briefings - Legal Aid Society Louisville

BRIEFINGS
Protecting the American Dream
Spring 2008
A newsletter for friends of the
Legal Aid Society
In this issue:
At the Legal Aid Society one of our highest
priorities is working with clients to preserve
their homes.
Homeowners share a common dream and
have worked hard to apply their savings toward that goal. But when the economy
worsens and layoffs occur, when the cost of
utilities and other basic necessities increase,
or when health issues or the disability of a
household member reduces available household income, many of our clients struggle to
make their monthly mortgage payments.
ces that have led homeowners to the current
crisis:
sThe interest rate on the mortgage increased
at a time when the household’s income remained level or dipped; clients oftentimes tell
of brokers who steered them to an adjustable
rate mortgage despite their request for a fixed
rate loan.
sThe medical expenses of a sudden illness or
disability caused them to fall behind in payments, and the lender refused to work out an
installment arrangement to pay this deIf I can’t make my mortgage payments, linquency.
An increasing
number of families face unaf- how on earth can I afford an attorney?
sThe numerous pagfordable mort-A Highview area homeowner es of the complicated
gage payments
loan documents they
established as a
result of predatory lending practices or adjust- signed did not fully reveal the hidden costs
able rate mortgages that were inappropriately and predatory nature of the loan.
offered given their fixed or limited income.
These families risk becoming another statis- Attendance at our Foreclosure Clinics has
tic in the national and local foreclosure crisis tripled this year, and Legal Aid Society’s partnerships and new initiatives are likely to atthat has reached alarming levels.
tract even more homeowners in crisis:
According to the Metropolitan Housing Coalition, the number of Orders for Sale on s,EGAL Aid Society is part of Metro Louisforeclosure properties increased an estimated ville’s Foreclosure Initiative Task Force which
17.58 percent last year. We believe our cli- is focused on helping homeowners facing
ents and their struggles are more than a mere foreclosures with counseling and emergency
statistic. We are committed to ensuring cli- financial assistance.
ents understand the legal options they have
throughout the foreclosure process, and we s-ETRO United Way’s 211 phone crisis and
referral service will direct callers facing forework with them to keep their home.
closures to Legal Aid.
For the past 10 months, the Legal Aid Society
has been holding weekly Foreclosure Clinics s"EGINNING in April, Legal Aid Society will ofwhere a homeowner delinquent in payments fer its Foreclosure Clinics in other Kentucky
and threatened with foreclosure can learn counties in our service area.
about the foreclosure process, timelines, and
legal defenses that may be available to them. For more information about our Foreclosure
Each week we hear the common circumstan- Clinics, please call us at (502) 584-1254.
Pursuing Justice:
HIV/AIDS Legal
Project
.............................2
A Place to Call
Home
.............................3
Legal Aid Receives
$60,000 Grant for
Technology
.............................3
2007 Justice for All
Campaign
.........................4, 5
Wyatt, Tarrant &
Combs Fellow
............................6
The mission of the Legal Aid
Society is to pursue justice
for people in poverty.
Legal Aid Board member and Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs attorney Cynthia Young was recently honored by the University
of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law for her outstanding work in the community.
BRIEFINGS
Page 2
Celebrating 15 Years of Service
HIV/AIDS Legal Project
In 1992, only one long-term nursing care
facility in Kentucky would admit and care
for patients with HIV disease. The Americans with Disabilities Act had taken effect,
but the protections the law offered to people living with HIV/AIDS were uncertain
and untested, and the life-expectancy of a
person diagnosed with AIDS was typically
one year or less from the date of diagnosis.
The HIV/AIDS Legal Project of the Legal
Aid Society was established that same year
to help people living with HIV disease who
faced legal problems arising from their lifethreatening condition. The Legal Project
quickly established itself as a critical provider in the
continuum
of services
offered by
this
community. The
legal assistance it provided helped clients who lacked the means
to hire an attorney with a variety of legal
needs and helped to reduce the stressors
that negatively affected a person’s health.
In the fifteen years since, the Legal Project
has helped over 2,700 clients. The Legal
Project has helped draft life-planning documents so clients’ end-of-life wishes could
be honored; it has advocated for patients
to access appropriate health care services
under government medical plans or private
insurance; it has challenged discriminatory
practices against people living with HIV
disease in employment and public accommodations; and, it has helped on consumer issues at times when a client’s medical
debts were escalating and financial resources were depleted.
