Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services’ Housing Attorney, Nicole Paluzzi, along with private attorney Rachel McKain, present an educational program on family law at their nonprofit partner organization, Father to Father in North Charleston.
South Carolina attorneys are stepping up to provide their pro bono services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they’ll be needed long after the pandemic passes and leaves legal issues and problems for business owners and residents in its wake.
“It is no secret that COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on multiple sectors of our economy,” said Alissa Lietzow, executive director of Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services (CPB). “Businesses have shut down, employees have been laid off, and unemployment offices are overwhelmed. Stay-at-home ordinances have passed, and schools are closed, leaving many without childcare options. All of these measures, taken for the public good, have only compounded the economic impact on our community.”
Since the pandemic began, requests for help from CPB have tripled, Lietzow said. Many of the requests are from people who need help with housing law, but the group is also seeing an uptick in calls and emails from small businesses who need help with issues such as employment law during the pandemic, and CPB is hearing from attorneys who can offer their help in that and other areas.
“We have been able to connect with attorneys who probably have not been plugged into our organization, not because they weren’t pro-bono minded; it was just the nature of their work,” Lietzow said. “Now, it’s a good mix of reliable volunteers, and we have the opportunity to use this demand for areas of law we have not previously seen to engage other members of our bar.”
The group is also hearing from a larger and more diverse group of nonprofit organizations that are seeking help in serving their own clients. For example, many people who live paycheck to paycheck rent motel rooms by the week. Even though the courts have halted evictions for people who live in apartments, housing law doesn’t cover motels, so nonprofits who serve that population are in need of advice.
Like most law offices, CPB has transitioned its traditional law office to accommodate working remotely and is equipped to answer calls, accept and verify applications, conduct client intakes and clinics via telecommunication, and host outreach virtually.
The South Carolina Bar has launched a toll-free legal assistance hotline for low-income individuals and families across South Carolina who are confronted with civil legal problems as a result of the pandemic and need attorneys to help. Attorneys don’t answer the hotline; caller information is emailed to them after bar staff triages the requests and matches the caller’s need with the appropriate pro bono lawyer.
“We launched this service because so many of our state’s citizens are currently unemployed and many more are facing financial and other economic hardships that prompt legal questions and issues,” said Mary Kathryn-Kraft, communications director for the South Carolina Bar.
Betsy Goodale, director of the bar’s pro bono program, said that her office has lowered the financial guidelines for people needing help, because many people who in the past could have afforded to retain attorneys on their own now suddenly can’t.
Goodale said the office expects questions from people who have been denied unemployment benefits and from employers who want to ensure that they’re complying with the CARES Act and from tenants who are on the verge of eviction have skyrocketed, she said.
Even after the pandemic ends, Goodale said she expects her office to continue to see a rise in people who need assistance.
Andrea Loney, executive director of South Carolina Legal Services in Columbia, said that the organization is recruiting pro bono attorneys to assist both now and after the pandemic.
“We are expecting to begin seeing an increase in domestic violence, evictions, and consumer cases before the pandemic is over,” Loney said. “Actually, we expect to begin seeing the increase as soon as the courts have completely reopened.”
Indeed, before the pandemic, CPB was handling 600 to 800 cases per year, and Lietzow said that 2020 will likely set a record in its 15-year history.
“There is no doubt that the demand for legal aid, especially in the areas of housing, employment, and consumer law, will skyrocket,” she said.
The group has seen a dip in request for family law assistance because many family court operations are closed and priorities have changed, particularly for those who are economically vulnerable. They’re more concerned about losing their house than about whether they’re in an unhappy marriage or want to fight for custody of their children.
“Our clients find themselves living paycheck to paycheck, and they are trying to react when they address a problem as it arises,” Lietzow said.
Pro bono attorneys can agree to accept a case for direct representation, and the group handles the intake procedures, including ensuring eligibility based on residence and household income, before matching the case with an attorney.
The group is also recruiting pro bono attorneys to present educational seminars via the web. An attorney can share their area of practice, and the group would help them to come up with topics and questions that they can present, which might include anything from why people need a will to what to do when a debt collector calls to primers on bankruptcy and family law in the current climate.
“We want to give people a fighting chance to level the playing field and have a zealous advocate on their side,” Lietzow said.
Follow Bill Cresenzo on Twitter @bcresenzosclw
WANT TO HELP?
Attorneys can find more information about pro bono opportunities at:
scfreelegalanswers.org
www.scprobono.org
charlestonprobono.org