Legal Aid @ Work! September news

Hello, LAWM friends!

Pumpkin spice season is almost upon us! In our September news round-up, learn about:

How we helped "Barbara" and her family keep their home by ensuring she had a voice in the justice system
Announcing our 2024 Pro Bono Award winners!
Our Oct 5 Expungement Fair with the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
A free professional education program for employees with nonprofit and government partners: Landlord-Tenant Law Basics
How our Low Income Tax Clinic wants to join community education programs with our partner organizations
Just how many people wrongly believe they have a "right to an attorney" in civil cases...

Helping a Family Hang on to Their Home

Having a legal aid lawyer in her corner helped "Barbara" and her family save their home. Barbara lives in a mobile home which she had owned subject to a loan. Barbara came to Legal Aid when the loan company made an accounting error on her payments and then, due to their own error, filed a lawsuit to repossess Barbara’s home.

We realized that Barbara needed a voice in the court process, so we represented her and we counter-sued because Barbara was in the right. The case wound its way from court to arbitration, and finally the loan company agreed to drop the lawsuit and to give Barbara title to her home free and clear of any loans.

This is the power of legal aid: when a family faced losing their most valuable asset, we ensured the justice system worked fairly for them.

Announcing our 2024 Pro Bono Award Winners

We are delighted to honor these extraordinary volunteer attorneys for their work on behalf of legal aid clients. Thank you!

For information on attending our October 17th Awards Reception, contact Steve Grumm: sgrumm@lawestmi.org or 616 608-8061.

Spanish-language Expungement Fair in GR

We are partnering with the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan to host and Expungement Fair in Grand Rapids, on October 5th! Pre-registration is required at this link: https://bit.ly/3T09ywf so we can screen for eligibility before the event.

Click on the images below to download the flyers.

Attention Partner Organizations:

Registration is now open for our fall Donuts & The Law events on Landlord/Tenant Law Basics! This is a free education program for nonprofit & government professionals. Please share with your colleagues to help us spread the word!

Click on each location below for details and registration. All events are from 9:00 - 10:30am.

Also for Partner Organizations:

Tax Tips for Our Client Communities!

Can we join your community education programs?

Legal Aid's Low Income Tax Clinic (LITC) helps people who have legal disputes with the IRS, often related to tax debt. Our LITC attorney is seeking 15-minute speaking opportunities to reach low-income communities with info about:

The IRS recently increasing tax-debt collection efforts
Consumer scams preying on people who have tax debt
Online gambling and tax liability

Because the presentation will be short, we hope to join your community outreach classes instead of scheduling separate events. We can join both in-person and remote classes.

To learn more, contact Steve Grumm at sgrumm@lawestmi.org or 616 608-8061.

About that "right to an attorney..."

Did you know...?

No-one has a right to a lawyer when they have a civil legal problem, even though their home, personal safety, and access to healthcare may be at risk.

But according to a recent survey, "more than half of Americans (56%) mistakenly believe they are entitled to free legal representation if they cannot afford a lawyer for civil matters..."

This is why legal aid needs your financial support. We must educate people about how to access our services, and then we must represent them to ensure that every American gets a fair shake in our civil justice system. If you can, please donate to support our work. Thank you!

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