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| Try the best food Birmingham has to offer at Pro Hops Vino! |
Tickets are selling out quickly for Pro Hops Vino!, the Magic City's premiere legal party, so
buy yours today
! Thi
s year's event will feature an amazing selection of food provided by 15 of Birmingham's best restaurants and will take place on September 21st at the Negro Southern League Museum.
Taste cheese biscuits from Jim 'N Nicks, Rogue Tavern's spinach and artichoke dip, and heavy appetizers from Urban Standard. Enjoy Gianmarco's famous meatballs, Eugene's hot chicken, Asian fusion from EastWest, specialties from Bistro V, Chicken Salad Chick's signature chicken salad, Mexican food from La Paz, barbecue from Rusty's, pizza from Your Slice, desert cookies from Zoe's, and catering from The Fig Tree and Tre Luna.
Pro Hops Vino! guests can also try fine wines, local beers, spirits, and bid on rare wine and dinners at some of the city's best dining establishments including Carrigan's Public House, Galley & Garden, Ocean, and Satterfield's.
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Attorney Spotlight: Lane Morrison
Lane Morrison of Lightfoot, Franklin & White last week concluded a landlord-tenant dispute in which he successfully argued down his clients' damages from over $14,000 to $964.
The clients rented a house in April 2016, but quickly discovered the house had serious leaking issues, cracks in the walls, and an infestation of rats. When their landlord failed to take action despite repeated requests, the couple ceased to pay rent. The landlord took them to court and sought over $14,000 in damages, while the couple filed a counterclaim seeking restitution for the money they had spent on repairs and on belongings ruined by the rats. The couple reached out to the Volunteer Lawyers Program and Morrison agreed to take their case.
Early in the trial, Morrison brought to the court's attention the fact that the $14,000 in damages exceeded the jurisdictional limits of the district court in which the case was pending. "The plaintiffs ended up waiving the jurisdictional amount, pretty much capping the damages from the get go at $10,000, which was a good start," he said.
"My main goal going in was trying to get all of our evidence abut the bad conditions of the house and show how they should be entitled to damages from the landlord, at least enough to offset the lost rent that they withheld," Morrison explained. He utilized Stacy's thorough documentation of the house's dilapidated condition, and successfully admitted into evidence a picture of the family of rats living in the house. Ultimately, the judge found that the plaintiffs were entitled to $4,736 and that the clients were entitled to $3,772 on their counterclaim, resulting in the clients' only owing $964 to their former landlords.
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1. Please help this working mother take care of her handicapped daughter
This client is seeking an attorney to fight a child support modification case filed by her ex-husband, who is behind $34,000 in support payments. Their child suffered a traumatic brain injury at 16 and requires around-the-clock care. The client pays for all of her daughter's clothing, toiletries, and essentials, while her ex-husband has only seen his child a few times since 2015. Due to his failure to provide support for his handicapped offspring, the client is struggling to pay her mortgage and other living expenses. Please help this mother and child get the financial support they need.
(17-0008372)
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2. Please help this working single mother deal with her mold-infected home
The client moved into her home in 2013, but the owners did not alert her that the house has a flooding problem and that the previous tenant has sabotaged the plumbing, causing the upper floor toilet to flush water directly into the lower levels of the home. Due to the flooding and the damaged plumbing, the walls and carpeting are growing mold and mildew. The client's son has had multiple complications with his asthma, likely due to the living conditions. The home has been passed between realty companies and owners, but none have taken any steps to fix the problems. The client is being evicted for nonpayment of rent, as she refused to pay rent until the issues were resolved. She does not have a signed contract with the company. Help her resolve these issues.
(17-0009583)
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3. Please help this client divorce her incarcerated spouse
This client's spouse is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for federal robbery charges. Please help this woman divorce her incarcerated husband.
(17-0009608)
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4. Please help this disabled victim of domestic violence divorce her husband
This client wants to divorce her husband who is currently in jail for abuse and possession of a controlled substance. Please help her complete her divorce so she can move on with her life.
(17-0009609)
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5. Please help this navy veteran create a living will
This client wants to have a living will drafted to ensure that his wishes are honored in the event of an emergency. He would like to withhold life-sustaining treatment in the event that he is diagnosed with a terminal or irreversible condition and is unable to make his own decisions.
(17-0009408)
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6. Please help this retired client adopt her grand-nephew
This client sees that her grand-nephew's family is struggling financially and wants to adopt the 14-year-old child to provide for him and to ease the financial burden on her niece. The child's father is incarcerated and the mother fully supports the adoption. Please help this family move forward.