The Legal Project was founded with initial
funding from the Mary and Barry Bingham,
Sr. Fund, the Kentucky Bar Foundation, and
Metro United Way. Metro United Way has
continued as a key funding partner these
past fifteen years. The Louisville AIDS
Walk, which also celebrated its fifteen year
anniversary, has provided generous funding to sustain the Legal Project’s services.
Volunteer attorneys have donated their
time and compassionate services in helping clients on matters where special expertise may be required.
The HIV/AIDS Legal Project has received
strong community support for its
work
and
has partnered
with
many
AIDS service
organizations
to
accomplish its successes for clients, including
Community Health Trust, House of Ruth,
Heart to Heart, AIDS Services Center Coalition, Louisville Metro Health Department,
AIDS Interfaith Ministries, and Volunteers
of America. These partnerships allow the
Legal Project to address a client’s needs in
a holistic and effective manner.
The Legal Project’s service and advocacy
on behalf of clients affected by HIV disease
reflects the deep commitment Legal Aid
Society has had over the past 86 years to
help those in the community who--because
of medical condition, age, or other special
circumstances--are the most vulnerable.
The Legal Aid Society is proud to continue
this tradition and celebrates the success of
its HIV/AIDS Legal Project.
A History of the
HIV/AIDS Legal
Project
1993
The Legal Project successfully settles a claim
against a hospital after a patient’s confidentiality was violated when the physician revealed his HIV status. The hospital agrees
to mandatory AIDS education for its entire
staff.
1995
The Legal Project submits an Amicus Curiae
brief in support of a mother whose custodial
rights are challenged because she lives with
a person with AIDS. The Kentucky Court of
Appeals rules that the presence of a person
with HIV/AIDS is not reason to deprive a
parent of custody.
1996
Legal Project volunteer lawyers Greg Belzley and Colin Lindsay assist Pedro Sosa
in his lawsuit challenging the treatment
he received at the Jefferson County Jail.
A jury finds that Pedro’s rights were violated and his medical needs ignored and
awards Pedro $1.18 million.
2002
The Legal Project celebrates its 10 year
anniversary. More than 1,900 clients have
been helped. With the development of
new drugs, many clients are experiencing
medical improvement and stability. Clients
legal needs are more numerous and
oftentime complex.
2006
The cost of prescription medicine for HIV
patients is prohibitive and the state-funded
drug assistance program has a waiting list
of applicants. With the new prescription
d r u g c ove ra g e u n d e r M e d i c a r e Pa r t D
many clients can now access this benefit.
The Legal Project conducts workshops for
clients explaining how Medicare Part D
may help them.
2007
The HIV/AIDS Legal Project celebrates 15
years of service. The Project has helped
over 2,000 clients to date.
Pursuing Justice: Neva Marie Polley, an attorney with our Family Law Unit, was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the
Women Lawyers Association of Jefferson County.
BRIEFINGS
Page 3
A Place to Call Home
Instead of serving homeless people endlessly, our mission is to end their homelessness.
-- Philip F. Mangano, Executive Director, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
Last year, there were nearly
11,000 homeless residents
in the Louisville-area who
sought assistance from local
social services agencies.
Legal Aid is one of those
organizations and provides
free legal services to our
neighbors who live in poverty.
Our work prevents
homelessness, increases understanding of tenants’ rights
and responsibilities, improves living conditions, and fosters better relations between landlords and tenants. By providing these
services, the Legal Aid Society ensures clients and their families
maintain stable housing.
“Vicki”, a Legal Aid client, lived in subsidized housing and
was facing eviction because she was saving money to send her
daughter to college. Her daughter would be the first person in
her family to attend college. Molly Oberhausen of Legal Aid’s
Housing Advocacy Program defended Vicki’s eviction in court
and negotiated a settlement whereby Vicki could make back-
payments on her rent and still maintain housing. Vicki’s daughter is now a freshman in college. Legal Aid’s Housing Advocacy
Program works to:
s0Rovide stable housing to families who are at risk of eviction.
Having a place to call home has also afforded the children of
at-risk families a stable education. By preventing eviction, children are able to stay in their designated schools without having
to switch during the school year.
s/FFER counseling to tenants facing eviction. Legal Aid, in conjunction with the Coalition for the Homeless, funds a part-time
law student to run the Tenants In Crisis Counseling Program.
