CORT First Friday Webinar: LAWYER IN THE SCHOOL: Bringing lawyers into local schools to better reach parents - a partnership working in West Virginia

Description

Legal Aid of West Virginia’s LAWYER IN THE SCHOOL legal clinic is a pilot program aimed at providing the parents and guardians of students with legal tools to stabilize their families in a convenient, confidential setting and at no cost. This model, coordinated by a Legal Aid lawyer and paralegal and utilizing volunteer attorneys, attempts to meet families where they are (in a distressed low-income neighborhood) to increase access to legal services. The presentation will include a brief history of the project and explain our holistic approach to giving both legal and non-legal assistance to a community in need. We will also provide an outline of our how-to guide for beginning your own Lawyer in the School Program, including how to identify a school, create connections with school and community partners, obtain funding, recruit volunteer attorneys, and create a plan of action with the school and community. The program has been running for two years in Charleston, WV; and we are now opening similar programs elsewhere at the invitation of two other schools systems in WV.

Presenters:

• Melissa Lilly, LAWYER IN THE SCHOOL Project Attorney
• Kaitlyn Akers, LAWYER IN THE SCHOOL Project Paralegal

Note: The webinar will be hosted in Michigan.