The Legal Aider - September 2022
THIS IS WHAT EQUAL JUSTICE LOOKS LIKE… for ruby!
Ruby and her brother, John, have been through a lot together. Ruby watched John grow up - she practically raised him, and has helped him navigate the world his entire adult life. John suffers from mental illness. Earlier this year, he experienced a severe relapse and was jailed as a result of an incident related to this relapse. While incarcerated, a sheriff served an eviction notice at John’s apartment. John never saw the notice and missed his first court date, resulting in a judgement against him. This judgement not only meant that John would be evicted, but that he would lose his Section 8 assistance.
At this point in John’s mental health journey, Ruby knew that stability was essential to his recovery and being evicted would have catastrophic results. That’s when Ruby called Legal Aid Society. LAS attorney Danny Matlock and LAS social worker Sylvia Rhodes immediately went to work. Sylvia provided holistic support to John and Ruby while Danny made a persuasive case on John’s behalf. Opposing counsel agreed that if John vacated immediately, they would set aside the judgement. Within days, Ruby moved John’s possessions from the apartment and the judgement was vacated. Danny contacted Section 8 and they also agreed to reinstate John’s benefits.
Project H.E.L.P. is Legal Aid Society’s homeless advocacy program, providing critical and life-saving legal intervention to those experiencing homelessness. The winter is an especially difficult season for our homeless clients. Please consider volunteering with our program. Just a few hours of your time at one of our bi-monthly clinics can CHANGE A LIFE. Visit YourLegalAid.org/volunteer to get involved.
“Trying to explain to someone the hell this whole process has been is difficult to do. Like most things in life, unless you have gone through it, it can’t be fully appreciated or understood. Throughout this specific journey, I have advocated on behalf of my brother John with every ounce of energy I have, often at the detriment of my own health and family. I did so because I have raised him and love him like my own child, but more than that, the REAL John, not the person he is currently, but who he is without his illness (or with his illness controlled) is one of the greatest people you could ever know. I have not been lucky to come across anyone who could help and often not even listen...not until now. I will never forget the help you lended and the kindness you have shown. ‘Thank you’ does not begin to convey. On days when your job becomes overwhelming and really hard, as I can only imagine it often does, never forget that there are people in your community you are significantly in a positive way. I will forever be one of them.”
GIVE FOR GOOD IS SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
make a gift online and double your impact!
Once again, Legal Aid Society will be participating in the Community Foundation of Louisville’s Give for Good Louisville on September 15th. All gifts made through the Give for Good website to Legal Aid Society will be matched dollar for dollar (up to a total of $20,000) by an generous anonymous donor! This year, your support is even more important as we celebrate our 100th Anniversary of pursuing justice. All funds raised will help support our Centennial Justice for All Campaign and our efforts to open a Shelby County office in 2022 and a West Louisville office in 2023!
Click here to support Legal Aid Society on Give for Good Day on September 15th and double your impact!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
Pro Se Divorce Clinics and CLE Training Opportunity
Legal Aid Society and the Louisville Bar Association are partnering to recruit and train volunteers to assist at pro se divorce clinics! It’s the perfect pro bono project – helping people who need legal assistance in a time-bound clinic. We will hold an inperson CLE on Thursday, September 15th at 11 AM to 1 PM (including 1 hour of ethics) at the Louisville Bar Association. The CLE is free to those who commit to volunteering at four divorce clinics in the next year. Click here to register or learn more.
NEW EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS FELLOW TO FOCUS ON PUBLIC BENEFIT ACCESS
Recent Brandeis School of Law and former Legal Aid Society Student Fellow, Andrew Chandler, has been awarded an Equal Justice Works Fellowship. Andrew will transition into a full-time attorney role with Legal Aid Society on September 10, focusing on securing and preserving public benefits for low-income families in Louisville for the next two years. A highly competitive process, Andrew is just one of 84 newly graduated lawyers nationwide to receive the Equal Justice Works Fellowship.
For more on Andrew’s new role, click here.
