For the past seven years, the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation has held its annual Health and Neighborhood Day event.
Ask-A-Lawyer has been one of the many services offered each year.
Nonprofits provide information on ways they offer assistance in the community, a live band plays, health screenings are offered, volunteers distribute groceries to families and attendees have the opportunity to speak to pro bono attorneys.
This year’s event was June 18 under the direction of Paul Tutwiler, the executive director of NJCDC, and an army of committed volunteers.
Local attorneys counseled 35 people on more than 40 legal matters in one-on-one interviews.
Attorneys advised in the areas of family law, probate, guardianship, criminal law, bankruptcy, collections, foreclosure, contracts, real estate, landlord/tenant, immigration, and personal injury.
Spanish speakers were available to provide translation. The pro bono attorneys included Natalie Tuttle, Aaron Irving, Andrea Reyes, Eric Kolar, Monica Mercer, Jonathan Graessle, Latangie Williams, Melina Buncome, Edith Jones and Sam Ranard
Florida Coastal School of Law students Rebecca Wilkes, Brooke Belling, Nadia Miranda, Brad Torrey, Lisa Wright, Hayden Morgan, Antonia Johnson, Alyssa Stanko and Brian Hart were there to provide administrative assistance and to watch the consultations.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid board members Zuleca Johnson and Bobby Bell were there to welcome attendees, sign them in and answer general questions.
Each Ask-A-Lawyer event aims to provide legal guidance and information on additional community resources for people in need.
Attendees may be referred to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, The Jacksonville Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service, Three Rivers Legal Services and/or to a community service agency.
The events are made possible because of the collaboration of the JBA, the D.W. Perkins Bar Association, Florida Coastal School of Law, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and City Council.
The events are held quarterly in locations that are easily accessible to low-income people and the underserved.
The volunteers served each person who came seeking information with respect and compassion. They answered questions, provided information on legal options and community resources, and in many cases, offered hope and direction.
Facing a problem requires courage and energy. Taking a first step toward solving the problem requires even more.
For many of the attendees, Ask-A-Lawyer provided the information to enable them to take that first step toward stability and resolution.
The goal of Ask-A-Lawyer is to take information and guidance directly to members of our community who may not otherwise be able access the expertise of an attorney.
Access to the legal community must not be limited to those who can afford to pay.
It is informed advocacy on both sides that protects the integrity of our system of justice.
Ask-A-Lawyer events empower and encourage people to resolve their legal issues and the barriers they face.
The efforts of the pro bono Ask-A-Lawyer team of June 18 are applauded and appreciated.
Attorneys interested in opportunities in the 4th Judicial Circuit should contact Para at [email protected].