She assists at-risk individuals facing eviction obtain alternate
housing, rent assistance, and other social services support.
s#ONDUCTS Small Claims Clinics to help clients obtain the proper forms and advice about filing actions against individuals in
small claims court. Clients receive all of the proper forms and
a one-on-one consultation with an attorney to help them draft
a proper statement of claim. This service is available to clients
who would otherwise not be able to afford an attorney.
s#OUNSEL homeless clients, help them receive disability benefits
and move to permanent supportive housing.
Legal Aid Receives $60,000 Grant from LSC
to Pursue Innovative Technology
The Legal Aid Society announces the launch of the Kentucky
Online Self-Help Assistant (KOSHA), an interactive computer
program designed to expand access to the courts for low-income
Kentuckians. The program is the first of its kind in Kentucky and
utilizes a question-and-answer format designed to make the use
of court forms by self-represented persons easier than ever and
to minimize their incorrect or improper use.
Thanks to generous funding from the Louisville Bar Foundation
and the Pro Bono Consortium, KOSHA
allows low-income clients to use the interactive program to fill out do-it-yourself
forms for a simple, uncontested divorce.
KOSHA’s early successes are due in large
part to the efforts of the LBA’s Kate Lindsay,
Melanie Straw-Boone, and the Jefferson County Family Court,
which transformed this concept to reality.
A grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) will allow
KOSHA to expand its scope to offer interactive programs for expungements, small claims, and possibly even landlord-tenant
issues.
Restoring Hope:
“The great potential of this project is its ability to take an otherwise daunting legal system and make it easier for low-income
citizens to access our courts,” says Marc Theriault, who manages the project for Legal Aid. “With the dramatic increase in
self-represented litigation, particularly in family law courts, it is
essential that low-income self-represented litigants have the resources to successfully resolve their legal problems. It’s not just
an issue of increasing access to justice for the poor; it’s an issue
of increasing efficiencies for the clerks and judges
who deal with self-represented litigants on a daily
basis.”
Similar programs in other states have achieved
great success in expanding access to the court
system for persons who cannot afford the cost of
hiring an attorney. Jeffrey A. Been, Executive Director of the
Legal Aid Society, adds “Because of limited resources, legal aid
programs are forced to turn away thousands of eligible clients
every year. Providing legal services through the internet is an innovative and important step in making legal services accessible
to a larger number of Kentuckians.”
Staff attorney Andre Bergeron’s first novel, The Devil’s Ridge, is now available in bookstores. To learn more
about Andre’s novel, visit www.thedevilsridge.com.
Page 4
BRIEFINGS
Thank you to donors who made our
2007 Justice for All Campaign a success.
2007 Leadership Cabinet
(At least $250 per attorney)
AT&T Kentucky
Borders & Borders
DeMoisey Law Office
Dinsmore & Shohl
Dodd & Dodd
Dolt, Thompson, Shepherd,
Kinney & Wilt
Frost Brown Todd
Givhan & Spainhour
Goldberg Simpson
Greenebaum Doll & McDonald
J. Chester Porter & Associates
Morris & Player
Sitlinger, McGlincy, Theiler & Karem
Stanford Law Office
Steve Mirkin Law Office
Stites & Harbison
Tachau Meek
Thompson Miller & Simpson
Wantland Law Office
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs
Partners for Justice
(100 percent giving by attorneys)
AT&T Kentucky
Humana
Office of the Commonwealth’s
Attorney--Jefferson County
Associates for Justice
(100 percent giving by associates)
Dinsmore & Shohl
Fultz Maddox Hovious & Dickens
Greenebaum Doll & McDonald
Middleton Reutlinger
Morgan & Pottinger
Stites & Harbison
Woodward, Hobson & Fulton
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs
Visionaries ($20,000 or more)
Frost Brown Todd
Greenebaum Doll & McDonald
Stites & Harbison
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs
Guardians of Justice ($10,000 to
$19,999)
Edward S. and Cornelia Bonnie
Stoll Keenon Ogden
Verizon Wireless
Partners for Justice ($5,000 to
$9,999)
Dinsmore & Shohl
Goldberg Simpson
Sumner Foundation
Carla Wallace
Woodward, Hobson & Fulton
Friends of Justice ($2,500 to
$4,999)
Boehl Stopher & Graves
Brown-Forman
Kevin J. Hable
Eric L. Ison and Melanie A. Bootes
Middleton Reutlinger
Seiller Waterman
Thompson Miller & Simpson
Executives ($1,000 to $2,499)
A. Robert Doll Foundation
Hon. Lisabeth and Leslie Abramson
AT&T Kentucky
Jeffrey Been and Eric Graninger
Borders & Borders
Thomas Brite
Conway & Conway
Dodd & Dodd
Dolt, Thompson, Shepherd,
Kinney & Wilt
Pursuing Justice:
Marshall P. Eldred
K. Gregory and Sallie Haynes
Timothy James Hazlett
J. Chester Porter & Associates
Joseph Charitable Trust
Scott Edmund and
Hon. Annette Karem
Kathleen Pellegrino
Phillips Parker Orberson & Moore
John W. and Eugenia K. Potter
John Selent
Sitlinger, McGlincy, Theiler & Karem
James R. Straus
Tachau Meek
Valenti Hanley & Robinson
Morgan T. Ward
Cynthia Young
Yum! Brands, Inc.
