It was three years ago we first wrote you about "Nancy," a 69 year-old widow and church secretary who worked her entire life to build a comfortable retirement.  Unable to keep up with the rising costs of her expenses, Nancy fell behind on her mortgage payments.  Shortly after her home entered the foreclosure process, Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Nancy became unable to speak and lost her job when the cancer spread to her vocal chords.

Nancy turned to the Legal Aid Society for help.  Due to the severity of Nancy's situation, her Legal Aid attorney delayed her vacation to Florida and immediately began negotiations with Nancy's mortgage company.  She was able to negotiate a loan modification which reduced Nancy's combined mortgage and escrow payment from $425 per month to $217 per month.  In fact, the first payment under her new agreement was made from Legal Aid's Eberthausen Fund, an account funded by gifts from Legal Aid employees to help their most distressed clients.

Fast forward to just days ago when Legal Aid received word that Nancy's bank cancelled the $27,743 balance on her loan as a result of the National Mortgage Settlement Agreement. Many thanks go to the tireless advocacy of staff attorneys Laura Brent and Gwen Horton, whose good work has enabled Nancy to enjoy her retirement without the burden of a mortgage.

In celebration of Pro Bono Week, the Legal Aid Society honored Martha Hasselbacher, Jonathan Miller, Neva-Marie Polley, Ben Taylor, LeAnn Thornhill, and Andrea Wasson as Outstanding Volunteers at the LBA's Pro Bono Breakfast on Friday, October 26th.  In addition, the Legal Aid Society recognized the University of Louisville Law Clinic for its service. We commend these extraordinary members of the legal community for their commitment in 2012 to pursuing justice for people in poverty. 

Martha Hasselbacher has been the driving force behind the creation of Doctors & Lawyers for Kids (DLK), a medical-legal partnership whose mission is to address the social, economic and environmental issues that can negatively affect children's health.  In addition to Martha's work with DLK, she has been active on our Board of Directors for 20 years and is one of our most reliable volunteers for our monthly pro se divorce clinics.

Jonathan Miller has covered 20 open DVO dockets, representing 40 clients and donating 150 hours of service this year alone. If a client's hearing is continued, Jonathan frequently asks to retain the case even though this is not expected of volunteers.  In addition to his service to our domestic violence clients, Jonathan regularly assists with our expungement and pro se divorce clinics.

Neva-Marie Polley is a former Legal Aid staff attorney whose commitment to low-income clients did not end when she left Legal Aid.  She continues to be a valuable resource as a volunteer attorney leading pro se divorce clinics for domestic violence victims. Neva has also donated her time to review and update pro se divorce forms to ensure they're user-friendly for clients.

Ben Taylor began volunteering in 2011 as an apprentice and has quickly become an integral part of our Domestic Violence Advocacy Program (DVAP).  This year alone, Ben has covered 20 DVO dockets, represented 35 DVAP clients, and volunteered 75 hours.  In addition to his service to our domestic violence clients, Ben has helped Legal Aid meet the growing demand for criminal record expungements and has assisted at pro se divorce, will, and Ask a Lawyer clinics.  

Andrea Wasson and LeAnn Thornhill of Wasson & Thornhill provided pro bono services to five low-income bankruptcy clients this year.  This work is important because our bankruptcy clients struggle to meet their basic human needs and fall victims to unfair business activities or payday loans. With just one member on staff to provide bankruptcy assistance, the volunteer help of Andrea and LeAnn is all the more critical.

The University of Louisville Law Clinic has partnered with the Legal Aid Society since 2009 to help more than 350 clients. Under the supervision of Director Shelley Santry, Brandeis School of Law students represent clients at domestic violence hearings and in eviction court.  Since its beginning in the spring semester of the 2009-2010 academic year, 47 students have participated in the clinic.

Dean Susan Duncan (third from right), Clinic Director Shelly Santry (second from right) and students of the University of Louisville Law Clinic