社区主食走向偏远
2020年11月16日
D.C. 酒吧 公益性服务 Center has operated its 建议 & 咨询诊所 in-person on the second Saturday of every month since 1997. 这一切在3月份都改变了, when the 公益性服务 Center canceled its clinics in Shaw and Anacostia due to COVID-19. 从那时起, Managing Attorney Erik Goodman and Assistant Director Lise Adams have been looking for a way to best serve the clients who need brief legal advice on D.C. 民事法律事务.
In March, Goodman and Adams devised a temporary help line for 建议 & 咨询诊所 clients in lieu of the in-person clinic. Goodman operated the line with help from Center staff members Marcia Boyd, 南希Cattani, 塞西莉亚这个阶段, 妮可·费雪, 和露丝·韦尔丁. From March to October, the help line served more than 200 callers.
”的建议 & 咨询诊所 is a neighborhood staple in Shaw and Anacostia,” Goodman says. While the court’s operations slowed down for a short time, D.C. residents still needed brief legal advice. That’s only become truer as remote hearings have ramped up.”
Center staff met to discuss paths forward. They opted to open a remote clinic using volunteers in October, which gave the staff time to plan the logistics. 一切顺利. 从10月2日到8日, 2020, staff conducted intakes to determine legal needs and which volunteer should serve each client. 接下来的一周, volunteers returned calls and provided legal advice, all under the supervision of 公益性服务 Center lawyers and volunteer expert mentors. The remote clinic ultimately served 26 individuals in English, Spanish, and Amharic.
The pandemic has ushered in a wave of economic uncertainty. 用它, clients are looking for ways to recover money that they lost to malfeasance and avoid liability for debts that should not be theirs. 大多数情况下是远程建议 & 转诊诊所处理涉及消费者, 遗嘱认证, 以及雇佣法, helping families preserve their income and assets.
After the pandemic hit, the 公益性服务 Center had primarily relied on staff to serve its 建议 & 咨询诊所 clients, but they reintroduced volunteers into the fold in October. Volunteers and mentors from 29 law firms, 联邦政府, the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, 和合伙人在D.C. civil legal services community offered their legal expertise in October and November:
- 还 & 银行,P.C.
- 伯特伦澳门赌场官网事务所
- 黑板上
- Blank Rome澳门赌场官网事务所
- 儿童法律中心
- 《澳门赌场官网》
- 芬尼根，亨德森，法拉博，加勒特 & 讨债人,LLP)
- 富而德澳门赌场官网事务所
- 弗里德，弗兰克，哈里斯，施赖弗 & 雅各布森LLP)
- 艾文斯,菲利普斯 & 巴克,特许
- 威廉定律
- 约翰逊 & Pavuk
- 众达国际法律事务所
- K&L盖茨公司
- 卡斯法律集团，PLLC
- 凯门澳门赌场官网事务所
- 凯勒和赫克曼
- 王 & 斯伯丁LLP)
- Andrea J .澳门赌场官网事务所. 斯隆管理学院
- Ashok Batra澳门赌场官网事务所
- 法律服务公司
- 米勒 & 骑士
- 摩根刘易斯 & 负责人LLP)
- 帕特里克·马龙 & Associates的电脑
- Regan Zambri Long plc
- 谢泼德穆林
- Webb, Soypher, McGrath, LLC
- 机构推广
- WilmerHale澳门赌场官网事务所
“维.C. legal community understands how vital the 建议 & 咨询诊所’s services are,” Adams says. 诊所回答问题, 提供解决方案, 汇票的起诉状, and makes referrals for ongoing representation whenever possible. More than ever during these uncertain times we provide a place for clients living on low incomes to turn for free legal advice and compassionate service. With the court holding more remote hearings, we had to be prepared to serve those who depend on the 公益性服务 Center.”
下一个虚拟建议 & 咨询诊所 will take place in January.
