11/09/2009
Help wanted: Attorneys needed for JBA Ask-A-Lawyer Forum Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-noon, location TBD.
Conduct individual, 15-minute, brief counsel and advice interviews with people for whom legal representation would likely be cost prohibitive. Attorney will interview persons with legal questions in attorney’s areas of expertise. Attorney interviewers will not be opening cases, but rather will be making recommendations for pro se action, referral to community service agency, referral to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, or referral to The JBA Lawyer Referral Service.
Attorneys willing to participate should contact, Kathy Para, Chairperson, JBA Pro Bono Committee, at kathy.para@jaxlegalaid.org or 356-8371, ext. 363.
The date and time are set. Now, pro bono attorneys are needed for the next Jacksonville Bar Association Ask-A-Lawyer forum — Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-noon (Location to be determined).
Like so many communities, Northeast Florida is in an economic crisis. Too many among us are dealing with job loss, foreclosure, bankruptcy, domestic violence, debt issues ... the list goes on and on. Attorneys are equipped to diffuse some of the stress caused by the economic downturn and help solve problems. That’s where The Jacksonville Bar Association’s new Ask-A-Lawyer program comes in. The JBA wants to take brief legal counsel and advice to neighborhoods identified by City Council members as areas of high need.
We all understand that not everyone who needs legal representation can afford to get it. Jacksonville Area Legal Aid serves thousands of low-income clients each year, but with requests for legal services at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid up nearly 30 percent compared to requests in 2008, it is impossible to fill the need. Certainly, attorneys are needed to accept pro bono cases for representation, but attorneys are also needed to advise clients who may be able to resolve their own issues without the assistance of counsel.
With the Ask-A-Lawyer program, attorneys with expertise in a variety of substantive areas, report to a venue and conduct interviews with people with facing legal matters and issues. At the conclusion of each interview, participating attorneys specify the areas of law in which they have expertise. Attorneys may direct interviewees to community service organizations, Jacksonville Area Legal, The Jacksonville Lawyer Referral Services, or to resources for pro se representation. Interviewees sign statements verifying that they understand that no attorney-client relationship is being formed during the Ask-A-Lawyer Forum.
“The Ask-A-Lawyer Forum on December 5 will be our second event this year,” said Dan Bean, president of The Jacksonville Bar Association. “Our first forum on October 24th was a great success. We worked with City Councilman, Dr. Johnny Gaffney, and supplied attorneys to interview and assist constituents of District 7. Attorneys answered questions in a broad range of legal expertise including contract, landlord-tenant, consumer, foreclosure, family, employment, unemployment, bankruptcy, and criminal law. Whatever an attorney’s area of expertise, we can use the assistance. I urge Jacksonville attorneys to step forward and join us in this worthwhile community service.”
One client. One attorney. One promise.
Requests for civil legal assistance from the Fourth Circuit’s low-income families have never been greater. Attorneys are needed in all areas of civil law for pro bono representation. Contact Kathy Para, Chairperson, JBA Pro Bono Committee, for information on areas of greatest need, volunteer opportunities in Fourth Circuit legal services organizations, and support for pro bono attorneys.
