38 | JUNE 15 • 2023 

abuse. Lakeshore assists JFS 
clients by cutting red tape 
and shortening wait times, as 
well as providing JFS social 
workers with training in 
eviction prevention, family 
law and housing benefits. 
HAVEN staff trains JFS staff 
on domestic abuse assess-
ments and often accompany 
JFS clients to court in situa-
tions where a client’s abuser 
is due to be in court with the 
client.
But aside from the local 
accolades and training, the 
heart of the program lies in 
the daily ways in which its 
attorneys impact the lives 
of their clients and their 
families. 
The real-life stories 
are often heartbreaking: 

an elderly couple facing 
eviction, an abused wife, 
a frightened widow facing 
insurmountable debt, a 
deportation emergency. The 
program and its attorneys 
approach each matter with 
compassion and urgency. 
“We offer peace of mind,” 
Collens says, “knowing we 
can identify how we can 
get from a problem to a 
solution.”
Participating attorneys 
share a greater purpose in 
knowing that their work 
not only benefits a person 
in need but also JFS, the 
“safety net” of the Jewish 
community. “When you’re 
working with JFS,” says 
attorney Alisa Peskin-
Shepard, “you’re not only 

helping an individual client, 
you’re also helping the 
organization as a whole. That 
makes the Legal Referral 
Service unique because your 
impact is much greater.”

‘PRICELESS’ HELP
JFS CEO Perry Ohren is 
rightfully boastful of the Legal 
Referral Service, which he 
describes as an “integral” part 
of JFS. “We get the benefit of 
top-shelf legal help to assist 
the people in our communi-
ty who need it the most … 
Priceless!”

If you’re an attorney (or 
know of one) who’d like to 
join the “the largest virtual 
Jewish law firm in Michigan,” 
assist JFS and give much-
needed legal help, especially 
in family law and probate/
elder law, to someone 
who desperately needs it, 
contact Kelly Goldberg, LRS 
coordinator, at (248) 592-
1907. 

Mark Jacobs is the co-founder and 

chair of the JFS Legal Referral Service.

continued from page 36

“MANY CLIENTS ARE IN A 
SUDDEN DIRE SITUATION 
AND IN URGENT NEED 

OF LEGAL ASSISTANCE.”

— MARK JACOBS

Legal Guide

THE LAW FIRM WITH
SOLUTIONS

Couzens Lansky has a reputation for finding 
creative solutions to even the most complex legal issues 

Expert Service · Superior Value 

Trusts & Estates · Probate & Trust Administration · Taxation · Business & Corporate · Real Estate 

Employment & Labor · Litigation & Dispute Resolution · Banking & Finance · Construction Law 

 

 VISIT US @ WWW.COUZENS.COM 

 39395 West 12 Mile Road, Suite 200 

 Farmington Hills, MI 48331 

 248.489.8600 

