a diverse intern or mentee. Judges - there are many internship programs aimed at diversity that will provide you with a summer intern. I have had interns from these programs every summer that I have been on the bench, and with only one exception, every one has gone on to be a bankruptcy attorney. In fact, one of my summer interns went on to clerk for Judge Alan Trust. Insolvency professionals do your part as well. It just takes a little time and not only will your efforts be personally rewarding, you will help us enrich the bankruptcy world for all.
Heartfelt Thank You
A Message from a 2016 ACB Foundation Pro Bono Grantee
Kelly Henrici, Executive Director, Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project
We are so grateful to the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation for its generous grant in support of our debt collection defense initiative! We held a “triage” clinic in mid-March and it was a great success. I know our final report is due when the grant funding expires but we wanted to give you a sense of what we can accomplish with your support.
After an initial training session, the clients arrived and the next 2.5 hours were a whirlwind! The participation for this clinic was:
- 20 clients scheduled for appointments
- 12 clients kept their appointments
- 3 attorneys with subject matter expertise participated
- 7 attorneys from LexisNexis participated
- 1 paralegal participated
- 1 credit counselor participated
- 3 VLP staff members participated
The results were:
- 3 clients were given documents we generated to file with the Court (Motion to Vacate, Motion for More Definitive Statement)
- 2 clients were given letters to send to creditors requesting information verifying the alleged debt
- 1 client was given letter to send to creditors that the debt is not collectible because his income is protected
- 3 clients were given counsel and advice regarding their particular debt situation, without additional efforts being undertaken
- 3 clients were interviewed for bankruptcy assistance and given a list of items to gather for the preparation of bankruptcy pleadings
- 1 client created an attorney-client relationship with one of the subject matter experts as attorney fees are available in his situation, so the VLP could not provide further assistance
- 1 client, because of her cognitive issues, will be represented 1:1 in court pro bono by a subject matter expert from the clinic
- 1 client had a fact pattern so unique that it stumped all three subject matter experts so additional research is being undertaken to determine the “final answer” to report to the client
- All clients were given various materials (free, governmental brochures) about debt matters
We look forward to continuing these clinics through 2017. Again, thank you so much for your support!
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