Pro Bono from page 9
to good people , and this client is one of them !! Given her circumstances , she deserves a true financial fresh start more than others . This is what pro bono service is all about !
Public Counsel ( 9th Circuit ):
Jamie ’ s Story : Jaime was struggling to keep current with her monthly expenses after having her claim of exemption denied and having her wages ordered garnished at $ 400 each month . Jaime came to the Bankruptcy Court looking to file a bankruptcy case to stop the wage garnishment . The bankruptcy court clerk referred her to our walk-in bankruptcy clinic that same day . Thanks to the strength of our relationships with pro bono attorneys , we placed Jamie with a pro bono attorney within one hour of contact and the pro bono attorney filed the bankruptcy case the next day . The wage garnishment ended , and Jaime obtained a discharge of all of her debts and a fresh start in 2023 .
Marla ’ s Story : Marla , a wardrobe stylist , copy writer , and artist whose work was affected by the pandemic , was unable to keep current with her credit card , rent , student loans , and utility bills . She had been sued several times and our Bankruptcy Workshop assisted her with responding to the complaints in the hopes of avoiding bankruptcy . The lawsuits and stress of the debt was too overwhelming and Marla contacted the Bankruptcy Clinic for additional assistance . We set her up with a pro bono attorney for her Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and provided her with further assistance in helping her come current on her utility bills so she could have heating
during the cold winter months . After receiving a discharge in her bankruptcy , Marla expressed her gratitude for the assistance we provided , saying we had changed her life for the better .
Michael L . Cook Grant Award . The Foundation established the Michael L . Cook Extraordinary Grant for a program that is “ such an innovative and exemplary approach to a previously under-served area of need as to justify an extraordinary grant in excess of the grant limits customarily applied by the Foundation .” The budget for the Cook Grant is $ 20,000 .
This year , based on the recommendation of its Working Group ( Chief Judge Laurel Myerson Isicoff and James Baillie ), the Committee selected a new grantee , The Northern District of Florida Bar Association , Inc ., a newly formed 501 ( c )( 3 ) organization , initiated by the bankruptcy bar of that district . This is a new program for that district . It is based on a model already in place in the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District of Florida . The program would establish a virtual pro se clinic in another geographic area . Because it is following a successful model in operation in other districts in the state , has bankruptcy bar and bankruptcy court support , and with our grant will have adequate financial support , its success seems assured . This model ( in all three districts ) may be replicable elsewhere in the country .
2024 DEI Grants . This year the Committee , primarily through its DEI Working Group , continued its role of processing and evaluating and making recommendations on DEI grant applications to the Foundation and the DEI Committee . The DEI Working Group works closely with the College ’ s
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