We had set a goal in January to reach out to and embrace our communities, to become the backbone for the local community organizations, and to increase awareness about the importance of
Trang 12018-2019 Annual Report
For over fifty years, Laurel Legal Services has been providing residents in our communities an
invaluable resource - a place to go to when there is nowhere else When all hope may seem lost, it is our job to provide sound legal advice as well as be the listening ear and the shoulder to lean on We give our clients the tools and resources in order for them to heal and re-build their lives
As we sit back and reflect on this past year, we have a lot to be thankful for We had set a goal in
January to reach out to and embrace our communities, to become the backbone for the local
community organizations, and to increase awareness about the importance of civil legal aid Not only have we achieved these goals - we have surpassed expectations!
We have introduced a new Managing Attorney in Greensburg and two new staff attorneys to our Greensburg and Johnstown offices This has allowed us to take on additional case types and to visit all of our counties more frequently
We have re-incorporated ourselves into our neighborhoods through the installation of our
Community Partnership Program Doing so has gained the attention of organizations and the local residents in all areas of our six counties who rely on their services
With the increase in staff, we have had the opportunity to increase our community outreach through legal clinics and attending community resource events Our advocates act as ambassadors for
Laurel Legal Services, demonstrating the importance of legal aid through distributing educational materials and talking with our local residents
All of our hard work and efforts are starting to pay off and we have to take the time to thank you for believing in us and our cause These are achievements that all of us can take credit for Your support helps to play a significant role in changing lives and saving lives, allowing us to expand our services As
we move towards planning for the future, we will celebrate our achievements and always strive to improve We will continue raising the bar for our organization, giving our time and our talents, to
ensure that everyone has equal access to justice in our communities
We invite you to join us in reflecting on this past year and we ask that you'll consider donating to Laurel Legal Services during our annual campaign, beginning next month
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors, Management, and Staff
of Laurel Legal Services, Inc
SERVICES, INC.
LAUREL
Dear Friends,
Another year has come and gone
Justice for All
Trang 2Laurel Legal
Services, Inc.
2018-2019
Snapshot
1230 Family Law Cases
435 Housing Law Cases
548 Economic Stability
2264 Lives Changed
147 Pro Bono Cases from Private Bar Attorneys
Justice for All
37 Community Outreach Events
Pro Bono attorneys are important partners to legal aid They help us
to meet the legal needs of more residents in our communities
From giving presentations, to hosting legal clinics and to helping community organizations, Laurel Legal Services believes in contributing wherever we can
Estimated 7.8% Increase in Case Numbers Between 2017 and 2019
"My advocate answered every question I had and explained every step in detail He prepared me in every way possible since this was my first hearing
I would highly recommend Laurel Legal Services."
Armstrong
Clarion
Jefferson
Cambria Indiana Westmoreland
6 Counties:
We Believe in Equal Access to Justice Every year, millions of Americans experience a civil legal problem involving
basic necessities of life like housing, health care, safety and income
Many such problems can be resolved with legal help; without it, the
consequences can be devastating When a family is at risk of foreclosure or
eviction, a parent faces losing custody of their child, or a veteran is wrongly
denied medical care, those are all civil justice problems
No one should be denied justice due to their inability to afford an attorney
1-800-253-9558
www.laurellegalservices.org
1600 Event Attendees
Trang 3Gina Bianco Timothy Burns Granville Carter Marshall Chriswell Debra Cribbs Michael G Dailey Kelly Eshelman Amanda N Faher Michael Filia Russel J Heiple
Tara Hutchinson Maureen Kroll Joel Kundin Roger D McGilll George Miller Paul S Miller, Jr Donald R Shroyer Andrew F Skala Kerith Strano Taylor
Greensburg:
Joseph Baughman, Esq.
Karen Crow, Esq.
R Benjamin McGiffin, Esq.
Mark Pietrusinski, Esq.
Megan Williams, Paralegal
Johnstown:
David Flowers, Esq.