Senior Partners ($500 to $999)
Gregory Belzley
and Camille Bathurst
Blackburn Hundley & Domene
Bethany Breetz
Kenneth Burhans
Dorothy and Gerald Chambers
Hiram Ely
Robert Charles Ewald
Foley Bryant & Holloway
Charles and Kevin Galluser
Givhan & Spainhour
Beth Haendiges
Eric Joseph Haner
Martha Hasselbacher
Louise and Joseph Helm
John A. and Chris Johnson
Kaufman, Stigger & Hughes
Robert L. Littlefield
Marsh USA, Inc.
Robert F. Matthews
Henry Meigs
Mercer Human Resource Consulting
Douglas H. Morris
Richard and Judith Nowka
Oldfather Law Firm
Parker & O’Connell
John S. and Nancy B. Reed
Ridley M. Sandidge
Hon. Paula F. Smith Sherlock
John L. Smith
Virginia Snell
Stephen Reily
and Emily Bingham Fund
Steve Mirkin Law Office
David B. Tachau
and Suzannah Woodcock
Joseph Scott Wantland
Lively M. and Frances Wilson
Michelle Wyrick
Mitzi Wyrick
Partners ($250 to $499)
Aegon Insurance
John and Beverly Ballantine
William Ballard
W. Robinson Beard
Jennifer Bertrand
and Christopher Smith
Robert Biggs
James Bolus
Borowitz & Goldsmith
Dennis E. Bricking
Betty Brown
David Buechler
Alexander H. Campbell
Bradley Case
Larry J. Cashen
Carole and Robert Christian
Richard Clay
Robert and Theresa Connolly
Charles J. and Mary Anne Cronan
Charles L. Cunningham
Bruce K. Davis
Mark B. and Kate Davis
Mandy Wilson Decker
DeMoisey Law Office
Frank P. and Mary Beth Doheny
Laurel S. Doheny
Scott A. Dyer
and Elizabeth Monohan
Hon. Kelly Easton
James Clifton and Mary Eaves
Doug and Liza Farnsley
Marjorie A. Farris
Maria A. Fernandez
and Ray C. Ganong
Phyllis E. Florman
Laurel Fuson and Bill Lancaster
Joseph R. and Holly Gathright
GE Foundation
Mary Jo Gleason
Michael R. Greene
Greenebaum Doll &
McDonald Employees
Robert S. Greenwell
Bill and Diane Haden
Arthur P. Hipwell
H. Neil and Kathleen Houser
W. Bryan and Julia Martin Hudson
Diane and Russ Neill Laughlin
Blaine Lewis
Jane Long
Holland McTyeire
Creighton Mershon
Kurt Metzmeier
R. Kenyon and Karen Meyer
Christie Moore
and Phillip Bressoud
Network for Good
Joanne Oldham
Dulaney Lee O’Roark
Ernest C. and Martha Pepples
Edwin H.Perry
Delores and William Pregliasco
Forrest W. and Elizabeth K.
