are assisted in fifteen minutes or so during a clinic.

Attorney volunteers are always needed to staff clinics, in order to assist clients in need. Areas of law can include not only family law, but also landlord/tenant (or other housing/real property), civil litigation, probate/elder law, and bankruptcy. Since clinics are held at all times of the day (including a few evening clinics), attorneys can volunteer at clinics and times that suit their busy schedules. Volunteer time can range from a few hours each month, to a few hours each week.

If you can assist just a few hours each month for one of our clinics, please contact Kimberly Rodgers at 727-582-7480. We appreciate your help!

Susan A. Calistri
Staff Attorney

Slowly but Surely Foster Kids are Getting Their ID

Florida Statutes, section 39.701, provides that all foster children 17 years and older shall be provided with a current Medicaid card, a certified copy of his/her birth certificate, and either a valid driver’s license or Florida ID card. By implication, a Social Security card must also be provided since it is required to get a driver’s license or Florida ID card. For years, foster kids have aged-out of care without these important documents. After many months of advocating this cause, Gulfcoast Community Care, the agency that oversees case management services for children 5 to 18 years old in Pinellas County, has recently implemented a procedure to ensure foster kids receive their original birth certificate, Social Security card, and Medicaid card. The procedure still must be tweaked to require the case manager to also assist the child with obtaining his/her driver’s license or Florida ID, but Gulfcoast is at least taking a big step in the right direction.

A Community Counsel Success Story

About ten months ago, I was approached by a gentleman whom I'll call "David." David sought help to incorporate a new nonprofit organization, and to obtain its 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. The Community Counsel Program (CCP) at Community Law was created to match nonprofit organizations in need of legal assistance, with pro bono attorneys willing to provide legal advice; I gathered the information about David's organization, in the hope of finding an attorney who could assist him.

Just a short time later, we found a great attorney for David from among our group of dedicated volunteers. This attorney not only helped David to incorporate his organization, but also to file the 1023 Application for Exemption under (501)(c)(3).

Fast-forward to last week, when David returned to our office, seeking additional assistance. In the intervening months since his referral to the attorney, David's organization has flourished. In addition to creating a faith-based "self-help" program designed to provide assistance to the homeless, David has been approved to participate in the Internal Revenue Service's program that allows local businesses to donate their tax liabilities to David's organization. David has already begun soliciting businesses with the goal of raising more than $3 million over the next two years, with which David is planning to purchase homes to use to house the homeless for a period of up to 12 months, while the person or family participates in the self-help program.

With David's drive and sense of purpose leading the way, David's organization stands to assist many members of our community in bettering their lives. Organizations like David's are important to our community, and are the kind of organization that can benefit from CCP.

If you are interested in volunteering your time to help a nonprofit organization with CCP, please contact our office at 582-7480.

Susan A. Calistri
Staff Attorney

Outreach Clinic for Domestic Violence

Community Law Program sponsors several different clinics to assist individuals throughout St. Petersburg.  One of those that is specifically designed to assist survivors of domestic violence is held on the second Tuesday of each month at CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse).  CASA's office is located at 1011 First Avenue North and all survivors of domestic violence who need legal assistance with injunctions, dissolution of marriage or paternity issues may attend.  The Clinic starts at 6:00 pm.

At the Clinic we address general issues and also provide limited assistance with filling out forms for dissolution, paternity or injunctions.  The Clinic is designed to be part of an outreach project for survivors of domestic violence.  Whether an individual has filed for an injunction or not or whether an injunction has been granted or denied, this Clinic can provide assistance with ongoing family law related issues.

This Clinic also presents another opportunity for lawyers who would like to provide limited pro bono time (and without being in the middle of a normal work day).  We encourage anyone who is interested in helping with this Clinic to contact Kimberly Rodgers at Community Law to attend and lend a hand.  Most of the individuals who attend this Clinic are looking for limited assistance and an opportunity to understand the legal process to protect themselves and their families.

