Website offers help to renters facing eviction
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic has partnered with the city of Indianapolis to create a special website to help Hoosiers around the state who are behind on rent and facing eviction.
Indiana Legal Services Inc.
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Senate proposes higher appropriation to Legal Services Corp. amid pandemic
A U.S. Senate subcommittee has proposed a $6 million increase in funding for the Legal Services Corporation, potentially providing additional support as more legal aid offices are bracing for higher demand caused by the worsening COVID-19 crisis.
Unprecedented August 2020 bar exam yields passage rates from the past
The overall passage rate for the Indiana August 2020 bar exam reached 74%, about 10 percentage points higher than the overall pass rate for the previous four July bar exams. Likewise, 84% of those taking the test for the first time passed while 53% of the repeat takers were successful, the highest rate for repeaters since 54% passed the February 2015 bar.
ILS helping vulnerable Hoosiers get stimulus checks
Indiana Legal Services has launched a public education campaign to help all eligible Hoosiers access their federal stimulus payments, noting millions of dollars could remain unclaimed unless individuals act before the Oct. 15 deadline.
Pro Bono Matters: Indiana’s pro bono reporting system reflects growing participation
Whether you’re interested in adding pro bono to your practice for next year’s reporting requirements or are simply interested in increasing the number of hours you spend on reportable pro bono legal services, there are several ways you can get involved.
Task force issues recommendations for handling increase in eviction cases
In anticipation of state courts being overwhelmed with landlord-tenant cases once the pandemic moratorium on evictions is lifted, a task force assembled by the Indiana Supreme Court released recommendations Wednesday that encourage payment plans and alternatives to forcibly removing residents from their homes.
Courts, attorneys fear wave of COVID evictions
A moratorium on evictions of families in federally subsidized housing is set to end July 25, and Indiana’s moratorium prohibiting evictions is set to end July 31. Advocates warn a wave of evictions is coming that could leave many Hoosiers without a place to live, but because of how these cases are tracked, they lack data to how big that wave will be and when it will arrive.
178 Hoosier law firms received PPP money
Indiana law firms are included among the thousands of Hoosier businesses and nonprofits that have received money through the federal Paycheck Protection Program according to data released Monday by the U.S. Small Business Administration. We have the recipients in a searchable database.
Newest stimulus bill likely dead, but support for legal aid funding lives
Legal aid received another $50 million boost in funding as part of the new economic stimulus bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, but while the measure is expected to stall in the U.S. Senate, support to appropriate additional money for legal services appears strong on both sides of the aisle.
ABA online database links attorneys to pro bono needs
The American Bar Association is unveiling a new online portal designed to better connect pro bono attorneys with individuals and families who need free legal services because of the national COVID-19 emergency.
Web Exclusive: IndyBar Foundation crisis fund benefits lawyers, Hoosiers in financial squeeze
In light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Indianapolis Bar Foundation earlier this month implemented a new fund called the Crisis Empowerment Grant Program. The fund’s goal is two-fold: to put dollars in the pockets of lawyers who may be struggling to make ends meet while continuing to provide free legal services to central Indiana families through four local agencies.
Lawmakers support additional funding for legal aid as ILS receives $1M
Indiana Legal Services will be receiving a booster shot of just over $1 million as part of the additional $50 million in funding Congress allotted to legal aid providers across the country during the COVID-19 emergency. Meanwhile, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are pushing for another appropriation.
Groups hail Indiana restrictions on stimulus check seizures
Creditors cannot seize federal coronavirus relief payments from Indiana residents under a ruling from the Indiana Supreme Court that was applauded by groups that sought the proscription.
Indiana Supreme Court partially shields COVID-19 stimulus checks from debt collection
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order Monday protecting some stimulus checks from being seized by creditors to pay past-due bills, but the decision drew a dissent from Justice Geoffrey Slaughter, who asserted the court was overstepping its role.
Supreme Court announces 4:30 deadline for responses to ILS stimulus check petition
Individuals or entities that intend to file a response to a petition brought by legal aid providers and nonprofits seeking to restrict civil collections of federal stimulus check proceeds must do so by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Indiana Supreme Court announced.
Nonprofits petition Indiana Supreme Court to protect stimulus payments
Legal aid providers and nonprofits that help the poor are asking the Indiana Supreme Court to protect vulnerable households from having their federal stimulus checks seized by creditors.
New IndyBar Foundation program to pay lawyers to provide legal aid
The Indianapolis Bar Foundation has implemented a new program in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic to put dollars in the pockets of young lawyers while continuing to provide free legal services to the public.
Stimulus package includes more money for legal aid
Included in the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday is a $50 million appropriation to the Legal Services Corp., which is bracing for a spike in legal needs among those with low income as the economy buckles under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic.
Legal aid worried about aftermath of coronavirus
Legal aid providers in Indiana are still serving clients as the coronavirus storm gathers strength, but they are worried about the surge they anticipate will come after the outbreak has passed.
Ruling in Arkansas case creates hurdle for Indiana’s Medicaid work mandates
Indiana’s attempt to impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients likely suffered a setback Feb. 14 when an appellate court ruled that similar mandates in Arkansas fell outside the core objective of the federal health care program.