Neighborhood Legal Services Program
Celebrating 50 years of Advocacy for D.C.'s Underserved Community
NLSP Newsletter
December 2014
In This Issue
Client Story: Judge's Message of Deterrence
50th Anniversary Gala and Video
Job Seekers Clinics
New Projects and Grants
Client Story: Message of Deterrence Heard "Loud and Clear"
The "J." family came to NLSP for help with an eviction case.  NLSP discovered that the family had never been served with the required 30-day notice to quit - indeed, the landlord's process server attested to serving residents in a different quadrant of the City at the same time he supposedly had served the J. family. 

The court dismissed the J. family's eviction case, finding that the patently defective service rendered the complaint for possession "utterly meritless from the outset".  Judge Neal Kravitz also awarded attorney's fees and costs to NLSP, cautioning other landlords and attorneys: "To the extent the conduct exhibited here [by both landlord and attorney]  may not be unique...it is all the more important that the intended message of deterrence emanating from the court's award of reasonable attorney's fees and costs be heard loud and clear by those who would consider litigating other landlord-tenant cases in [this] bad faith manner."

Judge Kravitz went on to note the critical importance of having counsel:  "Perhaps most concerning about the bad faith litigation tactics exhibited here is the reality that the fatal legal and factual deficiencies in the plaintiff's claim likely never would have come to light. . . without counsel. . . .The outcome of this case thus could have been drastically different had the defendants not been among the small minority of tenants sued in the Landlord and Tenant Branch who are fortunate enough to obtain free legal representation from one of the city's civil legal services organizations or pro bono programs".  

NLSP is continuing to examine the scope of such abuses. 

More Client Stories 

NLSP 50th Anniversary Gala and Video

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported NLSP's 50th Anniversary Gala on October 2nd, 2014 at the Blackburn Center at Howard University.

 

The Gala was a great success. raising approximately $180,000. We were pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate 50 years with 300 supporters, alumni, clients and community members, hear remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder, and recognize Edgar Cahn and Jean Camper Cahn (posthumously) and the law firm of Covington & Burling, LLP for their contributions to the legal aid movement and NLSP. 

 

To see pictures and a recap of the event visit our website.  

 

See more pictures on our Facebook album. 

 

News coverage of the event:

Holder Celebrates D.C. Legal Services Group's 50th Anniversary  

Holder Celebrates NLSP at 50  

 

 In case you missed it, check out the NLSP 50th Anniversary video, which debuted at the Gala. The video covers NLSP history, current work and stories from clients.

NLSP 50th Anniversary Video
Job Seekers Clinics
Job Seekers clinics
This fall, NLSP's Breaking Barriers to Employment Project began holding a series of Jobseeker Legal Clinics and presentations at various branches of the DC Public Library. Participants in the Library's successful Job Seekers drop-in clinics, where librarians help with job searches and resumes, can now also get on-site legal information and advice. The clinics also connects those with barriers a lawyer can help solve to extended representation by an NLSP attorney.

NLSP attorney Dan Choi and Pro Bono Counsel Heather Hodges have also been working with librarians to redesign the Library's Jobseeker Portal and expand jobseeker programs in branches east of the river.

Areas of assistance include information about criminal records, credit reports, background checks, suspended drivers and professional licenses, custody and child support arrearages, wage theft, housing, debt and other issues that affect a job seeker's ability to get or keep a job.

READ MORE
Project and Grant Updates
Hannah Lieberman accepts grant from the Verizon Foundation
*  NLSP received a $20,000  grant from the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation for general operating support.
*  NLSP used a $20,000 grant from the DC Bar Foundation through its Private Legal Services Grant Program to strengthen technology and infrastructure.
*  The Meyer Foundation renewed NLSP's $25,000 grant to support a multi-faceted barriers to employment project that includes direct representation, education and media work.
*  Renewed funding from The Verizon Foundation will allow NLSP to continue its successful domestic violence education programs for youth and adults in Wards 7 and 8.
#Giving Tuesday
NLSP is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back, on December 2nd.

Donate online on Giving Tuesday or any time here.
Connect with NLSP
You can now follow NLSP on Twitter.

Don't forget to like NLSP's page on Facebook.

For more information about NLSP, visit our website at www.nlsp.org
Upcoming Events
Breaking Barriers to Employment: Custody and Child Support
December 2 -6:30-7:45pm
MLK Library

Jobseeker Legal Clinic
December 2 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Francis Gregory Library

Jobseekers Legal Clinic
December 3- 5:30-8:30pm
MLK Library

"Fathers Have Rights, Too"
December 9- 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Benning/ Dorothy I. Height Library

Jobseekers Legal Clinic
December 9- 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Petworth Library

Tenants Have Rights, Too
December 11- 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
MLK Library

Consulte Con Un Abogado
December 12- 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Mt. Pleasant Library

Breaking Barriers to Employment: Pregnancy and Family Responsibilities
December 17- 2:00- 3:45 pm
MLK Library
See more NLSP events
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