Donna Lonsberry
Staff Attorney

Welcome to our blog

Since our Blog’s first post you have heard from Elizabeth Porcelli, Donna Lonsberry, Susan Calistri and Dawn Hulbert. Donna, Dawn and Susan are all practicing attorneys. Elizabeth and I are what are classified as non-attorneys. We keep very busy during the week doing everything from answering the phone, general administrative duties or assisting the volunteer attorneys during the clinics.

The Community Law Program was founded in 1990 by a group of St. Petersburg Bar attorneys that understood that St. Petersburg was in need of pro bono legal assistance. Every day I have firsthand experience why pro bono service is an important part of the legal profession. The Community Law Program provides legal assistance in the areas of family, bankruptcy, wills and probate, housing and general civil legal matters. In other situations where legal advice is not sufficient, the Community Law Program has a panel of volunteer attorneys that accept placement of pro bono clients for representation at their firm.

As what was mentioned before, we love our volunteers. Pro bono service plays a vital role in the system in order to keep access to the courts. This is especially true in these dire times that our nation is experiencing and more specifically, our local community. Stetson University College of Law reaffirms the importance of pro bono service by requiring each student to complete a minimum of 20 hours as part of their graduation requirement. In 2008, Stetson’s student body documented more than 14,000 hours of service and our program is appreciative of every student that selects our program to fulfill their requirement.

In summary, I truly enjoy the opportunity to work among attorneys and law students while assisting our clients. As there is no mandatory pro bono requirement for attorneys, our volunteer attorneys are dedicated in providing assistance to our areas most disadvantaged residents. Additionally, the assistance we receive from the law students would make any Dean and Professor proud that their students are making an impact within our community.

Kyle Fleming
Case Manager

DJJ Subcomittee is a Success!

Last February, Donna Rasmussen, Director of the Guardian ad Litem Program and I formed the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Subcomittee, with the goal of reducing the number of foster kids funneled into the criminal justice system. It has been a great success! In partnership with Eckerd Community Alternatives, the lead agency for foster care in this area, we now gather monthly statistics showing exactly how many dependent children are arrested each month and from where. This information is then used to target efforts to reduce arrrests, such as those that may occur when the child is on run-away status. Another success has been developing a Who to Call and When list so that providers know who is available in the community to help in their time of crisis with a foster child. Lastly, through the Circuit's Behavioral Evaluation Program, we provided Trauma Training to case managers, foster parents, and others to better understand how trauma impacts a child's behavior and appropriate steps to take to reduce the child's outbursts or aggressions. Dawn Hulbert, Attorney ad Litem

Thank Goodness for Volunteers!

I dedicate today’s blog post to all of those volunteers who assist the Community Law Program in its mission to help the poor. From lawyers to law students to paralegals and lay persons, CLP would not succeed in its mission to provide legal services to the indigent of our community with the dedication of our volunteers.

Lawyers: Lawyers are the backbone of our programs. Volunteer lawyers staff our many law clinics; handle cases involving family law, wills, bankruptcy and housing issues; and represent clients in an array of individual pro bono matters in courts in Pinellas County. Lawyers, some of whom also represent pro bono clients, serve on the CLP board along with other members of the community, providing guidance and leadership to the organization as a whole.

Law students: Law students provide the support that our programs need to keep running. From managing client intake for monthly clinics to researching cases to staffing a Pro Se clinic one day per week (in which law students, under the guidance of a staff attorney, assist clients with preparation of pro se forms), law students give of their time and energy to assist clients who would otherwise go unassisted.

Paralegals and lay persons: Paralegals and lay persons assist with answering phones, prescreening clients for eligibility, organizing fundraising events, and organizing form files and other administrative matters at CLP.

Of course, we are always seeking additional volunteers! Whether you would like to help in a clinic on a weekly or monthly basis, handle a discreet (short-term) matter for a client, or handle a case, there is plenty of pro bono work to be found. Although family law cases are the most plentiful, there are always corporate and tax matters, housing issues, bankruptcy matters and other miscellaneous legal matters in which clients need assistance.

In the coming weeks, I will focus on some of our many volunteers who have helped our program in big ways. If you would like to volunteer with CLP, please call 582-7480, or email clp@lawprogram.org.

Susan A. Calistri, Esq.

Staff Attorney