Ragsdale
David B.Ratterman
Henry M.Reed
George and Toni Rideout
Richard and Janet Rink
Donna A. Schneiter
Dan T. Schwartz
Lynn Seiller
Peter and Catherine Sewell
Stephanie and Jonathan Smith
Sheryl Snyder and Jessica Loving
Robert and Mary Ann Stenger
David S. and Billie Stierle
Alec Stone
Walter J. Swyers
John and Phyllis M. Tate
James William Turner
Terry W. and Amanda F. Tyler
Richard A. and Susan Vance
Jeffrey E. and Kayleen S. Wallace
Don and Mary Wells
Jack A. Wheat
Ethel Wilkerson
Hon. John Yarmuth
Associates ($100 to $249)
James Lee Adams
Cletus Edward Amlung
David Armstrong
Bradley Aulick
Shawn Bailey
Kimberly K. Ballard
Leslie Barras and Kevin McAdams
Rania Basha
Melissa Bauer
Nathan and Laura Berger
Thomas and Catherine Birchfield
H. and Marsha Bornstein
Howard N. Bowles
Tanya Bowman
C. Craig Bradley
William H. Brammell
Robert Breetz
Steven A. and Alison J. Brehm
Victor Brizendine
Michael and Debra Brodfuehrer
Christopher Brooker
Thomas J. Burch
Kenneth Burgess
Jeremiah and Shannon B. Byrne
Jeffrey Calabrese
Edward S. Carle
Carole J. Catalfo
and Robert Render
Greg Catron
Frank Chuppe
Martha Clark
Hon. Denise Clayton
Helen and Richard Cleary
Jack M. Combs
Cooper & Friedman
Anne and Jim Coorssen
Hon. Frederic J.
and Linda Cowan
Jamie and Jon Cox
Kenneth M. Cox
James Craig
John R. and Jeanne Cummins
Bradley E. Cunningham
Gordon B. Davidson
E. Brian Davis
Carolyn Dean
Lisa C. DeJaco
Dolores Delahanty
Morris Delaney
Ivan and Priscilla Diamond
Rebecca and Kenneth Didat
Scott Dolson
Thomas A. Donan
George E. Dudley
Kevin and Susan Hanley Duncan
Tawana Louise Edwards
Philip C. Eschels
Benjamin James Evans
Denise M. Everett
Deborah Tully Eversole
Bernard Faller
Alfred Samuel Fazio
Joseph E. and Lois Fineman
Jill L. Force
Jane Carter Foushee
C. Shawn Fox
Ellen Friedman and Jim Birmingham
Emily K. Fritts
D. Scott and Mary Furkin
Hon. Eleanore Garber
Hon. Stephen and Kathy George
James and Grace Giesel
Sam and Catherine Graber
Joe Graffis
John W. and Julie Gragg
Margaret R. Grant
Lindsay M. Gray
Murray J. Greenwald
Michael A. Grim
A.P. and Sara Gullett
Christopher and Sheldon Haden
Earl and Amy Hamm
E. Paul and Alice Barns
Herrington
Marsha Theiss Hicks
James H. Highfield
Sarah Osborn Hill
Cathy Hinko
Suzan J. Hixon
Tim Hogan
Demetrius O. Holloway
Hollie Hopkins
Bradley R. Hume
Richard W. Iler
Eric Jason Jacobi
Janet Jakubowicz
and Kevin Crawford
James & Wells
Jeff Been, Legal Aid’s Executive Director, was awarded the 2007 Dean’s Service Award from the University of
Louisville Brandeis School of Law. Jeff was also selected to serve on the Board of Overseers Visiting Committee
at the law school.
Page 5
Hon. Martin and Cathy
Johnstone
Elizabeth Jones-Brown
Matthew H. Jones
Margaret E. Keane
Charles R. Keckler
Bruce and Jennifer
Keisling
F. Ryan Keith
William Reeder Kenealy
Mary Keyer
Jennifer and Chris
Kovalcik
Melony J. Lane
Emily Ledford Lawrence
Erica A. Lee
David and Phyllis
Leibson
Jann Budde Logsdon
Karen Marple Long
Phyllis Lonneman
Nancy Loucks
Mark Loyd
Michael and Pegge Luvisi
William A. Mackenzie
Doug Magee and
Anne Marie Regan
Amanda G. Main
Scott D. Majors
Ronald E. Marstin and
Ellen M. Joyce
Serge A. Martinez
Annette and Gerard
Mattingly
Sharon A. Mattingly
Irv and Peggy Maze
Gerald F. McDaniel
Julie McDonnell
Brian McGraw
Jamieson G. McPherson
Brian Meldrum
Francis J. Mellen, Jr.
