Offers assistance with taxes, divorces and child custody
Motivated by a considerable increase in people representing themselves in court because they couldn’t afford a lawyer, the St. Charles Parish Bar Association found funding to provide pro bono legal services.
“Courts in Louisiana are seeing a huge rise in self-represented litigants,” sad Don Paul Landry, chair of the Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee. “There is a large number of people who can’t afford an attorney and fall in the middle.”
Judge Tim Marcel initiated the move when he asked the Bar Association what could be done to help these people, whose cases typically didn’t go well because of their lack of legal experience, Landry said.
Attorney Maureen Morrow will head the center, which will be open Mondays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by appointment for eligible clients from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The center will help those who qualify with a range of legal services, including consumer law, taxes, divorces and custody issues, housing rights, disabled rights, unemployment benefits, FEMA, vet benefits, SSI, saving homes in areas like eviction defense, grievances, subsidized housing rights in state and federal programs and a low-income tax clinic.
With a grant from the United Way of St. Charles, the Bar Association has contracted Southeast Louisiana Legal Services to provide the assistance at an office at the C.A.R.E. (Counseling, Advocacy, Referral and Early Intervention) Center at 171 Keller St. in Hahnville, adjoining Landry Alternative Center.
The federal grant requires that clients meet income requirements or be on a fixed income.
Called the Access to Justice Center in St. Charles Parish, legal services will be open beginning Thursday, Sept. 8. “This is tremendous,” said Lauren Rogers, president of the Bar Association. Rogers called it a good fit in a one-stop shop where other nonprofits are housed and work together to provide assistance.
Legal Services Executive Director Laura Tuggle also pointed out having an office makes it possible to expand services, such as offering seminars on legal rights and helping senior citizens deal with foreclosures.
The organization’s mission is to achieve justice for low-income people in Louisiana by enforcing and defending their legal rights through civil legal aid, advocacy and community education.
“We saw the real problem was that people didn’t have representation, not needing help filling out forms,” he added. “Self-help centers are opening to help these people to be at least one step ahead in limited situations like divorce or child support.”
Landry said they also hope to eventually raise funds for South Louisiana Legal Services to have a sliding scale for people who don’t meet the poverty requirement for services.For assistance or qualification requirements, call the center at (985) 331-3034 or email StCharlesATJ@slls.org.
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