Month: May 2017

Iowa wins Dean’s Cup!!

The 13th annual Dean’s Cup Golf Challenge was held on Monday, May 15, 2017 at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City. This event is for all law graduates, faculty, staff and students of Drake University Law School and the University of Iowa College of Law – of every skill level – to support their law school, and, at the same time, raise funds for Iowa Legal Aid.

Iowa was led by Judge Eliza Ovrom, while Drake was led by Chief Justice Mark Cady. Forty golfers faced off in the morning match play, and 50 additional Drake and Iowa golfers joined in the afternoon for the four-person best shot portion of the competition. Once the scores were tallied from the morning and afternoon rounds, Iowa was declared the winner.

Golfers shared post-round food and drink and bid on silent auction items. Prizes for various skillful shots (long drive, closest to the pin, etc.) were awarded, including the “Honorable Ronald E. Longstaff Long Putt Award.” Judge Longstaff played an integral role in creating the Dean’s Cup Golf Tournament. This year’s winner was Ron Mountsier. Past winners are Matt McKinney (2014), Ann Michelson (2015) and Judge Michael Moon (2016).

The 14th annual Dean’s Cup has been set for Monday, May 21, 2018 at Echo Valley Golf Course in Norwalk.

Thank you to the Iowa State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD), and ARAG, and all of the hole sponsors for supporting the Dean’s Cup!

   

[Right picture: The Iowa team leaders Judge Eliza Ovrom and Dean Gail Agrawal are presented the Dean’s Cup by Drake team leaders Chief Justice Mark Cady and Dean Jerry Anderson]

[Left picture: Dean Gail Agrawal, Judge Eliza Ovrom, Jeff Courter]

Iowa Legal Aid Board of Directors Annual Meeting – May 6, 2017

The Iowa Legal Aid Board of Directors met on May 6, 2017 for their Annual Meeting. During the annual Awards Luncheon, held immediately after the meeting, Iowa Legal Aid’s Executive Director, Dennis Groenenboom [pictured], recognized the following individuals:

 

 

  • Elisabeth Reynoldson for her service as Board President for the past two years;
  • Mark Zaiger as incoming President;
  • Bill Boyd, who just finished his third three-year term of service on Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of Directors – the maximum allowed by the Bylaws;
  • Matt McDermott, incoming Vice-President, for receiving the United Way of Central Iowa’s 2017 Individual Volunteer Award.

[Pictured: Matt McDermott, Elisabeth Reynoldson and Mark Zaiger]

In addition, there are two categories of awards given out each year – Excellence in Service Award and Outstanding Client Service Award.

Excellence in Service Award recognizes those who have excelled at contributing toward the development and delivery of legal services to low-income people, contributing substantially to the improvement of the lives of low-income people, or donating numerous volunteer hours to Iowa Legal Aid. This year’s recipients are listed below:

 

Jean Allsteadt has volunteered over 470 hours since 2008, performing clerical tasks for Iowa Legal Aid’s Legal Hotline for Older Iowans and Volunteer Lawyers Project in Des Moines. With Jean’s help, Iowa Legal Aid staff are able to spend more time providing client assistance. [Pictured: Jean Allsteadt and Kara Smith, Iowa Legal Aid Volunteer Lawyers Project Coordinator]

 

 

David Mansheim is an emeritus attorney who has donated more than 1,300 hours in the last three years. David started and staffed a pro se divorce clinic in the Waterloo Regional Office, which allows the office to serve more pro se litigants seeking dissolutions of marriage. [Pictured: Michelle Jungers, Managing Attorney, Waterloo Regional Office and David Mansheim]

 

Iowa Friends of Legal Services was created in 1996 by a group of concerned individuals, following cuts in federal funding for legal aid, to advocate for state funding for Iowa Legal Aid. Since that time, Iowa Friends of Legal Services has been a key player in obtaining bipartisan support for state funding to provide civil legal aid to low-income Iowans. Iowa Friends of Legal Services has also supported legal services funding at both the federal and local levels. [Pictured: Scott Hartsook, Managing Attorney, Legal Hotline for Older Iowans, Margaret Vernon and Virginia Rowen]

 

Outstanding Client Service Award honors individuals whose courage and strength of character epitomize the standards to which Iowa Legal Aid aspires. Recipients maintain creative work in the face of personal and social obstacles, accepting challenges and persisting in these efforts. This year’s recipients are listed below:

Julia Davis was in a domestic violence shelter when she first contacted Iowa Legal Aid. Her husband was facing 40 years in prison for domestic violence and various other crimes. With the help of Iowa Legal Aid, she obtained a dissolution of marriage that gave her sole legal custody and physical care of their child. Today, Julia is in the process of completing her bachelor’s degree, and continues to use her experience to advocate for other victims of domestic violence at a local shelter. Divorcing her abusive husband has allowed her to feel safe and strong, which has given her the freedom to focus on improving herself and enriching the lives of others. [Pictured: Shelley Whitcher, Managing Attorney, Southwest Regional Office and Julia Davis]

 

Casie Trimble lived for seven years in a relationship where she suffered from many forms of domestic abuse by the father of her children. With help from Iowa Legal Aid, a civil protective order was granted, giving her sole legal custody and physical care of their children. Following that order, Iowa Legal Aid represented Casie in four contempt hearings, one of which resulted in a 30-day jail sentence for the abuser. Throughout the process, Casie never gave up, she continued to move forward to make a better life for herself and her children. [Pictured: Carrie O’Connor, Managing Attorney, Northeast Regional Office and Casie Trimble]

The Scott County Volunteer Lawyers Project & William B. Waterman Volunteer Attorney of the Year Award

The Scott County Volunteer Lawyers Project* is a joint program of the Scott County Bar Association and the HELP Regional Office of Iowa Legal Aid, and has existed since 1981 for the purpose of involving the private bar in assisting low income persons with legal matters involving basic human needs. Approximately 160 attorneys currently participate in the program. This program is the product of a longstanding relationship between the private bar and the HELP Regional Office in attempting to more fully meet the legal needs of the poor.