Stephen E. Mercer
Michael C. Merrick
Hon. Steve and
Anna Lee Mershon
Stephen H. Miller
Allen Montgomery
Claire A. Mosher
Jesse and Christy Mudd
Raymond J. Naber
Amanda Nall
Jamie Neal and
Kevin Hyde
James Tanner Nichols
Dorothy E. and
William O’Brien
Patrick S. O’Bryan
Mike and Ellen O’Connell
O’Koon Hintermeister
Askia Omar
Hon. Joe O’Reilly
John S. Osborn
Danny L. and
Marcia Owens
Emily L. Pagorski
Homer Parrent III
Sarah Patterson
Robert J. Penta
Robert Pinson
Dorothy M. Pitt
Loren and Jane Prizant
Kathryne Raines
William Stephen Reisz
Madeline Reno
Ricketts & Platt
Mark S. Riddle
Kendrick R. Riggs
Bissell Roberts
Rona Roberts and
Steve Kay
Jason Michael Rop
Camille Desiree Rorer
Mark and Laura Rothstein
C. Carter Ruml
Ronald Joseph Russell
Jeffrey and Rene Savarise
Glenn L. Schilling
BRIEFINGS
Lee A. Schulz
Rosemary and Charles
Scott
Edwin and Marcia Segal
James and Margaret
Seiffert
Brian S. Settles
Michael Gary Shaikun
Hon. Ann and James
Shake
Douglas Sharps
and Susan Griffin
Erwin A. Sherman
Robb and Anna Shrader
Aaron J. and
Edith P. Silletto
James L. and
Carol Simpson
Brandon Smith
Thomas W. Speckman
W. Patrick Stallard
Robert George Stallings
Stanford Law Office
Jennifer Starr
Alison M. and
William Stemler
John Frith Stewart
William F. Stewart and
Sarah B. Dutton
Robert and Ruth Straus
Jennifer B. Swyers
Carol Teitelbaum
The Potlatch Foundation
Jason Patrick Thomas
Tilford Dobbins
Alexander Buckaway
& Black
Scott and Diane Toop
Scott R. Townsend
Mason Lee Trenaman
Laurie Valentine
Sara Veeneman
Katherine Vesely
Theodore W. Walton
Michael Ward and
Christina Heavrin
Melanie and Jay Warren
Whitney Frazier
and Aaron Watt
J. Kendrick
and Claudia Wells
John C. Wheelock
Galen J. White
Tyler S. Whitty
Helene Williams
Jason C. Williams
Matt Williams
Thomas and
Sarah Williams
Ralph Wilson
Joseph Hays Wimsatt
Hon. Thomas B. and
Anne Marie Wine
Malcolm Wintergerst
Martin J. Woerner
Roger J. Wolford
Natalie S. Wood
Laquita S. Wornor
Aaron D. Zibart
Supporters
Marina Ajanovic
Nagahisa Akagi
Azer Akhtar
Kristie M. Alfred
Phillip and Lorraine Allen
Omar Amin
Larry and Nancy Amos
Jeanne Deborah
Anderson
John J. Andris
Helena Auberry
Mark Baker
Douglas and
Mariam Ballantine
John Balliet
Erika Barnes
Mark Barry
Timothy J. Barry
Rose Hope Benkert
Andrew Graham Beshear
Rondal Birge
Landra Blackwell
Aline Blizard
Jonathan Boggs
Michael Brooks
Bonnie Brown
David Brown
Scott Budnick
Mary Bush
Andie Camden
Lisa Cartier Giroux
Walter Cato
Beryl Chandler
Daniel Cherry
Kevin and
Jennifer Chlarson
Carol Cobb
Jon C. Coffman
Ross Cohen
James and Christine Cole
Thomas E. Cooper
J. Gregory Cornett
Susan R. Crowe
Cassandra Culin and
Kyle Ellison
Peter Matthew Cummins
Kate Cunningham
Polly B. Cunningham
James Daly
Nichole Dathorne
Sara C. Davis
Jackie Davis-Patterson
Edward T. and
Candace R. Depp
Judd Devlin
Leanne K.
and Peter G. Diakov
James John Dimas
Joe and Jill Donohue
Meredith Dreher
Lawrence C. Droege
Melvin K. Duke
Louanne Durbin
Robert L. Durning
Mary E. Eade
Parker W. Eads
Robert Ehler
Greg Bhrhard
Dawn Elliott
Jennifer L. Elliott
Gary Epperson
Karen Fackler
Sally Fangman
Shana Farmer
Charles Fassler
John and Jennifer Fendig
William Ferrell Jr.
