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Jacksonville Area Legal Aid has employed more Florida Consumer Protection Lawyers of the Year than any other law firm or government agency

Of the 16 lawyers in Florida who have received the Consumer Protection Lawyer of the Year Award from The Florida Bar’s Consumer Protection Law Committee, four either work at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid currently or did at the time they received the award. That is more than any other law firm or government agency in Florida. “The fact that JALA makes up a quarter of that list is truly remarkable,” said JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski. “It really speaks volumes about the impact of our work and how widely it is recognized within the organized Bar.” JALA’s latest recipient is Adam Thoresen, division chief of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Consumer Advocacy and Litigation Unit, to whom the award was presented June 22 in Boca Raton at The Florida Bar’s annual meeting together with Morgan & Morgan’s John Yanchunis. Thoresen was also the recipient of the National Consumer Law Center’s Rising Star Award in 2021.

2024-01-04T11:22:26-05:00July 7th, 2023|Fair Housing, News|

Heirs to Black-owned homes face ramped-up foreclosures.

When Henry Scott’s mother died two years ago, there was never a doubt he’d want to keep her home. He most definitely did. “It just has a lot of memories for me,” said Scott, 61. But a title issue — tied to the lack of a will — put a smooth inheritance at risk. Such problems can result in unclear ownership, simmering family feuds and properties falling into disrepair. That can put family homes such as Scott’s at risk of being lost to unscrupulous developers or — as the Miami Herald showed earlier this year — cities seizing them over property violations and selling them to boost municipal revenue. Black neighborhoods have borne the brunt of these efforts. But now community organizations in Jacksonville, which is 30% Black, are fighting back, banding together under the banner of a community redevelopment organization called Local Initiatives Support Corporation to help families struggling with what are known as “heirs’ property” issues.

2024-01-04T11:24:12-05:00June 28th, 2023|Fair Housing, News, Tangled Title|

Irving Reinvigorates JALA’s Pro Bono Initiatives in the Wake of the Pandemic

Growing up in the farming town of Lake Panasoffkee in Florida’s heartland, Aaron Irving was influenced by his grandfather, James Veal Sr., a local politician and environmental activist who could strike up a rapport with almost anyone. “At the end of the day he just wanted to help people, and he instilled that in me as well as my father,” said Irving, who joined Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as pro bono director last fall.

2024-01-04T11:24:50-05:00June 27th, 2023|News, Pro Bono|

Legal Services For Those In Need of Assistance

The Yulee News considers it important to bring to its readers the many organizations whose services are available to them. We spoke with Jim Kowalski Jr., Esq. who is the President and CEO of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA). Nassau County is one of the 17 counties that are covered by JALA in North Florida. JALA is the oldest legal aid firm in Florida founded in 1937 as a pro-bono outreach of the Jacksonville Bar Association. Through the years it has become a more formal legal aid organization through the process of hiring attorneys and staff. Currently, there are 40 lawyers and staff making it the 8th largest civil law firm in Northeast Florida. The mission of JALA is, “A nonprofit civil legal aid firm focusing on delivering economic, social, and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families on the First Coast.”

2024-01-04T11:26:15-05:00June 22nd, 2023|Children's Health, Fair Housing, Family Law, News, Pro Bono, Refugee/Immigration, Tangled Title, Veterans Services, VOCA|

Jacksonville’s Laura Boeckman and Katie Fackler appointed to The Florida Bar Foundation Board

Laura Boeckman and Katie Fackler has been appointed to The Florida Bar Foundation Board of Directors. Boeckman, assistant general counsel for the city of Jacksonville, was appointed by the Florida Supreme Court. Fackler, associate general counsel with Baptist Health System, was appointed by The Florida Bar Board of Governors. Boeckman will fill the remainder of a three-year term ending in 2024 that was vacated by another board member. She graduated from Indiana University School of Law in 2001 and began her career as a judicial clerk and a staff attorney with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. She has since served as a clinical professor at Florida Coastal School of Law and as the North Florida Bureau Chief of the Consumer Protection Division of the Florida Office of the Attorney General.

