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IN THIS ISSUE

The COVID-19 Crisis: How LSNV continues to Make an Impact

Juneteenth

Firm Stand for Justice Appreciation Breakfast

Meet Lewis Gelobter
Chair,
Public Benefits Practice Group

Meet Chidi James,
LSNV Board of Directors
UPCOMING OUTREACH
Virtual Tax Debt Relief Clinic for filing IRS & VA Department of Taxation Offers in Compromise . Free.
Thursdays from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., May 21 st – August 20 th
Hosted by Financial Empowerment Center and LSNV.

July 21st - Legislative Updates Relevant to Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence Part 2
In conjunction with the law firm of Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, LSNV will be sponsoring a Veterans Day of Service on July 8th to help veterans obtain general durable Powers of Attorney and other advanced directives.

On July 21st, LSNV will sponsor a clinic staffed by attorneys from Verizon Media and DLA Piper to prepare clients for expungement hearings.

On July 21st, LSNV will sponsor a clinic staffed by attorneys from Freddie Mac to prepare clients for uncontested divorce hearings.

On July 23rd, Nancy Ryan will serve as a moderator at an ABA sponsored panel event entitled, Bankruptcy Considerations for Small Businesses and Individuals Post-Covid .
THE COVID-19 CRISIS
HOW LSNV CONTINUES TO MAKE AN IMPACT
LSNV's dedicated staff are continuing to serve the Northern Virginia community remotely and to assist our low-income clients during this crisis. Here are a few examples of recent representative cases along with outreach and advocacy efforts:

  • LSNV successfully argued telephonically for the reinstatement of child and spousal support where an abusive ex-husband had tried to manipulate the court system shutdown for his own financial gain. [Husband filed a baseless motion to suspend support based on our client’s address being listed as confidential, but our attorney got the support reinstated pending a hearing on his motion].

  • LSNV renegotiated a recently entered custody order that was thrown into chaos by COVID because of the premature ending of the school year and a parent’s job loss in order to preserve custody for our client.

  • LSNV connected clients to non-legal supportive services like counseling for their children, sexual assault advocates, Brain Injury Services, and Adult Protective Services, and helped several victims of domestic violence connect with service providers who could give them cellphones when their abusive partner tried to isolate them.

  • LSNV successfully negotiated a release of a garnishment on our client’s wages that she could not challenge in court in a timely manner because of the virus. The release also enabled our client to receive her federal stimulus check.

  • On May 28th, LSNV Deputy Director Dipti Pidikiti-Smith, along with representatives from DC Legal Aid and the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metro Washington, participated in a panel discussion hosted by WAMU entitled, The Rent is Due, But Who Can Pay?


  • On June 11th, LSNV Attorney Alex Lydon provided an update on the changes to laws in the domestic and sexual assault realm to Fairfax’s Sexual Assault Response Team.

  • On June 16th, Attorney Nora Mahoney presented the first of a two-part program on legislative updates relevant to victims and survivors of domestic violence to the Fairfax County Domestic Violence Network.

  • On June 23rd, LSNV Deputy Director Dipti Pidikiti-Smith, along with a Senior Staff Attorney from Manhattan Legal Services, presented a training entitled Introduction to Contempt in Family Law presented by the ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence.

  • On June 24th, Nancy Ryan, LSNV's LITC Director along with the ABA's Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic, presented an update on the IRS' processing of economic impact payments entitled, Helping Low-Income Taxpayers Get What They Deserve.

  • On June 24th and 25th, LSNV Paralegal Susan Nolan participated in a workshop along with the Virginia Employment Commission's Rapid Response Intervention Team in Loudoun County to provide information to employees on their health care options upon termination of employment.

  • LSNV Attorney Cassandra Edner provided training on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) to staff persons at a local human services office who had been experiencing an increase in questions from their clients related to both of these benefits programs.

  • Nancy Ryan, LSNV's LITC Director, is working with the ABA Tax Section providing recommendations to the IRS Deputy Chief Counsel on how the IRS can assist low-income taxpayers in avoiding bankruptcy filings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  
    
  • LSNV Staff Attorney Vincent Smith recently trained 54 pro bono attorneys from Verizon Media and DLA Piper in preparation for a July 21st Expungement Clinic.
 
