36 | JUNE 15 • 2023
continued on page 38
J
ewish Family Service’s
Legal Referral Service,
(LRS) now in its
15th year of operation,
continues to steadily and
quietly provide
top-notch pro
bono attorneys
and make
a profound
impact on the
lives of many
people in need.
Since its
inception, the
program has
amassed an army of all-
volunteer attorneys who have
assisted more than 2,000
clients and provided over
$10 million of pro bono legal
services.
What began as a small list
of civic-minded attorneys
quickly grew to a formidable
team of volunteers — “the
largest virtual Jewish law
firm in Michigan,” we boast
— that spans the gamut from
solo practitioners to many
of the largest law firms in
Michigan.
The key to its success —
other than the extraordinary
generosity and commitment
of its talented attorneys —
is its placement within the
roster of services offered
by JFS. The agency is not
only able to assist clients
with legal matters through
LRS, but can also provide
wraparound social services
as well, making the program
more attractive to volunteers.
“They contact you, stay in
touch and serve as a resource
to you if you need it,” says
Howard Collens, a longtime
volunteer attorney with the
program.
The “ask” of the lawyers
is also uniquely appealing
for the volunteers. To fulfill
one’s annual volunteer
obligation, the program asks
the attorney to handle just
one “matter” per year, which
could be a simple phone call,
a one-time consultation, a
review of a document or
something lengthier. It’s
entirely up to the attorney.
In reality, however,
participating attorneys are
happy to help and often
offer to take on additional
matters. The program’s
staff pre-screens all matters
and carefully limits the
type of cases it accepts.
The majority of cases are
family law, bankruptcy,
elder law and tenant-related
matters. The client base
has been historically 70%
women, many of whom find
themselves in a sudden dire
situation and in urgent need
of legal assistance. In many
cases, a woman with no
independent resources has
been unexpectantly served
with divorce papers. Sadly,
40% of those cases involve
domestic abuse. In such
cases, a lawyer is assigned
and immediately steps in
and informs the husband’s
attorney that going forward
the wife will be represented
pro bono by a seasoned
attorney, which the JFS staff
proudly describes as the
“equalizer moment.”
The program has earned
a stellar reputation in the
community. The Michigan
State Bar honored the
program as one of its Access
to Justice recipients, and
the Oakland County Bar
Association has provided
financial support through
grants for staff and
community educational
programming.
COMMUNITY
COLLABORATIONS
LRS has formed strategic
relationships with multiple
organizations, particularly
the Jewish Bar Association
(JBAM), which has been
helpful in promoting the
program, partnering on
community educational
events and providing vol-
unteer attorneys. It collab-
orates with other legal aid
groups and shelters, such
as Lakeshore Legal Aid and
HAVEN, Oakland County’s
premiere program that
assists victims of domestic
JFS’ Legal Referral Service has an army of volunteers riding to the rescue.
Equalizers: ‘The Largest Virtual
Jewish Law Firm in Michigan’
Perry Ohren, JFS CEO; Mark Picklo, member; Emily Croitori, supervisor
of JFS Volunteer Services; Mark Jacobs, chair; Mara Moss, member;
and Kelly Goldberg, coordinator
COURTESY OF JFS
Mark Jacobs
Special to the
Jewish News
Legal Guide