– Photo by John Meiu
Attending Legal Aid and Defender Association's recent breakfast in Macomb County are (left to right) Joan Glanton Howard, chief counsel of LAD's Civil Law Group; Macomb County Probate Judge Kathryn A. George; Kelly L. Bidelman, managing attorney of LAD’s offices in Oakland and Macomb counties; and Capt. Elizabeth Darga of the Macomb County Sheriff's Office.
Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc. (LAD) recently held the third in its series of Advancing Justice Initiative (AJI) breakfasts to introduce itself to federal, state and county government officials.
LAD is Michigan’s largest provider of free civil legal services to low-income residents with offices in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
LAD developed the AJI following a reduction in funding by the federal Legal Services Corp. that forced LAD’s Civil Law Group to lay off several attorneys, paralegals and support staff. In November, LAD held breakfasts for officials in Wayne and Oakland counties.
Those attending the Attending the breakfast at the Clinton-Macomb Public Library in Clinton Township included state Sen. Steven Bieda; Macomb County Probate Judge Kathryn A. George; Capt. Elizabeth Darga of the Macomb County Sheriff's Office; and representatives of U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and U.S. Rep. Sander Levin.
Joan Glanton Howard, chief counsel of the Civil Law Group, and Kelly L. Bidelman, managing attorney of LAD’s offices in Macomb and Oakland counties, spoke on behalf of LAD.
“We represent people who otherwise would not be able to utilize our court system,” Howard said. “We’re here to help your constituents. We’d also like to be invited to comment on legislation affecting poor people.”
LAD began operating in Macomb County in 2003 as part of a consolidation of legal services programs by the Legal Services Corp., Bidelman said.
Since then, LAD’s Macomb office has served more than 10,000 people and provided them with more than $3 million in economic benefits, she said. Howard and Bidelman cited LAD’s efforts to recruit pro bono private attorneys, help pro se litigants and mentor new attorneys in the county.
Howard said LAD would like to establish a help desk for pro se litigants like the one it operates at Oakland County Circuit Court with the help of the Oakland County Bar Association.
Members of LAD’s Macomb staff sit on the boards of several social services agencies and are members of several taskforces and coalitions, Bidelman said, including Macomb County Domestic Violence Center, Macomb County Hispanic Coalition, Macomb County Homeless Coalition, Solid Ground Transitional Housing and Baker College Paralegal Advisory Board.
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