Andrew Yetzer, Esq.
Clarion:
Eric Hackenberg, Esq.
Sister Melanie Di Pietro, Esq., Co-Chair
Tremba Kinney Greiner & Kerr LLC.
Minta Livengood, Co-Chair
Indiana County
Christina Dubosky, Esq., Treasurer
Stewart, McArdle, Sorice, Whalen, Farrell,
Finoli, & Cavanaugh, LLC.
Nancy Gibson, Secretary
Cambria County
John Achille, Esq.
Achille Law, P.C.
Ronel Baccus Westmoreland County
Jackie Bosak Jefferson County
Imogene L Cathey, Esq.
Seton Hill University
Katelyn Hendrickson Jefferson County Tammy Patterson Westmoreland Community Action Nicole Pardus, Esq.
Long & Long, LLC.
Adam N Quatrini, Esq.
Quatrini Rafferty, P.C.
Katie Thomas, Esq.
Bonya, Gazza, & DeGory, LLP
Christopher Welch, Esq Budash & Welch, LLP
Daniel Wolfe, Esq.
Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, LLP.
Board of Directors
Pro Bono Attorneys
Sean Bacon, Penn State University
Caitlin Cooke, Penn State University
Morgan Green, Clarion University
Elyse Eichlin, Clarion, PA
Heather Hoch, Clarion University
Robert Austin, Esq.
Joseph Baughman
Joyce Cummings-Burkinshaw
James D Carmella, Esq.
Suzann L Delaney, Esq.
Alfred Rees Derwart, Esq.
Sister Melanie Di Pietro, Esq.
Christina Dubosky, Esq.
Dr John Fung
Janice Hendrickson Katelyn Hendrickson Robert L Jennings, Jr., Esq.
George Kepple, Esq.
Johanna & Robert Lindsay
R Benjamin McGiffin, Esq.
Vincent Morocco, Esq.
Tammy Patterson Nicole Pardus, Esq.
Adam Quatrini, Esq.
Patricia Quatrini Kenneth Randolph Matthew R, Schimizzi, Esq.
Cynthia Sheehan Kimberly & William Tarbell Gayle Williams
Renee Williams John Wohlin
Advocates
Interns & Volunteers
Office Locations
Clarion:
231 W Main Street Clarion, PA 16214
Johnstown:
227 Franklin Street Suite 410
Johnstown, PA 15901
Greensburg:
16 E Otterman Street Greensburg, PA 15601
Charles I Himmelreich, Esq.
Interim Executive Director Lauren E Catalano, Esq.
Managing Attorney Jessica L Lynch, Esq.
Director of PAI & Pro Bono Services Teresa Shanta
Director of Financial Operations Kimberly Tarbell
Director of Development & Marketing Todd Yeager
Director of Intake & Compliance
Management Staff
Amanda Ginnis, Clarion University
Sarah Johnson, Seton Hill University
Liam McNicholas, Seton Hill University
Ariel White, Duquesne University
Matthew Zullo, University of Pittsburgh
2018-2019 Donors
Thank You
To all of our supporters, our volunteers, our community partners, and our employees for such a successful year
We look forward to 2020!
Major Funding By:
PA IOLTA Board Legal Aid
Protects Families
Legal Aid Safeguards Justice
Trang 42018-2019
Laurel Legal
Services
Cases in a
Snapshot
2264 TOTAL Cases Handled
Protection from Abuse cases
Laurel Legal Services Handled 1230
Family Law Cases
Laurel Legal Services Handled 435
Housing Law Cases
Private Landlord/Tenant issues
Laurel Legal Services Handled 548
Economic Stability Cases
SSI appeals
45.2%
62.5%
52.7%
43.0% Child Custody/ Visitation
12.4% Public Housing
11.1% Collections/ Reposessions
Of Closed Cases:
77% were female clients
Food Stamps and Other Welfare
Bankruptcy Cases
Family Housing
Economic Stability Other