poverty, the elderly and the disabled. Its fourth non-competitive grantee provides half of the funding for VBA’s statewide pro bono coordinator Mary Ashcroft, who, along with Angele Court at the Vermont Volunteer Lawyer’s Project, a project of Le- gal Services Law Line of Vermont, is devel- oping a centralized system to encourage, coordinate and track the delivery of pro bono and low bono services in our state. In 2012, the VBF awarded a total of $75,000 to thirteen competitive grantees that as- sist their clients in preparing for court and administrative proceedings; clients who in- clude, among others, low income refugees, immigrants, persons with disabilities , the elderly, and victims of domestic and sexual violence. The VBF grants also fund repre- sentation on a reduced or no fee basis in specified cases through the VBA’s pro bono projects around the state.
Conclusion
The VBF still has much to accomplish. The unmet need for legal services far out- paces its ability to fund all those who ap- ply for grants. You can help by making a charitable, tax deductible contribution to the VBF. For example, the VBF is asking for a one-time $30 contribution for each law- yer in honor of its 30th
anniversary. The
VBF has also accepted the generous offer from the Access to Justice Coalition Cam- paign 2012 co-chairs, Sam Hoar and Scott McGee, that the VBF benefit from every dollar raised above what is needed to fully fund the Vermont Poverty Law Fellowship. If you bank with an Honor Roll financial in- stitution, thank them for being on the Hon- or Roll. However, the single most important thing you can do to contribute to the work of the VBF is to choose an Honor Roll finan- cial institution for your IOLTA account. ____________________ Beth A. Danon, Esq., received her B.A.
from CUNY Hunter College and her J.D. from CUNY Law School at Queens Col- lege. She was law clerk to Vermont Su- preme Court Justice Frank G. Mahady. Ex- cept for the period from 2001 through to 2002, when she was the supervising attor- ney at Vermont Protection and Advocacy, Inc., in Montpelier, Vermont, she has been in private practice Vermont for over twenty years. She is president of the Vermont As- sociation for Justice, president of the Ver- mont Bar Foundation, and a member of the Vermont Employment Lawyers Association. She concentrates her practice in the fields of personal injury, employment, profession- al licensing, civil rights law, social security disability, workers’ compensation, afford- able housing, and real estate. Beth is the author of a number of articles on disability and discrimination law.
www.vtbar.org
VBF Grantee Stories
South Royalton Legal Clinic - Children First! Legal Advocacy Project The Children First! Legal Advocacy Project provides a voice in the legal system for
children in families with a history of domestic violence or whose parents are so em- broiled in bitter disputes that the courts appoint independent advocacy.
A Child’s Story The past few months saw the end of another lengthy case for he Children’s First!
Project. E.F. is now a young teenager. When Children First! was first appointed to rep- resent her by the Vermont District Court, E.F. had reportedly been sexually assaulted by a relative. Her version of events was substantially uncontested by the alleged per- petrator. At the perpetrator’s criminal trial, E.F. was extremely reluctant to testify, ap- parently based on her view of family loyalty. Eventually she was able to testify. Despite what appeared to be clear evidence, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. Because of the obvious strain on E.F. of being a witness against her perpetrator, the State de- cided not to retry the case. That, however, was far from the end of things. In addition, there was a restraining or-
der proceeding, a CHINS filing, and, finally, a trial in Family Court. While on some lev- els unthinkable, at the center of each proceeding was the relative’s desire to be able to see and be with the child. One of the major issues in the Family Court proceeding was the issue of E.F.’s testimony. Children First! filed a motion requesting that the Court admit a transcript of E.F.’s testimony from the criminal trial. When the Court granted that motion, it obviated the need for E.F. to testify again. Over the period of time con- sumed by these lengthy proceedings, E.F. gained considerable insight into what had been done to her and who really was responsible for the chain of events. Eventually, the Court substantially granted Children First!’s request, namely that E.F. have only supervised visits with the relative while he undergoes psycho-sexual evaluation and treatment. Remarkably, E.F. has come through this entire ordeal well. She knows what her relative did was wrong and that it profoundly affected her. She is doing well in school and is talented in the arts. We cannot predict what her future will hold, but we can take comfort in knowing we did everything we could to shield her from the conse- quences of this awful event.
Contact South Royalton Legal Clinic at: P.O. Box 96, Chelsea Street, South Roy-
alton, VT 05068; (802) 831-1000; Director: James C. May;
www.vermontlaw.edu/ Academics/Clinics_and_Experiential_Programs/South_Royalton_Legal_Clinic/ Overview/
Children_First_Legal_Advocacy_Project.htm.
Bennington County Legal Assistance Project (“B-CLAP”) B-CLAPP is a project of the Bennington County Bar Association, under which mem- bers of the private bar provide legal services to low income litigants in selected cases involving evictions, collections, foreclosures and involuntary guardianships at little or no cost.
A Thankful Client It’s not easy being a single mom, especially when you’re disabled, raising five chil-
dren in subsidized housing, and facing eviction because you’ve fallen behind on mak- ing rent payments. That was the situation recently in Bennington County. After representing herself at a final hearing in the eviction case against her, where the mom lost, she was assigned an attorney through B-CLAP. When reviewing the documents in the case, Attorney John Lamson noticed that the original eviction no- tice served on the mom was defective. So, he filed a motion for reconsideration calling that defect to the court’s attention. He won the motion and was successful in having the eviction case dismissed.
Attorney Lamson then met with his client, the mom, and her landlord, a local hous- ing authority, and was able to craft a repayment plan to avoid future eviction actions. The mom was delighted and grateful! She was full of praise for Attorney Lamson, call- ing him “an exceptional lawyer” and stating “he went above and beyond for me and my family.”
Contact B-CLAP at: 115 Elm Street, Bennington, VT 05491; (802) 447-8500; Ben- nington County Bar Association President: John Lamson; bennington@havejustice
willtravel.org.
Read more stories at
www.vtbarfoundation.org THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • FALL 2012
26
Where You Bank Matters
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