By Kristen Pavón

LegalZoom, the nation’s leading provider of online legal document services and legal plans to families and small business, unveiled an innovative new cost-effective service that combines technology with a network of law firms to prove one-on-one consultations.

Here’s more about how the service would work from The Sacramento Bee,

In most states, users can access an experienced attorney for free at the LegalZoom website. After an initial trial period, users can continue to get advice from an attorney on virtually any legal matter, as well as have legal documents reviewed on their behalf, by paying a low monthly fee.

There is no word on exactly how much this low-cost alternative will be or what legal issues will be handled, but with the access-to-justice crisis in full effect and no real end in sight, it’s definitely worth a look.

What do you think about this initiative as an option for providing legal aid to low-income populations?

Check out more details here.

By Kristen Pavón

The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is trying to revamp how we think about and how we deliver pro bono services. Additionally, the Committee wants to talk to people like you to let them know your ideas about increasing access to justice.

Twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, they’re asking you questions about pro bono. Today’s questions are: 1) What methods have you found most effective in engaging law students in pro bono? and 2) What type of legal work have you found is both most appropriate for law students and helpful for clients?

My voice has already been heard today!

Here’s a snippet of my response: Speaking from a recent law graduate perspective, I gained the most useful legal experience from representing clients from the intake phase to the research, advice or representation phases with a structured sense of supervision — meaning I was able to think and analyze independently but then spoke with an attorney to put my proposals through a vetting process. . . .

To read my entire response and have your voice heard, click HERE!

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is seeking a legislative associate with two or more years of experience to join its Government Relations team in Washington, D.C.

SELC uses law and policy expertise to protect the South’s natural resources—its land, air, water, coast and wetlands—and to preserve our rural countryside and community character.

SELC’s government relations team works in Congress and with federal agencies to advance policy objectives that enhance environmental protection and quality of life in the Southeast.

Duties include monitoring legislative hearings, working with SELC policy and legal staff to develop support materials and representing SELC at coalition meeting.

If you’re interested in joining SELC in its efforts to protect our environment, check out the full listing on PSLawNet.

By Kristen Pavón

This weekend, awards were given to twelve non-profit organizations and leaders to honor and celebrate their good work at the third annual Classy Awards, the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country.

Among the night’s winners were The Soldiers Project, Invisible Children, Northwestern University Dance Marathon and Marley’s Mission.

Five of the nominees were legal services-related. They are doing great work at home and abroad — let’s check ’em out.

Domestic Violence Action Center

Honolulu-based DVAC has focused on shaping awareness about domestic violence and maintaining the safety of domestic violence victims for more than 20 years.

DVAC has assisted almost 200,000 callers, served nearly 4,000 children and their families, made 5,781 court appearances, provided 16,570 court accompaniments, completed 30,522 safety plans and conducted 24,219 risk assessments by expertly trained staff.

Read DVAC’s entire nomination here.

Lutheran Ministries and Social Services of WACO
LMSS of Waco is a free legal clinic serving Waco, Texas, the fifth-poorest city in Texas and sixteenth-poorest city in the country. Their Legal Assistance Project is one of fourteen self-help or assisted pro se legal aid clinics in the state. Clients are educated about the court process, provided legal forms, and are supported by non-attorney advocates who follow the guidelines for providing legal information. To read their complete nomination, click here.

Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship
The Global Center was established at the University of the Pacific in 2006 to create a whole new generation of solution–minded pragmatists who will pioneer practical, inventive, and sustainable approaches to address the world’s most pressing social issues, including poverty, disease, malnutrition, environmental degradation, injustice and illiteracy. The Global Center has created 20 innovative student-centered programs focusing on these social issues. Read their entire nomination here.

Hunterdon Hispanos
“Hunterdon Hispanos is the only nonprofit in Hunterdon County, NJ devoted to Hispanic issues and run primarily by Hispanics.” Among other services, Hunterdon Hispanos provide legal advice, access to other resources, translation support and advocacy making it possible for crime victims to work with Prosecutors on cases. Their goal is to continue to bring people together around issues of mutual concern, break down barriers and build community for the benefit of all. Read their nomination here.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Keep doing good work!

Do you know a non-profit organization that deserves recognition for the work they do? Let us know!

By Kristen Pavón

So, there’s only a few more hours until the weekend commences (unless you’re working for the weekend) and I’d like to send you off with a few words of caution. If you’re planning on grabbing some wings at Hooters this weekend, you may want to bring along your handy-dandy vampire-slaying stake.

Thanks to Findlaw’s Legally Weird blog, we can take necessary precautions.  Here’s what happened in St. Petersburg earlier this month:

Florida vampire Josephine Smith, 22, was arrested on charges of felony aggravated battery on an elderly person late last week, accused of attacking 69-year-old Milton Ellis while outside a vacant Hooters in St. Petersburg.

After inviting her to hang out with him at the vacant Hooters, [wheelchair-bound and homeless] Ellis fell asleep, but woke up when Smith yelled, “I’m a vampire, I am going to eat you!”

Thought I was joking?!

