Robert F. Seibel, co-founder of the Consortium for Access to Justice, believes the nonprofit law firm model will remain viable due to the high demand for low-cost legal services. It notes that the dramatic economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the need for low-cost legal assistance. When Open Legal Services went out of business last year, the news sent shivers down the spines of the nonprofit legal community, raising the question of whether the nonprofit model could work for other businesses. Mary had lost all hope. The COVID-19 shutdown has affected every aspect of her family`s life. She applied for disability when the offices closed and, because she spoke Spanish, the instructions were difficult. Her husband alternately had no job or not enough work. Her two children were at home, studying with health problems and learning disabilities that were taking up a lot of time. They were hungry and late at the back of the rent. Then her family benefits stopped until she could certify her documents again! Luckily, Maria found Open Hands and the legal team got to work. Maria was in contact with food banks and transportation to bring everything home. The team helped her through the recertification process and Maria kept her benefits, especially for food.
Our legal director helped Maria apply for rent relief (a complex process that took over four hours), and the fear of losing her home ended. Mary, like many of us, initially struggled to ask for help. His family had worked for everything and they weren`t looking for much. The problem for Maria and all our guests is that in difficult times there was nothing to rely on. Psalm 121 reminds us: “I look up at the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. At Open Hands, we are happy to solve clients` legal burdens and remind them to ask God for help – always. Now, Maria has hope and is supported by the continued support of Open Hands. Open Legal Services was certainly not the first non-profit law firm to offer low-cost legal assistance. But as co-founder Shantelle Argyle postulates, it was probably “the loudest.” However, she and others with experience in nonprofit law firms say the closure of Open Legal Service shouldn`t be a bad sign for those looking to implement this type of model to provide legal aid to low- and middle-income Americans. In fact, Argyle and Spencer say their former company`s results during their short tenure should encourage others. Mitch, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin, agrees that the closure of Open Legal shouldn`t deter others from opening a nonprofit law firm.
One Wisconsin nonprofit that has surpassed the 15-year mark is Community Justice, Inc., which Mitch co-founded in 2004. The Madison-based legal service provider handles cases in a variety of practice areas, including housing law, consumer fraud, and family law. I try to find services that help my mother`s confidence. My sister persuaded my mother to change her trust to make her the sole executor. It has already begun to do things that do not appear legal and are not in the best interests of the trust. Open Legal Services is Utah`s premier nonprofit law firm for clients who earn too much to qualify for free/pro bono legal services, but also earn too little to afford a traditional private lawyer. We close the justice gap by providing affordable legal services to low- and middle-income people. These discounted services for clients of modest means are often referred to as “low bono” legal services.
Hello, I am looking for legal advice, I was fired by my former boss for defamation and I do not know how to proceed. Graduates of the S.J. Quinney School of Law at the University of Utah launched Open Legal Services with the goal of serving consumers whose income wasn`t low enough to qualify for free legal aid, but most lawyers couldn`t afford either. I sincerely hope you can answer my questions about the Utah/Arizona Pact regarding driver`s licenses. I lived in Utah for twenty years and now Arizona is trying to invalidate my driving privileges by tackling something that should have been done in 1994.