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JUNETEENTH
On June 19, 2020, in honor of Junteenth, LSNV closed all of its offices. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19 th  as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
FIRM STAND FOR JUSTICE APPRECIATION BREAKFAST
LSNV's Firm Stand for Justice Appreciation Breakfast was held virtually on June 16th. An annual spring event now in its third year, the breakfast is LSNV's opportunity to show their deep gratitude and appreciation to our corporate and law firm supporters for their roles in helping us to provide access to justice to low income persons in Northern Virginia. LSNV was proud to have The Honorable Daniel E. Ortiz; Judge, Fairfax Circuit Court (and former LSNV Board President), provide the keynote address. While the attendees unfortunately had to make their own breakfasts this year, it didn't lessen the depth of appreciation expressed by Jim Ferguson, LSNV's Executive Director, and Patricia Connally, the current President of the Board of Directors.
MEET LEWIS GELOBTER, CHAIR, PUBLIC BENEFITS PRACTICE GROUP

Lewis began his tenure with LSNV in 1986, first as Supervising Attorney of the Loudoun Branch, then at various times as Managing Attorney of the Loudoun and Prince William Branches and Housing, Consumer, Public Benefits and Elder Law (as co-chair) Practice Groups. He did his undergraduate work at Hobart College in Geneva, NY and received his JD from George Mason University. He obtained his LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Lewis traces his commitment to social justice to political discussions with his family, cousins, and grandfather at the dinner table and teachings of his rabbi while growing up. Participation with a legal services program was something he always envisioned at the end of his career, but when the opportunity presented itself, he couldn’t pass it up. Most of his clients have no income and often little education. They need health insurance, food, shelter, and income. That usually means Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance, Social Security disability benefits, and the legal assistance to help obtain those things, if eligible. In Lewis's words, "This is not charity. Access to such benefits is a basic right due individuals unable to obtain them themselves."

Lewis receives a great deal of satisfaction when he is able to make a difference in his clients lives and is frustrated when he is unable to do so. For example, as a direct result of the COVID crisis, Lewis's client Donna was denied Medicaid because her unemployment benefits exceeded the income limits established by the Federal government. Donna had worked in retail and had health insurance but was laid off because of the crisis. Donna's unemployment compensation was only $378.00 per week, or 154% of poverty. The cut off, however, was only 138%, which means, that for a difference of only $32 per week, Donna was now deprived of health insurance. Unfortunately, the only recourse was for Lewis to refer Donna to the healthcare marketplace for ACA coverage.
Meet Chidi James, President-Elect
LSNV Board of Directors
Attorney Chidi I. James is LSNV’s board president-elect and has served on the board since 2015. He has also served as a pro-bono volunteer for LSNV's Attorney of the Day Program, representing survivors of domestic violence for many years.  
When asked what being a part of LSNV means to him, Mr. James said “LSNV represents the best traditions of justice and service to the community. Without organizations like LSNV, our community’s most vulnerable populations would be at even greater risk than they already are.  LSNV protects the rights of the less fortunate in our community and at the same time provides a way for attorneys and others in the community to give back and contribute a portion of the time, talent and resources to make a difference in the lives of others. LSNV represents the best in us and I am so proud to be a part of furthering LSNV’s mission.” 
Mr. James is a trial lawyer and a partner with the law firm of Blankingship & Keith, P.C. in Fairfax Virginia. His practice consists mostly of serious personal injury cases including wrongful death, products liability, and inadequate security cases. Mr. James joined Blankingship & Keith as an associate in 2003, after serving as a Judicial Law Clerk to the judges of the Arlington County Circuit Court and completing the Judge Advocate General School Course at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. He has served in the National Guard for 23 years and continues to serve as a member of the District of Columbia Air National Guard.    
In his private life, Mr. James is a member of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He also serves on the Board of the Gainesville Basketball Association, the Mount Pleasant Baptist Community Development Corporation, and has volunteered as coach for multiple youth sports teams.  Mr. James is married to local psychologist, Dr. Faith Jackson James, and has three children, ages 23, 19, and 17.  
Supporting LSNV

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