Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc. (LAD) launched its Advancing Justice Initiative (AJI) to introduce itself to federal, state and county government officials with a breakfast for officials in Wayne County at LAD headquarters on Nov. 14.
LAD is Michigan’s largest provider of free civil legal services to low-income residents. It serves metropolitan Detroit through its offices in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
LAD also represents criminal defendants in Wayne County and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Including brief consultations and comprehensive legal services, the public law firm handles some 15,000 legal matters yearly.
LAD developed the AJI following a reduction in funding by the federal Legal Services Corp. that forced it to lay off 13 attorneys from the staff of its Civil Law Group.
“We’re always there for the community,” Deierdre L. Weir, president and CEO of LAD, told the breakfast audience. “We’re looking for new funding and partnerships,” she said.
LAD is an important partner of Wayne County, according to County Executive Robert A. Ficano, keynote speaker at the breakfast.
He cited LAD’s involvement in the county’s STEP (Second Chance Through Expungement) and mortgage foreclosure programs.
Legal Aid and Defender is a key part of the nation’s unique legal system, Ficano said.
“It’s making a difference,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Hansen Clark, D-13th District, also addressed the breakfast.
Following a welcoming address by Weir, LAD’s three senior attorneys — Donald Johnson, chief counsel of the State Defender Office; Miriam Siefer, chief counsel of the Federal Defender Office; and Joan Glanton Howard, chief counsel of the Civil Law Group — described the roles of their practice groups and the clients they serve.
In her talk, Howard cited the importance of the help LAD receives from pro bono attorneys from the private bar and corporate practice.
Two LAD clients, one a single mother with a mortgage foreclosure problem, the other a restaurateur with serious health problems, gave testimonials to the value of the help they received from LAD.
“We work with clients in a comprehensive manner, so that as we solve their legal problems, we help solve other problems as well,” Weir said. “We help people rebuild their lives and help families stay together.”
Anyone seeking legal services can call (877) 964-4700 or visit http://www.ladadetroit.org.
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