Judith Fischer
Christie Irene Floyd
Clyde H. Foshee
Chris Foster
Michael Eugene Franke
Paul Franke
Ivan Joel Frockt
Puja Gatton
Vincent and
Alberta Giegerich
Brigid O’Reilly and
Wes Gies
Matthew and
Leigh Gillies
Linda Gleis
Nicholas Goetz
Sherry Goodman
Sharon Graham
Elizabeth Gray
Todd Greer
Patricia Lynn Gregg
Matthew J. Hallingstad
Cindy G. and
William E. Hamilton
Jeffries Mock Hamilton
John and Mary Hamlet
Michelle Mees Harper
Jack Harpole
Judith Harrell
David A. Harris
Ted G. Hathaway
Dwight L. Haygood
Michael Hearon
Thomas C. and
Andrea Heavrin
Juda Maria Hellmann
Monica Elaine and
Todd Henderson
Karen A. Hensel
Casey Wood Hensley
Lucy Heskins
Lisa and Steve Hester
Rose Hibbs
Frederic Hicks
Mary Hilger
Kristen A. Holt
Haifeng Hong
Peter and Mary Houck
Ra Houn
John D. Hubbard
Leland Hulbert
Mark T. Hurst
Margaret Hyland
Wendy C. Hyland
Dorislee Jackson Gilbert
Jane Jenkins
Jodi Jenkins
Patrick and
Rebecca Jennings
Angela Johnson
Chris Johnson
Christopher W. Jones
Harrison H. Jones
Khalid Ahmad Kahloon
William Leslie Keene
Jean Keidel
Mark and
Patricia Kennedy
Ellie Garcia Kerstetter
Lisa Kilkelly
Eric and Susan Killmeier
Murrell Kincaide
Chad Elliott Kirk
Michael Kleinert
Walter Koczot and
Michelle Chapman
Joe and Kathy Kremer
Donald J. Laduke
Carolyn W. Lambert
Michael and
Mary Ann Lambert
Erik C. Lattig
Mark W. and April Leach
George Lee
Caice T. Lee
Ruth E. Lerner
Todd Lewis
Steven B. and
Judith Lippmann
Margie Lynn Loeser
Todd Logsdon
Lowen and Morris
Jennifer Lynn
Billy and Joyce Mabry
Peter F. Manning
Leonard Mariani and
Greg Hutcheson
Beverly Marmion
Grinda Martin
Pamela Martin
Elena S. Martinez
Kathryn Matherly
Tracy McClain
Arthur Joseph
McLaughlin
Andrew and
Gwen McMahon
Jacobina McNally
Chadwick McTighe
Barry Meek
Gregory S. Metzger
Jeffrey Thomas
Metzmeier
Kristi Miller
Sandra M. and
Donald A. Mitchell
Dominick Moore
Linda Moore
Theodore T. Myre
Jeremy Nelson
Brooks Newman
Amber D. Nicely
Kungu Njuguna
Earl O’Bannon
Paulette O’Bryan
Raja J. Patil
Tom Penner
Kristen M. Poindexter
Stewart Pope
and Maureen Sullivan
Larry Tate Powell
Anna and Marty Pray
Ronald E. Ray
D. Gary Reed
Jason and Tera Rehmel
Jason P. Renzelmann
Melissa Reynolds
Jamie Rittenhouse
Cheryl Robinson
Chris Robinson
Janet L. Rockafellar
Jeremy S. Rogers
Molly Elena Rose
Robin Rosenstiel
Harry J. Rothgerber
Christa Rounsavall
Joseph R. Rubin
Christina I. Ryan
John Ryan
Shelley and John Santry
Benjamin Seth Schecter
Martha and
Arnold Schecter
Louise and
Robert Schulman
James S. Scroghan
Marshall Sellers
M. Thurman Senn
Theresa and
Ben Senninger
Laura Shaughnessy
Carolyn Shaw
Mary M. Shaw
Ronnie Sherrard
Terri Shultz
Robert S. Silverthorn
Barbara Sinai
Barbara Singer
William E. Skees
Michelle Skillman
Mark Edwin Smith
Brad Spencer
David Stengel
Jennifer Stephens
Jennifer and
Scott Stinnett
Richard and Lisa Stoflet
Timothy and
Allyson Sturgeon
Melinda T. Sunderland
Martina Surma
Steve Tedder
Robert J. Theuerkauf
Lisa Thomas
Helen A. Thompson
Kelly Thompson
Peter Lee Thurman
Vonnell C. Tingle
Jacquelyn E. Tinsley
Amber Elaine
and Adi Trbonja
William C. Vail
Thomas Allen
Van De Rostyne
Linda Van Meter
Kenneth Todd Veirs
Valerie Wagner
Holly C. Wallace
Jackie Warner
Andrea L. Wasson
Matthew D. Watkins
Timothy J. Weatherholt
Lee Ann Webb
Molinda Wells
Amy Wheeler
Emily Whelan
Gerina Whethers
Erin White
Geoffrey and
Kristin White
Cassandra J. Wiemken
Jennifer Wilcox
Arthur Lee Williams
Rhonda Wilson
Anna P. Winchell
Louis Paz Winner
Darran Winslow
Steve A. Witters
Bradley Dale Wood
John W. and
Claudia Woodard
Robert C. Yang
Teresa Ann Young
Barry Zalph
Pei Zhang
Martha A. Ziskind
Brian D. and
Melissa Zoeller
Marshall P. Eldred Fund
for Excellence
in Advocacy
Jeffrey Been
and Eric Graninger
John and
Theresa Bondurant
Edward S. and
Cornelia Bonnie
Thomas Brite
Maureen and
Roger Cravens
Katherine O. Eldred
Marshall P. Eldred
Thomas and
Louisa Gaines Jr.
