executive director Archives

15Jul 2023 by Charles E. Price

The state budget gives one-time boost to programs that give poor Mainers legal aid in civil cases

The newly signed state budget includes a one-time $4 million boost for a program that provides low-income Mainers with legal representation in civil cases – a big addition to the baseline $650,000 the program currently receives each year. But the funding in the budget is significantly less than what the Legislature approved. Lawmakers passed a bill, sponsored by Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, that called for an $11 million investment over two years and an ongoing appropriation of $7.8 million a year – and was projected to help an estimated 10,000 additional Mainers. Carney, an attorney who used to volunteer with a nonprofit that provides legal services, said she was pleased that her bill received funding, even though increasing the baseline funding would offer more stability to people needing legal help.…

07Jun 2023 by Charles E. Price

Consulate, nonprofits to provide legal aid to immigrants

LEGAL

Wage theft and run-ins with law enforcement are top concerns for families 'living in the shadows' EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – It's seven simple yet powerful words: “You have the right to remain silent.” But that's a phrase that many migrants who come to Melissa Lopez's office have never heard of before. If they had, they would not be seeking help to avoid deportation or crushing another major legal problem. “State law requires that a person show identification. But the migrants we see don't know they have the right not to talk to the police; they think they are required to disclose all of their information,” said Lopez, the executive director of El Paso's Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services. "Most of the time, Immigration doesn't have the information they…

06Jun 2023 by Charles E. Price

New legal aid office hosts open house | Community News

LEGAL

QUINCY — A new legal service held an open house Thursday, bringing three organizations together to support those in need throughout the area."We've already had some really good outcomes in family cases, because of this partnership, that clearly would not have been possible if the survivors had not had their own attorney," said Megan Duesterhaus, executive director of Quanada. "We're already seeing safer conditions for children, more stable housing, and these partnerships are giving everyone better opportunities to work for their own safety."Quanada has partnered with Land of Lincoln Legal Aid and Ascend Justice to open the new office in Quincy. The three organizations have different specialties, but the primary focus is to support survivors of domestic abuse and violence.Clarissa Gaff, executive director of Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, said…

25May 2023 by Charles E. Price

Study outlines barriers to civil legal service aid in South Dakota

LEGAL

There's a lack of civil legal aid services across South Dakota, and a group of three legal aid services have come together to publish a report illustrating the need for services.The recently published statewide legal needs assessment was a partnership between East River Legal Services, Dakota Plains Legal Services and Access to Justice. The study surveyed and conducted in-depth interviews with community partners and potential clients across South Dakota.“We're really in a crisis when it comes to civil legal access to courts,” said Lea Wroblewski, the East River Legal Services executive director. She noted the crisis isn't unique to South Dakota, but rather the nation.Courtroom 2B sits on the second floor of the Lincoln County Courthouse, across from the state's attorney's office, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.What is unique to…

07Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

LEGAL AID FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELES (LAFLA) CHIEF DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

LEGAL

LEGAL AID FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELESCHIEF DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORABOUT LAFLAThe Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) is a nonprofit law firm that provides direct client services to more than 100,000 of the most vulnerable Angelinos, ensuring that those living in poverty are treated fairly under the justice system. Through a wide range of legal services, system change work and community education, LAFLA seeks to counteract the root causes of poverty and combat the racial, social and economic injustices that those in poverty face. LAFLA's neighborhood offices, self-help centers at courthouses, multi-language call centers, and domestic violence clinics help to position LAFLA on the frontlines of community response and at the forefront of societal change.As the justice gap continues to wreak havoc on low-income communities during this persistent Covid-19 pandemic, LAFLA…

18Mar 2023 by Charles E. Price

NYC legal aid group forced to apologize, pay $170K over anti-Semitism claim

LEGAL

A New York City taxpayer-funded legal aid group condemned for a 2014 “kill the NYPD” rap video and a 2021 director's email blasting Israel and cops have now been forced to issue an apology and a $170,000 settlement for alleged discrimination against a Jewish staffer, The Post has learned. “You may remember that I was called a racist, a colonizer and a karen [slang for entitled white person]and I was told that I was worse than the dirt under your feet and that my children were murderers,” former Bronx Defenders staffer Debbie Jonas said in an email Wednesday to the politically charged legal assistance group's employees informing them about the settlement. Jonas, a Zionist Jew, has children with dual citizenship in Israel and the US who have served in Israel's…

17Mar 2023 by Charles E. Price

603 Legal Aid Executive Director Sonya Bellafant resigns

LEGAL

Departure comes after two years with the organization, Attorney Steven Scudder to become interim exec. dir. Sonya Bellafant was Executive Director of 603 Legal Aid for nearly two years. She has worked hard to increase the visibility of the organization through various efforts, including branding that evokes feelings of brightness and hope. (Photo by Tom Jarvis)On March 2, 2023, Sonya Bellafant departed her role as executive director of 603 Legal Aid. Bellafant says she plans to take some time for self-care and re-centering. “It has been an incredible opportunity here, but it has also been a very heavy lift,” Bellafant says. “It's taken more of a toll on me physically and mentally than I had expected. So, I think it's time for me to be recenter and refocus before I…

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