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The New York Bar
Foundation has granted the OCBA money to expand VLP’s
Neighborhood "Talk to a Lawyer" Project to
three additional community facilities within the next
year. Two facilities are already interested, but our
success will be dependent on recruiting additional
volunteers.
In hopes of attracting
additional volunteers for this worthy pro bono
opportunity, three volunteer participants from Mackenzie
Hughes, LLP, have good things to say about their
experience at Westcott:
The
Volunteer Lawyer Program - Opportunities galore to
give a little back to the community and to people in
need of assistance. While we attorneys get
accustomed to the routine of our day to day
practices there is a much bigger world out there and
lots of people in need of some advice and direction.
Their problems are typically not of the same
substance or magnitude that we get paid to handle at
our day jobs but do present a challenge to evaluate
and the satisfaction of providing some guidance, if
not a cure, to someone's dilemma. The best you might
hope for is a handshake or an unexpected thank you
note from the consumer but the sense of satisfaction
for having given it a shot is generally enough of a
payback. And it helps us professionals keep things
in perspective and mindful of the fact that
"our world" is only a piece of the bigger
world that surrounds us. Give it a shot, give up a
little of your time - you will get more out of it
than you give. Ted
Spencer
Volunteering
at Westcott is a wonderful way for me to feel as
though I am contributing to my adopted community.
Moreover, I find it quite moving to be helpful to
people in need who are always very appreciative. Akram
Faizer
Working
at the Neighborhood Project at the Westcott
Community Center is great because it serves a dual
purpose–the community at-large is provided with a
valuable and unique service, while the participating
lawyers get the opportunity to hone their
interpersonal skills, obtain practice interviewing
clients, and contribute in a small way to making
this area a better place to live. Mark
Schlegel
The "Talk to a
Lawyer" Project is designed to (1) bring lawyers,
and their knowledge of the legal system, closer to low
and moderate income consumers, (2) help these people
distinguish legal and non-legal problems, and (3) match
people who need full legal representation with available
community resources.
Our pilot project at
Westcott Community Center has been extremely successful,
with a steady attendance of people seeking assistance
with consumer, estate, landlord/tenant, employment,
foreclosure, family/matrimonial, bankruptcy, and a
variety of other problems.
The project convenes one
night a week, and the volunteer lawyer’s commitment is
for two hours. The lawyer’s role is to assess whether
the consumer’s presenting problem requires legal
representation, or access to some other community
resource, and to direct the consumer to the appropriate
resource. When legal resources are appropriate, the
roles of Hiscock Legal Aid Society, Legal Services of
CNY, and the Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service are
explained. The volunteer lawyer is not expected to
provide detailed legal advice, although many of our
volunteers have provided particularized answers, as well
as general education.
To date, 191 people have
sought assistance through this program from not only the
Syracuse community but also from as far away as Auburn
and Ithaca.
Other community centers
in the area have expressed tremendous interest in
establishing a program, but we are reluctant to make a
commitment to them until we have enough volunteer
attorneys to ensure that the program will be staffed
each week. If you are interested in participating,
please contact Barbara Romeo at the Volunteer Lawyers
Project (471-3409) or via email bromeo@onbar.org.
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