社区主食走向偏远
2020年11月16日
The D.C. Bar公益中心已经运营了它的咨询服务 & Referral Clinic in-person on the second Saturday of every month since 1997. 这一切在3月份都改变了, when the Pro Bono Center canceled its clinics in Shaw and Anacostia due to COVID-19. Since then, Managing Attorney Erik Goodman and Assistant Director Lise Adams have been looking for a way to best serve the clients who need brief legal advice on D.C. 民事法律事务.
In March, Goodman and Adams devised a temporary help line for Advice & Referral Clinic clients in lieu of the in-person clinic. Goodman operated the line with help from Center staff members Marcia Boyd, Nancy Cattani, 塞西莉亚这个阶段, Nicole Fisher, and Ruth Verdin. From March to October, the help line served more than 200 callers.
“The Advice & Referral Clinic is a neighborhood staple in Shaw and Anacostia,” Goodman says. While the court’s operations slowed down for a short time, D.C. 居民们仍然需要简短的法律建议. That’s only become truer as remote hearings have ramped up.”
中心工作人员开会讨论前进的道路. They opted to open a remote clinic using volunteers in October, which gave the staff time to plan the logistics. 一切顺利. 从10月2日到8日, 2020, staff conducted intakes to determine legal needs and which volunteer should serve each client. 接下来的一周, volunteers returned calls and provided legal advice, all under the supervision of Pro Bono Center lawyers and volunteer expert mentors. The remote clinic ultimately served 26 individuals in English, Spanish, and Amharic.
The pandemic has ushered in a wave of economic uncertainty. With it, clients are looking for ways to recover money that they lost to malfeasance and avoid liability for debts that should not be theirs. 大多数情况下是远程Advice & 转诊诊所处理涉及消费者, probate, 以及雇佣法, helping families preserve their income and assets.
After the pandemic hit, the Pro Bono Center had primarily relied on staff to serve its Advice & Referral Clinic clients, but they reintroduced volunteers into the fold in October. 来自29家澳博app事务所的志愿者和导师, 联邦政府, the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, 和合伙人在D.C. civil legal services community offered their legal expertise in October and November:
- Ain & Bank, P.C.
- 伯特伦澳博app事务所
- Blackboard
- Blank Rome LLP
- 儿童法律中心
- Consumer Reports
- 芬尼根，亨德森，法拉博，加勒特 & Dunner, LLP
- 富而德澳博app事务所
- 弗里德，弗兰克，哈里斯，施赖弗 & Jacobson LLP
- Ivins, Phillips & 巴克,特许
- J Williams Law
- Johnson & Pavuk
- Jones Day
- K&L Gates LLP
- 卡斯法律集团，PLLC
- 凯门澳博app事务所
- 凯勒和赫克曼
- King & Spalding LLP
- Andrea J .澳博app事务所. Sloan
- Ashok Batra澳博app事务所
- 法律服务公司
- Miller & Chevalier
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- Patrick Malone & Associates, PC
- Regan Zambri Long plc
- Sheppard Mullin
- Webb, Soypher, McGrath, LLC
- Whitman-Walker
- WilmerHale
“The D.C. legal community understands how vital the Advice & 转诊诊所的服务是，”亚当斯说. 诊所回答问题, 提供解决方案, drafts pleadings, and makes referrals for ongoing representation whenever possible. More than ever during these uncertain times we provide a place for clients living on low incomes to turn for free legal advice and compassionate service. 随着法院举行更多远程听证会, we had to be prepared to serve those who depend on the Pro Bono Center.”
下一个虚拟建议 & 转诊诊所将于1月开业.
