LUDINGTON Daily News , April 5, 2010

Advice offered

Two years of helping through COVE legal clinic

BY MELISSA MCGUIRE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Clients who come to Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters often are leaving a bad situation, are scared, and have little or no money to get legal advice for personal protection orders, divorce filing and other issues. That's where COVE's legal clinic helps. A group of Mason County lawyers offer advice to clients at no charge. The a t t o r n e y s even follow through with the client until the legal battle is over.

The clinic offers 30-minute sessions, five times a day, two days a month. Renee, who asked that her last name not be used, came to COVE after leaving home due to a mentally and verbally abusive situation.

"I came to the shelter and the first thing got with a legal help advocate. Bea (Rosales) got a (personal protection order) for me. I had no idea how to do it. COVE took care of everything, all of the paperwork," said Renee. "I had

a PPO the day after I left my home."

She said her motorcycle is very important to her, and she wasn't sure she would be able to keep it. "I wanted to just walk away," Renee said. "I was being harassed by him and he led me to believe he had all of my items packed and on the porch."

She said she believed that he had given her everything and was going to help him pay off a loan. "He didn't give me half of what I have," she said. "I had been trying to get it all back." "The attorney told me he had duped me into an agreement and I had no legal obligation to pay."

Renee said the legal clinic and COVE helped her take care of the situation. "They empowered me and helped me take care of it myself. They taught me things I didn’t realize," she said. She said she used the clinic twice, the second time when she had been moved out and had her own place but had problems that needed legal advice.

"We were never legally married, we had no joint property, so there was no divorce," she said. She said rather than a legal division of property, originally, she just wanted to walk away but realized she didn't have to.

ABOUT THE CLINIC

The clinic is available thanks to 10 local attorneys who volunteer their time. It's helped about 130 people since it began Nov. 15, 2007.

"I think it is tremendous for COVE clients who don't have the means to obtain attorneys or aren't able to file for divorce or custody," said Bea Rosales, a legal advocate for COVE. "We help clients from Mason, Lake and Oceana counties, and if they can't get here, we will do a phone conference."

Attorney Jeff Nellis said depending on which lawyer the client were to choose outside of the clinic setting, it could be $150 to $200 an hour and then $2,000 or more to fi le for divorce and custody.

"We do it about four times a year," Nellis about his time volunteering for the clinic. "Four a year times, three hours is very manageable." "And we try to keep it on schedule," Rosales said. Sometimes clients come back several times. Nellis said he helps because, "There are a lot of reasons, but I think attorneys have an ethical obligation to help those who aren't able to secure legal help on their own. I feel good helping someone who needs help." He said most people in law go into it ultimately to help others.

A COVE representative is always in the room with the client to record or note important information that may help in the future. "Mary Ann (Marek) at circuit court is helpful. She schedules all of the clients," Rosales said.

mmcguire@ludingtondailynews.com