Pro bono attorneys were out in the community providing legal guidance over the phone and in person June 15-16.
First Coast News hosted the latest edition of the legal phone-in event June 15 in collaboration with The Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and The Florida Bar Consumer Protection Law Committee.
The purpose of the event was to assist the public with consumer law issues in the areas of foreclosure defense, bankruptcy, collections and garnishments.
Pro bono attorneys who generously volunteered at this event included Lynn Drysdale, Alessandro Apolito, Sean Barber, Alison Emery, Greg Gilbert, Victoria McNair and Chip Parker.
During the two-hour news broadcast, the attorneys provided brief counsel and advice to approximately 115 callers.
First Coast News graciously hosts the legal phone-in events for anyone wishing to speak to an attorney free of charge. Like Ask-A-Lawyer, these events have helped many people answer important questions without any financial commitment to determine if they have a case that has merit and what possible next steps may be. The callers remain anonymous and the calls are completely private.
Legal phone-in events typically dedicate about 10 minutes of legal guidance to each caller before the advising attorney provides a referral to a community resource. Referrals are generally directed to The JBA’s Lawyer Referral Service for people who have decided to hire an attorney, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid for those who may qualify as indigent, and the Office of the Public Defender for those who qualify as indigent and have criminal law matters. Many callers find out that they do not need an attorney at all.
During the June 15 event, callers also were referred to the Ask-A-Lawyer event that was held June 16.
The Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, the Northwest Community Development Corp. and Florida Coastal School of Law gathered 18 pro bono attorneys June 16 who were able to advise in many areas of law, including contracts, real estate, employment, probate, personal injury, criminal law, bankruptcy, family law, foreclosure, immigration, wills and advance directives and landlord/tenant law. Bilingual translators were present for Spanish speakers.
The attorneys provided legal guidance and relevant information to persons requesting assistance. They included Jamie Ibrahim, Reese Marshall, Laura Gapske, William Blume, Tess Arington, Melina Buncome, Eric Roberson, Lucreita Becude, Dan Bean, Rick Lasseter, Jodi Seitlin, Clayton Miller, Chris Carson, John Cherneski, Kim Clayton, M.R. Jordan, Eric Kolar and Latangie Williams.
The following students from Florida Coastal also were present to assist guests as needed and to observe interviews: Rosanne Brandt, Donna Dackow, Megan Schade, Rafael Marti, Joanne Lucas, Nicole Jones, Teri Mai, Charles Malloy, Athenia Singleton, Britney Sanford, Rachael Ackerman and Chauntel Grant.
About 50 people were served and many commented with gratitude as they left the event: “This was fantastic, thank you for being here.” “I can’t believe all these people came out to talk to us.” “I really needed that information, it was so helpful.”
As with the legal phone-in event, brief counsel and advice was provided in one-to-one, 10-15 minute interviews. People were provided with relevant information on possible next steps and were referred to community agencies for additional assistance.
The number of volunteers continues to increase because of the rewarding nature of community involvement. The number of people benefiting from these services is increasing exponentially as a result.
Some people have shared what they learned with neighbors and others have commented on the psychological relief that the advice provided.
These events bring our community together and while they require a lot of volunteers, the positive energy is contagious. One visitor said, “That attorney could not have been nicer or more helpful. Thank you for being here.”
The community owes all of those involved a huge thanks and a promise that we will all help to ensure everyone in our community will continue to have easy access to justice.
Attorneys interested in participating in Ask-A-Lawyer or legal phone-in events or other pro bono opportunities are encouraged to contact Kathy Para, chairperson, The JBA Pro Bono Committee, [email protected].