(17-0009639)
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HELP DESK ATTORNEYS: Thank you to the following attorneys
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| Civil Help Desk: 28 clients served |
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Rae Bolton
Legal Services of Alabama
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HealthSouth Corporation
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Sia Newman
Lloyd Gray Whitehead & Monroe
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Honza Prchal
Heninger Garrison Davis
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Shine Law Firm
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HealthSouth Corporation
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Abby van Alstyne
Quinn Connor Weaver Davies & Rouco
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Wilson Webb
Legal Services of Alabama
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| Domestic Relations Help Desk: 30 clients served |
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Charley Drummond
Fish Nelson & Holden
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Melinda Guillaume
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Leon Johnson
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John Milledge
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Abby van Alstyne
Quinn Connor Weaver Davies & Rouco
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Heather Ward
Maynard Cooper & Gale
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| Veterans Help Desk: 18 clients served |
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Judge John Carroll
Cumberland School of Law
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Kay Laumer
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J. Perry Morgan
Black & Morgan
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Lauren Shine
Shine Law Firm
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Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
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Amy Chiou
Cumberland School of Law
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Amorice Law
Huie Fernambucq & Stewart
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Kevin Putney
Cumberland School of Law
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ATTORNEYS SIGNED UP FOR NEXT WEEK:
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Monica Agee
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Janice Ballard
Ballard Law Office
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Leslie Barineau
BBA Worker's Compensation Section
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Joe Bulgarella
US Bankruptcy Court
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Sarah Chamberlain
Starnes Davis & Florie
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Chelsea Phillips
Balch & Bingham
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Matthew Swerdlin
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Vincent Swiney
Swiney & Bellenger
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Abby Van Alstyne
Quinn Conner Weaver Davis & Rouco
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Volunteer
The BBVLP needs your help! Volunteer now to serve at one of our Help Desks.
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ATTORNEYS WHO CLOSED CASES THIS WEEK:
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Monica Agee
Monica helped a woman resolve her outstanding warrants and receive her driver's license.
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Clayton Bromberg and Sarah Chamberlain
Clayton and Sarah helped a client resolve his outstanding warrants and regain his driver's license.
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Victoria Charles
Victoria helped a client receive back child support.
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Benjamin Cohn
Williams Elliott and Cohn
Benjamin helped a woman through her divorce process.
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Amber Whillock
Starnes Davis & Florie
Amber helped her client resolve her traffic tickets and renew her driver's license.
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ATTORNEYS WHO ACCEPTED CASES THIS WEEK:
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Judge John Carroll
Cumberland School of Law
Judge Carroll accepted a predatory lender case.
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Pate & Cochrun
Whitney accepted a third party creditor case.
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Shine Law Firm
Lauren accepted an adult guardianship case.
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UPCOMING CLE OPPORTUNITIES:
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| Judge Patricia Stephens |
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Learn how to volunteer at the Domestic Relations Pro Se Court
The latest BBVLP Pro Se CLE will be held on September 8th from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in
Judge Patricia Stephens' courtroom at the Domestic Relations Courthouse at 2124 7th Avenue North. Attend presentations from Judge Stephens and
Judge Nakita Blocton on best practices for serving pro se clients. Participants will receive one CLE credit and lunch is provided. Attendance is free; sign up by clicking
here.
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Thank you to our sponsors!
Vino Dire
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In memory of Mike Turner:
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Mike and Gillian Goodrich
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Hopeus Corpus
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Joe and Melinda Guillaume
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Ad Hops
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BBA Probate Section
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BBA Solo/Small Firm Section
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Sam and Betty Franklin
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Maura and Will Goodwyn
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Steve McKinney
Balch & Bingham
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In memory of
Belinda C. Bennet,
National Labor Relations Board
Region 10 Birmingham
Resident Officer
Contributors
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Adams & Reese
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Alabama Family Law Section
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BBA Federal Practice Section
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BBA Workers' Compensation Section
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Birmingham School of Law
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Bond & Botes
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Culotta, Scroggins, Hendricks, & Gillespie
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Hughes & Scalise
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Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant, & Knight
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Katherine McDonald
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Meadow Homes
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Miglionico & Rumore
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Venue Sponsor
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Donations from the community are the number one funding source for the Volunteer Lawyer Program. Click
here
to donate.
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There are two ways attorneys can choose to help with the Volunteer Lawyer Program. Click
here
for what you can do.
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Only clients who cannot afford representative are served by the BBVLP. Click here to see the eligibility guidelines.
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