1 / 17

Andrea E. Loney, Esquire – Executive Director Jim O. Stuckey, Esquire – Board Chairman

Andrea E. Loney, Esquire – Executive Director Jim O. Stuckey, Esquire – Board Chairman. Mission Statement. South Carolina Legal Services is a statewide law firm that provides civil legal services to protect the rights and represent the interests of low income South Carolinians.

flynn-mclaughlin
Download Presentation

Andrea E. Loney, Esquire – Executive Director Jim O. Stuckey, Esquire – Board Chairman

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Andrea E. Loney, Esquire – Executive Director • Jim O. Stuckey, Esquire – Board Chairman

  2. Mission Statement • South Carolina Legal Services is a statewide law firm that provides civil legal services to protect the rights and represent the interests of low income South Carolinians.

  3. Vision Statement • All low-income South Carolinians will have full and fair access to justice.

  4. History of Legal Services • 1965 – Office of Economic Opportunity granted funds for the Office of Legal Services programs as a part of the war on poverty • 1971 – Conflicts between legal services programs and OEO resulted in legislation to form a separate legal services corporation • 2002 – All legal services combined to form statewide South Carolina Centers for Equal Justice • 2006 – Name changed to South Carolina Legal Services

  5. Who is eligible for SCLS Services? • Low-income residents of South Carolina • Limit on income: 125% of the federal poverty level – (family of 4 = $28,813) (changes every year) up to 200% - based on certain conditions – (family of 4 - $46,100) • Limit on assets (money in bank accounts, property, etc.) • Some exceptions (some grants allow us to represent clients outside these financial limitations)

  6. What SCLS Clients Pay • No cost for work done by SCLS • Clients must cover other costs, including: • Court filing fees – if not waived by court • Costs a client is ordered to pay by a court • Guardian ad Litem fees • Service of process fees

  7. Intake Information • Basic Information: Name, Address, Etc. • Household Residents • Marital status, Disability • Employment (if any) • Income, Assets, Public Benefits • Facts of your case

  8. Additional Services for Disabled Individuals, Non-English Speakers, and Individuals with Vision and/or Hearing Impairment • Home visits • Spanish speakers in some SCLS offices • LATIS and all offices equipped to handle Spanish and other foreign languages • Braille and sign language services available

  9. What does SCLS Do? • Representation in legal proceedings • Counsel and Advice • Brief Services – Advance Directives • Community Education • Pro se divorce clinic • Brochures • Presentations to community groups • Referrals to other agencies

  10. What SCLS Does NOT Do…… • Criminal cases • Fee-generating cases

  11. Available Legal Representation

  12. To Apply -- Statewide Intake – Call Center(phone lines may be busy or will disconnect after waiting 15 minutes) Centralized Intake Office Hours of operation -- 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.   (888) 346-5592 or (803)744-9430 OFFICE INTAKES • Referrals received from out of state legal services programs; • Emergency referrals from court staff, other service providers or community based organizations; • Applicants who are unable to communicate by telephone because of an impairment, homebound or in an institution; • Walk-ins

  13. Purpose of Statewide Website - (http://www.lawhelp.org/sc) • Provide new and innovative ways to provide legal resources and information • Expand access to and quality of legal services

  14. BENEFITS TO THE PUBLIC The statewide website offers one-stop access to: • Basic legal education on over 20 topics • Self-help information – Divorce; soon child support modification forms; petition for order of protection • Court forms • Information about South Carolina’s judicial system • Information about legal services and social service organizations in the visitor’s neighborhood

  15. South Carolina Legal Services’ Offices & Counties Served • Charleston OfficeServing: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, and Jasper Counties • Columbia OfficeServing: Lee, Lexington, Kershaw, Richland, and Sumter Counties • Conway OfficeServing: Georgetown, Horry, Marion, and Williamsburg Counties • Pee Dee OfficeServing: Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, and Marlboro Counties • Greenville OfficeServing: Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens Counties • Greenwood OfficeServing: Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda Counties • Orangeburg OfficeServing: Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, and Orangeburg Counties • Rock Hill OfficeServing: Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, and York Counties • Spartanburg OfficeServing: Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union Counties • Intake Requests: Centralized Intake Office: 888-346-5592

  16. Sources of Funding • Legal Services Corporation • South Carolina Bar Foundation (IOLTA) • State of South Carolina – Filing Fee Add On • United Ways (Greenwood, Greenville, Spartanburg, Chester, Dillon, Lancaster, Union) • VOCA (to fund 2 DV attorneys) • Low Income Taxpayers Grant (federal taxes only) • Title III-B (to represent age 60+) • SC Help

  17. Questions???????? Thank you

More Related