2024-01-04T11:29:16-05:00May 31st, 2023|News|

JALA helps tenant with disabilities keep live-in aide

“Joseph,” who lives in federally subsidized housing, has had multiple strokes and is in on weekly dialysis. He is legally blind, cannot drive and needs an electric wheelchair to get around. Having a live-in aide would help him live more independently in a stable environment. His choice of live-in aide was denied by his property management company because of a “derogatory, negative, or insufficient credit report and for having a credit score of 519." Under HUD regulations, negative credit is not a permissible reason for denying a live-in aide for a person with a disability. The regulations provide that a live-in aide does not have to meet tenant eligibility requirements. The rationale is that a live-in aide is not a tenant and does not receive a housing subsidy, because the rent is not calculated based upon the live-in aide’s income. A live-in aide merely makes it possible for the elderly, near elderly, or disabled individual to benefit from the housing program.

2024-01-04T11:31:02-05:00May 24th, 2023|Children's Health, Fair Housing, Family Law, News, Veterans Services|

Head of JALA’s Veterans Legal Services Unit receives VA accreditation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Attorney Jacalyn Crecelius, who leads Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Veterans Legal Services Unit, has received Veterans Administration accreditation, a qualification that helps ensure claimants have access to responsible and qualified representation on their VA benefits claims. “This accreditation opens up major opportunities to serve northeast Florida veterans and their families,” Crecelius said. “There are so many underserved veterans who aren’t receiving the VA benefits they deserve, and I’m excited to be able to advocate for them in a notoriously complicated system.” With accreditation, Crecelius can represent claimants after the VA has issued an initial decision on a claim. She can help them further develop evidence to support their claim and devise legal arguments on their behalf to submit to VA. She can also help clients navigate the VA appeals process. “JALA is thrilled to have a VA-accredited attorney to better serve our veterans,” JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski said. “VA studies have found that civil legal assistance is among the top unmet needs of unhoused veterans, and the affordable housing crisis has only increased the challenges faced by our veterans. Access to veterans’ benefits is critical to providing all low-income veterans with stability.”

2023-09-08T11:38:01-04:00May 24th, 2023|News, Veterans Services|

St. Johns County Legal Aid recognized for its service to the county’s Drug Court

As part of its 20th Anniversary Celebration, St. Johns County Drug Court recently recognized St. Johns County Legal Aid for its service to the court, a judicially-led program for non-violent addicted people with drug-related felony charges who reside within the county. The program involves regular court appearances before the judge, substance abuse treatment counseling, frequent random drug testing and supervision by probation. Five years ago, the treatment courts in St. Johns County, which include the Drug Court as well as a Veterans Treatment Court, asked St. Johns County Legal Aid to join their court team.  “The treatment court model was designed with prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement, and probation officers, as well as therapeutic counselors for mental health and addiction treatments, but the team was missing the civil legal issues that were holding down their success rates,” said Megan Wall, St. Johns County Legal Aid managing attorney. 

2023-05-24T10:13:04-04:00May 22nd, 2023|Children's Health, Family Law, News, Pro Bono|

Why giant investment company rentals are being blamed for affordable housing issues in Jacksonville

‘Flipping humans quickly’: I-TEAM investigates trend COJ report says is causing higher rent, fewer homes to buy JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A News4JAX I-TEAM analysis of Jacksonville property records found more than 9,600 homes across Duval County are owned by large, institutional investors, which are companies that have more than 1,000 homes nationwide in their portfolio. Single-family homes are being bought up by giant investment companies as rental properties. The trend is being blamed for contributing to rent hikes, leaving first-time home buyers with fewer options, and worsening Jacksonville’s affordable housing issues. A Jacksonville City Council committee pointed to this trend as one of the reasons for the city’s affordable housing issues. House prices and rents in Jacksonville have gone up nearly 50% since 2018, driven by people moving to Florida, a period of low interest rates and institutional investors. City Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman described the problem as “huge.”

2024-01-04T11:32:56-05:00May 19th, 2023|Fair Housing, News|

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St. Johns County Legal Aid

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