Attorneys who donated 50 or more hours in 2016 include Abby Furlong, James Greenwood, Sandra Madsen, Tommy Miller, and Sam Skorepa. James, Sandra, and Tommy currently volunteer in-house at the HELP Regional Office. Tommy has been volunteering since 2004, and has donated over 12,000 hours in total.

Each year the William B. Waterman Volunteer Attorney of the Year Award is presented by the Scott County Bar Association to an individual attorney who exemplifies service through pro bono work.

The 2017 recipient is Michael J. McCarthy. Seventh Judicial District Chief Judge Marlita Greve commented, “If there was a lifetime achievement award, it would go to Mike. Although the old records no longer exist, we think Mike has been assisting clients since the beginning of the Pro Bono Project in 1981. Mike doesn’t say ‘no’ when he is contacted about a referral, and generally takes one or more cases per year. In the last 6 years, Mike has accepted 10 cases, donating over 120 hours, not including the time spent on his 2 current open cases. Almost all of the cases have been contested family law custody or divorce cases, involving either abuse of the children or abuse of his client. In a recent client survey, the client wrote: ‘It was handled awesome. Mike is a great attorney.’ We agree.”

Congratulations, Mike, for winning the 2017 William B. Waterman Volunteer Attorney of the Year Award.

*To sign up for the Scott County Volunteer Lawyers Project, contact Bob Heimer at the HELP Regional Office of Iowa Legal Aid (563-322-6216 ext 1913), the Scott County Bar Association (www.scottcountybar.org) or register online at www.probono.net/iowa/volunteer/.

[Pictured: Bob Heimer, Joan McCarthy, Mike McCarthy, and Chief Judge Marlita Greve]

Matt McDermott Receives United Way Volunteer Award

On May 1, 2017, Matt McDermott was awarded the United Way of Central Iowa’s 2017 Individual Volunteer Award for his volunteer leadership on the issue of homelessness and the significant time he gives to central Iowans in need of support. Matt is a managing partner at Belin McCormick. He also serves as Vice-President of Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of Directors. He is currently serving on the Boards of Directors for Polk County Homeless Continuum of Care, and Montessori Children’s House. Matt has previously been involved with Central Iowa Shelter & Services, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Iowa, and the HOLA Center (Hispanic Outreach and Legal Assistance).

Iowa Legal Aid’s Executive Director, Dennis Groenenboom said, “Matt has a deep commitment to making Iowa a better place, and he brings that to bear for the Iowans who are the most vulnerable. Matt’s a serious runner, he runs marathons, and I think to a certain extent, that is a skill and a talent that he brings to this effort as well.”

Matt commented that part of the fun is the challenge. He recognized that the things we are doing can be hard and disappointing, but there is a joy at the end of the day that comes from overcoming adversities. He added that the volunteer opportunities have given him an outlet to take on the tough challenges faced by Iowans.

Thank you, and congratulations, Matt, on this well-deserved award!

More information about Matt and this award can be found at www.unitedwaydm.org

Thanks Prairie Meadows!

A $5,000 grant from Prairie Meadows enabled Iowa Legal Aid to purchase a new digital color high volume photocopier for its Central Administrative Office in Des Moines. The new copier incorporates faxing, along with scanning and printing, and has the ability to print from mobile devices. Iowa Legal Aid’s previous copier was purchased in 2008 and had over 881,000 copies. This new equipment will help Iowa Legal Aid staff provide more efficient and effective service to clients and help in the preparation of community legal education, outreach and fundraising materials. Staff had the following to say about the new copier:

“I am very happy to no longer have paper jams several times a day. I can also use colored paper of various weights for special projects.”

“It is so nice to have a fax and copier machine in one.  As a result, we have more counter space to use now, and its especially helpful when preparing mailings.”

“I am so pleased to have the opportunity print reports in color.”

Iowa Legal Aid’s Legal Hotline for Older Iowans also received a $10,000 grant from Prairie Meadows to conduct two, three-hour, elder law seminars. The first seminar was held on March 23, 2017 and the second seminar was held on April 27, 2017. The first seminar provided information about Medicaid eligibility for nursing home and in-home services; Medicaid managed care issues, including appeal and grievance rights; and protecting yourself from abuse and financial exploitation. The second seminar taught people about the rights of nursing home residents, end-of-life planning issues and protecting yourself from consumer scams and deceptive practices. The seminars included speakers from the Iowa Department on Aging, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and Iowa Legal Aid. A few of the specific comments about the seminars were:

“Great information. Knowledge is power. Thanks for holding these seminars.”

“Excellent presentations.”

“This was incredibly helpful. Thanks so much for providing this.”

“I learned a lot. This seminar was very informational. Enjoyed it, wonderful training.”