5 lawyers donated pro bono time at the second annual Clallam County Project Homeless Connect, at which more than 300 people sought services.
Clallam County lawyers Steve Robbins, of the NW Justice Project, Harry Gasnick, the Clallam County Public Defender, Joe Lavin, in a private social security practice, and Kathleen McCormick and Mark Baumann, both in their own family law private practice, all donated time at the event.
For more information, see the article in the Peninsula Daily News:
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110318/news/303189976/gathering-in-port-angeles-to-aid-homeless-draws-300
Steve Robbins said “It was very good to be there. We helped several people including some difficult eviction situations.”
Kathleen McCormick commented that “there were some challenging cases. Several people asked how they could get identification when, because of their circumstances, they had lost every form of identification they had. It would be great to have an attorney with experience on this issue next year.”
[Editor’s note: The opportunity to help people at this event and offer them a moment of compassion, respect and hope was very rewarding. It was also a wonderful chance to connect, in the slow times, with the 40 other service providers, many of whom have very little experience or understanding of the ways courts can help people, especially in the Family Court. Mark Baumann]