Client, a single mother of three children, seeks assistance in her defense against the forfeiture of her home. Client rented a room in her home to a tenant referred to her by another tenant. Tenant was arrested and house was searched but no drugs were found, but forfeiture proceedings were initiated. Tenant is currently incarcerated and no longer lives in the home. Client states that she had no knowledge of tenant’s activity and would not have rented the room to tenant had she known about drugs. Client needs representation to answer petition and represent her in forfeiture. Status conference is scheduled for September 24, 2010 at 9 am in City Hall Courtroom 478. Client is Spanish speaking. Translation and interpretation assistance are available.
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Civil Forfeiture
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59
Custody
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59
Client, maternal grandmother, seeks representation in a custody matter. Client has primary physical and legal custody of her three children, ages fourteen, eleven, and seven. Opposing party, mother, abandoned the children in client's care over six years ago. Opposing party is now seeking primary physical custody and seeks to remove the eldest child from a private prep school where the child is excelling. Opposing party is represented by counsel. Client needs representation at custody master's hearing scheduled on January 6, 2011 before Master Karen Walton.
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59
Client, a mother who has little contact with her child since November 2006, needs assistance in a custody matter. Temporary order currently in place gives client phone contact only with her child. Client seeks to expand her custody rights from once a week phone contact to in-person visits with her child. Client’s son lives with foster family in Delaware. Client needs representation at hearing before Judge Matthews on December 7, 2010 to obtain partial custody.
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59
Client seeks assistance with obtaining custody of her two sons, born in 2004 and 2007. A single mother, Client currently has the children but wants to formalize custody because of concerns about the father's role in the children's lives. The children's father has a criminal record, was recently released from prison in Florida, and has a history of drug use. There is currently a PFA against the father. Client has filed for custody; a master's hearing before Beverly Robinson is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2010 at 9:30am.
Divorce
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59Qualified Domestic Relations Order
Client, who was divorced from opposing party in 1999, seeks assistance in recovery of the portion of opposing party’s pension she was awarded. Divorce decree states that client is to receive 60% of marital portion of husband's benefits but Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) was never formally approved by the court. QDRO was approved by plan administrator in 1999. Opposing party is approaching retirement. Client needs representation to have QDRO approved by new plan administrator and the court so she can obtain portion of benefits she was awarded in divorce proceedings.
Employment
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59
Client, a father of two children, seeks assistance in an unemployment benefits matter. Client was terminated from his job in December 2009. In December, client tried to secure unemployment benefits while looking for new employment. Client was unable to attend hearing as scheduled and was denied benefits. Client needs representation to determine if he is eligible for benefits and to appeal the denial so that he can stabilize his family with this income until he finds a new job.
Name Change
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59
Client, a single mother of three, seeks representation in effort to obtain a name change of her ten-year-old son. The child has the surname of someone Client was dating at the time the child was born. Client does not want child to have the name of someone he is not related to; the child consents to the name change. Client needs representation to obtain court order to change child's name to her last name and to have birth certificate amended.
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59Delayed Birth Certificate
Client, a ninety-three-year-old grandmother, seeks assistance in obtaining a delayed birth certificate. Client was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, but there was no record of birth on file with Vital Records. Client needs to obtain a delayed birth certificate from Puerto Rico to obtain PA state identification.
Nonprofit
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81Real PropertyClient is the president and founder of a nonprofit corporation that seeks to enrich the lives of low-income children and teens in Philadelphia by providing them with structured after-school activities and the opportunity to learn to ride and care for horses. In 2007, client entered into a purchase agreement for a property in Philadelphia at which the riding program could be housed. The property was occupied by a couple who stopped paying rent to the record owner in 2005. As assignees of a mortgage the original seller had extended to the record owner when she purchased the property, the occupants commenced a foreclosure action against the record owner; that action was eventually consolidated with several other actions initiated thereafter by the various parties involved. The outcome of that litigation was to confirm that title to the property remained in the owner of record, who had the right to sell the property to our client subject to occupants’ mortgage. Occupants were to provide an accounting of the mortgage to the record owner, and the sale to client was to be completed by December 2009. None of this has occurred, the occupants’ appeal to Superior Court was denied, and the attorney for the occupants has since withdrawn from the case. Client, who has conducted the litigation pro se until now, needs assistance in enforcing the court’s order, completing the purchase of the property, and evicting the occupants as quickly as possible. Progress on the development and funding of the program is contingent on a speedy resolution of this case. Client is organized and very responsive.
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25Nonprofit/Incorporation
The client is an organization that serves members of the Asian community as they face issues of cultural difference, language barriers, and racial tension. The client needs assistance applying for incorporation and 501(c)(3) status.
