Legal clinic helps COVE clients through tough times

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

 

Area lawyers are teaming up to offer free help to women who need it. Clients of COVE (Communities Overcoming

Violent Encounters) now have the option to receive free legal aid. Bob Shrauger, a local attorney, and Bea Rosales, a legal advocate at COVE, were able to speak with attorneys in the area to set up a couple sessions a week for the women who need legal advice.

 

                                                                                                            Jeff Kissel/Daily News 

Bob Shrauger and Bea Rosalez talk to clients at COVE earlier this summer

 

 

 

The COVE legal clinic began in April and Rosales said so far about 28 clients have used the service. A group of attorneys from several different areas of expertise are available to the clients - that way each woman gets

the help she needs. Attorneys who offer their help to the clinic are Bob Shrauger, Thomas Carlson, Connie Krusniak, Jeff Nellis, Timothy Hayes, Mark Otto, Tracy Thompson, David Betz, Ryan Glanville, and Julie Springstead Waltz.

 

"There is a definite need for help when it comes to women in this situation," Glanville said. "Some of them have nowhere else to turn and have no way to get to an attorney for help. It’s a small way we can help people in need."

Glanville said some of the situations he has worked on through the clinic are landlord-tenant issues when there is a domestic violence situation or divorce, and he has helped out with a possible child abuse case.

 

"People ask what they can do, how to deal with their problem and what their rights are in many situations," Glanville said. 'I haven't had to take any situation to court yet." Glanville said the feedback he has gotten from clients is that the service is helpful. COVE facilitates the meeting for the client and Glanville said that is helpful for some of the women in the situation who don't have courage to see an attorney alone, or have anxiety or depression because of the situation they are in.

 

MaryAnn Marek, court administrator for 51st Circuit Court, works as a liaison between the attorneys and COVE,

setting up a schedule for when they're available to help.

 

"Since we have started the legal clinic, we have not had the flow of people at the door with legal questions like we used to have," Marek said.
"It helps a lot because we are not allowed to give legal advice and it gives people somewhere to go."

"We started the legal clinic for clients of COVE," Shrauger said. "There are much larger legal clinics in the Detroit

area. It is a way to help victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and homeless women."

 

"The significance of a legal clinic is, it gives people at a crisis time some legal help," said Bea Rosales. "It has been extremely successful so far," Shrauger said. "I would like to thank all of the attorneys who have helped."

 

"Often, women who come here have nothing but the clothing on their backs," said Rosales, adding they cannot afford to pay an attorney to help them. Clients to COVE are usually referred to the service by police, the hospital of they come in on their own.

 

"They have a profound sense of loss and inability to move beyond the situation, sometimes for fear of their lives

and health, and, they think, "What do I do next?" said Rosales.

 

The legal aid help is made to give clients knowledge and empowerment that the courts can help them, whether

they need a court order for personal protection, or have a custody battle to go through.

Susan, Abigail and Claire, using assumed names to protect their identity for safety reasons, have all been helped

by the COVE legal aid clinic. The three came from domestic violence situations and needed to know what to do next, especially in divorce cases in which the couples have children.

 

"I started coming here the day after I was kicked out of my house. I was slapped with an order and wasn't allowed to see my kids," Claire said. "I came here and it helped me get the strength for the long custody battle."

 

Claire said her ex-husband was trying to take her children away from her in many different ways. Extra legal help

through COVE helped get her full custody, once the court was able to see the situation, she said.

 

"I wish I would have known about it sooner," Claire said. "It would have saved me phone calls to attorneys for

legal advice that cost me money, and it would have helped me make sure I was getting the help I need. There have actually been things the legal aid told me about that my attorney wasn't aware of."

 

Abigail said she was in an abusive relationship, and when she wanted to get out, she had similar problems when it came to the couple's children.