Success Stories
The hard work that legal services advocates and pro bono attorneys provide are critical
aspects for achieving equal access to justice for all Arkansans regardless of economic status.
Legal services advocacy and pro bono work can provide rewarding experiences both for the
advocate and the client in need of help. Here are just a few examples of successful
pro bono and legal services cases:
A 78-year-old, wheel-chair bound client called a legal
services office in desperation. She had been served with an eviction notice from a
federally-subsidized housing project for low-income elderly and disabled tenants. She was
being evicted because she had failed to clean behind her stove and refrigerator and for
"loitering" in the lobby of the apartment building instead of waiting in her apartment
for the weekly visit by a home health care nurse. A legal services attorney had tried to
reach a settlement with the apartment manager and local housing authority. Despite these
efforts, the government filed a lawsuit against the client. At the court hearing, the judge
found that the reasons for the client's eviction were without merit and that the apartment
manager's rules were unreasonable. The client was allowed to stay in her apartment.
A disabled client was no longer able to make car
payments and agreed to let Ford Motor Credit repossess her car. She did not realize that
she would be sued for a deficiency judgment and that her only means of support, an SSI
check, would be garnished. She contacted her local legal services office where a staff
attorney helped her answer the garnishment and claim her exemptions. Under federal law,
SSI benefits are exempt. The court ordered Ford Motor Credit to return
the money to the client.
Family violence forced a woman to seek a divorce from
her husband who was abusive to her and the eldest of her two daughters. There were police
reports documenting the abuse. The daughter was removed from the home temporarily until the
client could obtain a divorce. A volunteer attorney with a legal services program helped the
client obtain a divorce in which she was awarded custody of both daughters and the father
wasn't granted visitation.
A 37-year-old father of two was fired from his teaching
job due to allegations of child abuse. The client denied all allegations and came to legal
services for representation at the fair hearing. A legal services staff attorney obtained
audio tapes of the interview with the child and discovered that the child had made several
statements which indicated that another party could have been responsible for the alleged
abuse. These statements were not considered by the investigator and no investigation of
other individuals was ever undertaken. The administrative law judge found that there was
no credible evidence that the client had done anything improper. The client's name was
removed from the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Registry and he is now eligible to return to
his teaching position.
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