CONTENTS

OTHER INFO

Domestic Relations

Through the Domestic Violence Project, SMLS provides services to approximately 225 abuse victims each year. We represent victims in their contested Probate and Family Court cases, with the highest priority being those cases involving children, elderly or disabled adults, and those who are linguistically or culturally isolated. Most cases resolve controversies concerning custody or visitation of minor children and child support. We do not handle cases that involve child support only. For some clients, we provide only advice or limited services. Sometimes this is because the victim needs information before taking the next step of separating from the abuser. In other situations, however, it is because limited resources do not allow us to provide more extensive services to all who need them.

Assisting victims with children is our highest priority. They need stable homes, safe contact with the absent parent, and economic security to provide essential food and shelter. Without an attorney's assistance, victims often do not know how to obtain appropriate custody, visitation, support and restraining orders to provide these basics for their children. Often they are misinformed about their rights by their batterers.

Through our PRIVATE BAR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, SMLS provides basic Family Law services. Local private attorneys volunteer their services and take uncontested divorces, adoptions, guardianships, and paternity cases for SMLS clients.

For further Legal Information visit Massachusetts Legal Services and for other related sites click here.

Disability and Benefits

A total of two attorneys and one paralegal at SMLS devote most or all of their energies to assure that individuals and families are able to access all public benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance/Supplemental Security Income, and Unemployment Compensation to which they are entitled. This work involves staying aware of a complex labyrinth of state and federal agency programs and the regulations governing them in order to provide meaningful direction to clients overwhelmed by the intricacy of those cash assistance and medical services.

The Disability and Benefits Unit at SMLS is in frequent contact with administrative agencies through both informal as well as formal appeal procedures in order to protect the clients' rights. Appeals are followed by the Unit through the gamut of agency reviews and fair hearings all the way through the state and federal court systems. Many of the clients served by the Unit are severely physically and/or mentally challenged and the only way they can realize full and fair treatment at the hands of bureaucratic roadblocks is to elicit the services provided at SMLS. Few other law offices can provide the time, patience and expertise to be successful in this greatly needed, yet not overly serviced, practice of law.

For further Legal Information visit Massachusetts Legal Services and for other related sites click here.

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Health Care Access Project

For further Legal Information visit Massachusetts Legal Services.

Housing

SMLS' housing work focuses on protecting low-income families from losing their affordable housing. Housing attorneys represent approximately 660 housing clients each year. In the SMLS service area, approximately 2,100 families and/or individuals face eviction and of that number 80% - 85% are unrepresented (70% of those people are low-income). Due to limited resources, we focus our current housing work on tenants with subsidies, since these are so difficult to obtain. Loss of a subsidy generally results in a family becoming homeless.

Homeless Advocacy Project

The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) focuses its efforts on the homeless population of the MetroWest region. An SMLS attorney uses a holistic legal approach to serve individuals and their families faced with the myriad civil legal issues created by homelessness. The HAP attorney helps homeless clients obtain housing by assisting with:

 Bankruptcies

 Child Support Modifications

 SSI/SSDI Eligibility

 Credit Advice

 Subsidized Housing Eligibility

 CORI Advice

Pro se Housing Clinic

SMLS began holding weekly pro se housing clinics for tenants being evicted from their homes who live in our service area. At each clinic, a staff attorney gives a presentation to tenants facing eviction about the law, procedures and what to expect when they appear in court. Materials, such as court forms and pleadings, are provided, as well as assistance with filling them out.

For further Legal Information visit Massachusetts Legal Services and for other related sites click here.

Elder Law

Through its Senior Citizen's Legal Project, SMLS provides services to people over 60 who live in our service area. The advocates help clients with the following kinds of cases:

•  Housing - Landlord and Tenant problems, primarily eviction cases involving public, subsidized or   private  housing.
•  Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, and Defense of Guardianships and  Conservatorships.
•  Nursing Home Issues - including transfer and discharge, conditions, and evictions.
•  Government Benefits - Social Security, SSI, Unemployment, Medicaid, Medicare, and benefits from the  Department of Transitional Assistance.
•  Domestic Relations - including restraining orders, divorces, modification of divorce agreements, and  contempt actions.
•  Bankruptcies.
•  Community Legal Education - Attorneys often provide presentations to senior groups on legal topics of  particular interest to elders.
  

For further Legal Information visit Massachusetts Legal Services and for other related sites click here.

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Education

SMLS assists students and parents in their special education cases, addressing an unmet community health need. Special needs children have medical, physical, or mental health conditions which interfere with their ability to participate fully in school. In order to succeed in an academic setting, they require specifically targeted assistance, such as physical or occupational therapy, counseling, medication, accommodations for a physical handicap or adjustments for neurological deficits. By working with families, school personnel, experts and treatment providers, the Project Attorney works to ensure that children's needs are correctly identified and that appropriate services are developed and delivered. Low-income and minority children are more likely to receive inadequate services. The Project addresses these existing inequities and thus, we hope, creates lasting and positive change for children with special needs.

For further Legal Information visit Massachusetts Legal Services and for other related sites click here.

Private Bar Volunteer Program

SMLS has a good working relationship with the private attorneys practicing in its service area. The program has a panel of approximately 250 private attorneys most willing to take at least one pro bono case each year. With their help, which otherwise would not be provided, SMLS can expand services to eligible clients. Many cases are referred to the private bar in the areas of adoption, bankruptcy, consumer, family law, housing, and wills.

The Private Bar Volunteer Program (PBVP) in conjunction with Voices Against Violence, coordinates the Volunteer Lawyers Program for the Marlborough Probate Court. This is another way where members of the private bar pitch in to help expand services to eligible clients. Each Thursday morning, a private attorney advises walk-in clients at the court with their legal problems. With their participation in both programs, each year private attorneys provide approximately 2000 hours of legal help in nearly 300 cases.

In return the PBVP makes legal training available to its volunteers in family law and bankruptcy. Volunteers are eligible to attend MCLE training seminars at a reduced cost. In house training is also provided by the SMLS staff members or local experts.

JOIN THE PRIVATE BAR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

For further Legal Information visit Massachusetts Legal Services.

Additional Information

Staff who speak Spanish and Portuguese are available to help clients in all cases handled.

SMLS seeks to make its services accessible to as many residents as possible. This access may be limited to legal advice because we do not have enough staff to handle all the requests for services.

SMLS cannot handle criminal cases.

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