Martha Hasselbacher
Michele Hulsey
Sally and
Stanley MacDonald
Hon. Boyce F. Martin
Richard and
Judith Nowka
Douglas and
Elizabeth Owen Jr.
Stanford Law Office
Stephen Reily and Emily
Bingham Fund
R. James Straus
James Thompson
David and Susan Wood
Ernest Ebertshausen Fund
Emily Brite
Ceceley Chambers
Carol Dupin
Lea Denison Hardwick
Gwendolyn Horton
Betsy Janes
Kristi Miller
Molly Oberhausen
Neva-Marie Polley
Shawna Scheidel
John Young
Restoring Hope: Staff attorney Lisa Kilkelly was awarded the “Excellence in Advocacy” award at the Legal Aid Society for her effective
advocacy on behalf of clients. Lisa assists non-profit groups on corporate and tax issues as a part of our Community
Development Program.
Nonprofit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Louisville, KY
Permit No. 1076
416 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40202
502-584-1254
www.laslou.org
Serving clients
in 15 Kentucky
counties.
Legal Aid Society is a private, non-profit
organization dedicated to providing free
civil legal representation and advice
to families living in poverty.
Visit our website at www.laslou.org to purchase your tickets to the Brush, Bottle, and Barrel of
the Bluegrass fundraising event benefiting the Legal Aid Society. The event is Friday, April 25th,
at Louisville Collegiate School.
Spring 2008
BRIEFINGS
A New Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs Fellow
Begins Work at Legal Aid
Since 2003, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs has underwritten the full salary
and benefits of an attorney, known as the Wyatt,
Tarrant & Combs Fellow, at the Legal Aid Society. The Wyatt Fellow practices in the area of family law, assisting victims of domestic violence. After two years, the position is vacated and filled
with a new Wyatt Fellow.
To date, Wyatt Fellows have helped 226 domestic violence victims. The Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs law firm continues its significant
support for Legal Aid Society in the Wyatt Fellowship.
The two-year term of Shawna Scheidel, the current Wyatt Fellow,
ended this month and Lori Goodwin has been selected to serve
as the new Wyatt Fellow. Lori is a 2006 graduate of Marquette
University School of Law where she served as the Associate Editor
of the Marquette Sports Law Review and served as president of the
National Black Law Student Association.
Lori is a native of Louisville and received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Louisville.
Lori has worked as a legal intern with the Kentucky Department
of Public Advocacy and with a private law firm in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Most recently, while studying for the Kentucky bar
exam and awaiting the results, Lori has been supervising the adult
and student tutors at Nativity Academy at St. Boniface, a private
middle school for at-risk children in Metro Louisville. Lori is passionate about working with families living in poverty and will be
a terrific addition to our Family Advocacy Program.
Wyatt’s commitment to our Fellowship program, Justice for All
Campaign, and Volunteer Lawyer Program demonstrate the firm’s
ongoing dedication to Legal Aid’s mission of pursuing justice for
people in poverty. “This Fellowship continues a long history of
support by our firm for the Legal Aid Society,” said Wyatt’s managing partner, Bill Hollander. “Wyatt was built on a rich tradition of
service, and we are proud to assist the Legal Aid Society in advocating for the most disadvantaged in our community.”
Restoring Hope: Receptionist Sharon Rufus received Legal Aid’s “Excellence in Service” award in recognition of her welcoming and
reassuring service to cleints who come to Legal Aid in crisis.