Volunteer Legal Services Project (VLSP)

The 2020-21 Campaign for Justice has raised over $178,000 towards our goal of $225,000. Haven’t donated to the 2020-21 Campaign for Justice? Now’s the time! Click here https://www.vlsprochester.org/c4j to donate! Now, more than ever, the most vulnerable members of our community are relying on our local legal service organizations to help them access food, housing, health care and other basic needs. Since March, the Volunteer Legal Services Project, Legal Assistance of Western... New York, and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester have continued to represent clients in unemployment, child support, domestic violence, immigration, and other serious civil legal matters. Thank you for your support in helping to ensure that the underserved in our community are able to have their legal needs met during these challenging times. https://www.lawny.org/ https://www.lasroc.org/

VLSP would like to invite you to The Help Center Training Session! Please see the flyer for more information.

VLSP and Harter Secrest & Emery, LLP would like to invite you to an upcoming CLE: "The Future of DACA and What to Expect from the Biden Administration." - February 23, 2021,1:00 - 2:00pm - Presenter: Paige N. Monachino, Esq. - Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_v9bHegCaTvm0tXBLtBn_sw

Save the Date for a CLE on Landlord Tenant Court on February 24!

Many thanks to volunteer attorney Betsy Album, http://www.albumlaw.com/, for assisting a domestic violence victim in negotiating a Property Settlement Agreement that was incorporated into a Judgment of Divorce. VLSP is so fortunate to have Betsy on our panel or volunteer attorneys, and we so appreciate her long-standing commitment to doing pro bono work.

VLSP was fortunate to have outstanding volunteer attorneys assist seven entrepreneurs and community organizations who otherwise could not afford legal services. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, underserved low-income entrepreneurs face additional difficulties. Kudos to our volunteer attorneys: Steven R. Gersz, https://www.underbergkessler.com/, Edward H. Townsend & Christopher Murillo, https://www.hselaw.com/, Jon Lazenby, https://kamanesq.com/index.html, Lawrence A. Kallaur, ht...tps://www.woodsoviattgilman.com/, and Stephen Lapp, http://www.forsythhowe.com/, for their participation in the Micro-Entrepreneurship Remote Legal Clinic. We would also like to thank Emily Cohen, https://www.hselaw.com/, for going above and beyond to assist our clients and invite attorneys to help with the Legal Clinic. We truly appreciate your contribution! Please stay tuned for all the fantastic volunteer opportunities at VLSP by visiting our website https://www.vlsprochester.org/.

VLSP is grateful to volunteer Gregg Redmond, http://www.redmondlegal.com/, who assisted a single mother with a Habitat for Humanity closing for a property located in the City of Rochester.

VLSP would like to recognize another committed volunteer from the Rochester Black Bar Association (RBBA), Adrian Neil, for assisting low-income tenants in court with eviction matters. Our community is truly fortunate to have pro bono heroes like Adrian!

Attorney Rene Reixach Jr., https://www.woodsoviattgilman.com/, @WoodsOviattGilmanLLP, assisted a 44-year-old single man with vacating a default judgment placed against him by a former landlord. The client believed that the landlord fraudulently inflated charges against him based on alleged damages to an apartment. Rene donated 11 hours while negotiating an agreeable settlement. Thank you, Rene, for your pro bono work!

Today for #probonoweek we are showcasing our Immigration Pro Bono Program! With initiatives such as the Family Preparedness Clinics, the program tackles all aspects of immigration processes. We would like to thank all of our hard working volunteers, and invite others to join the team! Whether it is mentoring other attorneys or providing direct legal representation, your expertise could be used to help others in your community. Find out more information and about how you can get involved by contacting Irene Sanchez and visiting https://www.vlsprochester.org/immigration.

We have some exciting news to share. Our 2019 collaboration, the Real Haunted House of Monroe County, with our friends at the Truth Collective won a Power of Pu...rpose award from Campaign USa platform dedicated to celebrating creative excellence from across the broad span of the communications industry. The Real Haunted House of Monroe County, which exposed the year-round realities of thousands of homes in our community and beyond, won in the category for best of use of creativity. This is a national award with national attention along with well-known brands like Microsoft, Mastercard and Planned Parenthood. Watch the video to learn more about this powerful self-guided walking tour helping to show our community examples of what violence looks like.

VLSP is proud of the volunteer attorneys who participated in the most recent Micro-Entrepreneurship Contract Clinic. Together, Thomas Anderson, Esq., Scott Simpson, Esq., Chris Murillo, Esq., Michael Roche, Esq., Kevin Pregent, Esq., Edward Townsend, Esq. Emily Cohen, Esq. (@HSELawLLP), Michael Burger, Esq. (@santiagoburgerllp), and Tyler O’Reilly, Esq. (@harrisbeach), volunteered 20 hours of their talent and expertise to assist six entrepreneurs reviewing equity distribution agreements, partnership agreements, employee contracts, and advice on many other small businesses legal matters. VLSP is fortunate to have such an outstanding group of attorneys willing to give their time and expertise to help entrepreneurs thrive.

VLSP is taking the 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge as part of our ongoing commitment to deepened understanding of racial equity and combating racism in our community. Please join us at ROCequitychallenge.org!

Upcoming CLE: Primer for Effective Pro Bono Representation in Section 1983 Civil Rights Litigation Register https://docs.google.com//1-cbSbkKf34xSwWz_03EEhTA2EcD/edit

Camille Mackler, Executive Director of Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, #immigrantarc speaks with VLSP Legal Advocate Irene Sanchez about ICE's new rules for expedited removal. https://www.youtube.com/watch

Kudos to longtime volunteer Lou Morin, Esq., of https://www.mccmlaw.com/, #mccmlaw for taking on 4 bankruptcy cases this month. We currently have a need for more volunteers to assist in bankruptcy filings. #probono

CALLING ALL IMMIGRATION ATTORNEYS:

Taller: Todo lo que debe saber para convertirse en Cuidadano(a).

We want to offer a huge thank you to Pro Bono Attorney Lydia Ellsworth, Esq., Appellate Division, 4th Dept, who helped an elderly couple sign their wills and powers of attorney in the driveway of their Rochester home.