As bizarre as this sounds, there are a couple of serious points to make here.

Smith now faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 3 years, mandatory restitution, and up to 500 hours of community service.She’s also probably going to have a psych evaluation and a drug test, as government officials will want to learn as much about this Florida vampire while they have the chance.

By Kristen Pavón

In a big win for New York housing law and disability advocates, New York settled a 2006 case this week that accused it of “violating the spirit of its own longstanding rules for housing mentally ill people.” The settlement came on the heels of the judge setting a trial date for early October.

Here’s the low-down (as I have gathered from the New York Times article): Back in 2002, NYT did a series of exposé articles revealing the repulsive nursing home conditions that mentally ill people were living in and as a result, this case was filed. Not surprisingly, New York has a “longstanding legal principle . . . [that] the mentally ill cannot be confined unless they are considered a threat to themselves or others, and should be housed in the leased restrictive setting appropriate for their needs.”

The meat of the settlement is in the three-year deadline to move qualifying patients out of nursing homes and into the community. However, the state has also promised to provide for reforming the assessment process that is used to determine whether patients can live in the community and develop 200 new supported housing units.

Read the whole story here.

Share your public-interest wins with us below & let us know what you think of NY’s settlement.

By Kristen Pavón

When it comes to taking on our nation’s growing access-to-justice crisis, the Pro Bono Institute’s President and Chief Executive Officer Esther Lardent is not willing to wait around for a solution to conveniently present itself, especially because she has sensed apathy outside the legal profession.

In a recent National Law Journal article, she proposed seven bold steps that can alleviate the gap between the need for legal assistance and the availability of free legal services for the poor (teaser: one is mandatory pro bono hours for law students, gasp!).

Lardent contends that the situation is now dire because of the “Great Recession” and budget cuts for legal services organizations and courts across the country. For Lardent, the last resort should be mandating pro bono service for attorneys. However, she has other interesting options. Here’s a quick rundown of her proposals:

1. Voluntary-plus pro bono. Assume all attorneys are willing to take on pro bono cases. Allow uninterested attorneys to opt out of the program, instead of recruiting individual attorneys.

2. Law student pro bono. In contrast to her prescription for attorneys, Lardent suggests law students be required to complete 150 hours of pro bono hours to graduate. She emphasized the value in awakening an appetite for pro bono work and engaging in a hands-on legal experience for students.

3. Pro bono as a criterion for leadership. Attorneys should have a consistent portfolio of pro bono work before becoming eligible for any leadership position.

4. Revise ABA Model Rule 6.1 (the volunteer pro bono publico provision). Rule 6.1 is too broad for Lardent. The definition of pro bono should be narrowed, and should only mean free legal work for low-income or disadvantaged clients (fun fact: Lardent co-authored Rule 6.1 in the 1990s).

5. Bar association contributions. These associations should actively support local legal services programs, financially and on the legislative front.

6. Make pro bono reporting meaningful. Put procedures in place so that accuracy, consistency, disaggregation and transparency are reflected in annual reporting.

7. Triage and simplification. Come up with an effective triage system that would include effectively diagnosing a client’s legal issues and treating them with the “best and least costly legal intervention.” This could include brief advice, education, unbundled assistance or full-fledged zealous representation.

Check out the article in its entirety here. To learn more about Esther Lardent, read her bio here.

What do you think? Do these seem like viable solutions to access-to-justice issues?

By Kristen Pavón

NPRreported that a Chicago judge ordered investigative journalism students to deliver more than 500 emails related to a 33-year-old murder case to state prosecutors. The students were investigating the case as part of the Medill Innocence Project, which has helped free a dozen men wrongfully convicted of murder.

[State prosecutors] filed a subpoena in 2009 demanding all the students’ and professor Protess’ notes, interviews, tapes, emails relative to the case, as well as other documents, including grades and course evaluations. . . .

[T]he judge ruled that the students weren’t acting as journalists, protected by the Illinois reporter’s privilege law, but as investigators for the defense. . . .

There are concerns that if the ruling stands, it could have a chilling effect on the work of journalism students across the country. . . .

Northwestern University has until Sept. 21 to decide whether to appeal.

There is also concern that this may affect law schools’ Innocence Projects that may collaborate with investigate journalism students.

How, if at all, do you think this ruling will affect law school clinical programs?

Read the full story here.

MFY Legal Services, Inc., a 48-year-old nonprofit public interest law firm is looking for a staff attorney for its Neighborhood Preservation Project (NPP) to represent low-income New Yorkers in eviction prevention and tenant rights matters. Caseload will balance advice and individual representation with law reform advocacy and impact litigation on issues affecting affordable housing and tenants’ rights.

MFY Legal Services, Inc. provides free legal services to low-income residents of New York City in the areas of housing, public benefits, civil and disability rights, employment, consumer, foreclosure and family law.

MFY Legal Services has a 45-person staff comprised of attorneys, paralegals, social workers and support staff. It is a diverse, unionized, and collegial workplace.

For more information on MFY’s staff attorney position or to find out how to apply, check out the complete listing on PSLawNet.