by Kathy Para
JPA Pro Bono Committee Chair
With many people experiencing job loss due to the economy, some parents have fallen behind in child support payments. They are at risk of having their driver’s license suspended or of being held in contempt of court for nonpayment, thereby exacerbating their problems.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid has been inundated with child support modification requests and simply cannot handle the caseload.
Two Jacksonville area attorneys, Marla Buchanan, a Rogers Towers attorney and chair of the Family Law Section of The JBA, and Jamie Ibrahim, a family law staff attorney with JALA, have teamed up to combat this ever-increasing issue by creating a new group assistance opportunity, the Child Support Modification Clinic at JALA.
The purpose of this clinic is to provide general guidance to persons who believe they have had a substantial change in circumstances since their most recent Child Support Order and would like to request a modification.
Participants receive information on how to file their own petitions for modification and are given copies of the forms. “We hope participants will gain an understanding of the legal standard and procedure to file for modification of their court order and that they will feel empowered to proceed with their cases on their own before any negative consequences occur,” states Ibrahim.
The clinic is designed to accommodate persons in a group setting, thereby reaching as many people as possible. “We asked Marla to meet with us to brainstorm the idea of creating the Child Support Modification Clinic. She immediately offered her assistance in writing the content for the presentation and recruiting pro bono attorneys to conduct the monthly group sessions.
“Considering the number of requests for services that we receive in the area of family law, we need to offer assistance in a variety of formats, including group assistance. We’re so grateful to be working with Marla on this project. Her willingness to reach out to clients in this way will go a long way to bringing legal services to people in need,” adds Ibrahim.
When asked why she is involved with pro bono representation, Buchanan responded, “I believe that we are all very fortunate to be where we are as lawyers and every lawyer has an obligation to give back because we are in a unique position to actually be able to help.”
Buchanan has been practicing law for more than 15 years and specializes in the area of family law in which she is board-certified. Even though she remains busy, she always has at least one pro bono case ongoing.
In addition to her pro bono cases and helping to launch the monthly Child Support Modification Clinic at JALA, Buchanan is recruiting other family law pro bono attorneys to present the information and provide guidance at the clinic.
For information on the Child Support Modification Clinic and other pro bono opportunities in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, please contact Kathy Para, chair, JBA Pro Bono Committee, [email protected].