Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Legal Services Inc. has received a $10,000 award to help families in the northern part of the state with bankruptcy filings.
The pro bono grant is from the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation and is given annually to legal aid organizations to encourage pro bono assistance to the poor and to educate the public on their rights and obligations under the bankruptcy statutes.
ILS will use the grant money to support one of its staff attorneys as he trains his colleagues in Merrillville and South Bend on the best practices for handling bankruptcy matters. Also, private attorneys will be taught how to use bankruptcy to rehabilitate the financial health of military service veterans, ex-offenders re-entering their communities, and senior citizens.
“With the declining manufacturing base in northern Indiana adversely affecting the financial health of many families in the area, it is important for the ILS legal team to be well-equipped to help struggling families re-organize their lives in a way that respects their obligations but does not destroy their self-sufficiency,” said Jon Laramore, ILS executive director. “Bankruptcy is one important tool in our toolkit.”
In addition to the ILS offices, the project will seek to collaborate with the area’s two pro bono districts in Hobart and South Bend and with the law schools at the University of Notre Dame and Valparaiso University.
The American College of Bankruptcy Foundation, based in Virginia, is the largest financial supporter of bankruptcy and insolvency-related pro bono legal service programs in the United States.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.