THE MYSTERY OF THE PRO BONO MYTH
The biggest problem litigants often
have is Pro Se (representing oneself) discrimination. We often hear that
people lose their homes and life savings from lawsuits. The illusion here
is that one party in a lawsuit loses, and has to pay the other party. The
fact is that people are financially devastated from attorney’s fees- not from
the opposing parties. Without a lawyer, no matter how skilled you are at
writing and research, you will be victimized by unavoidable bias and
collusion. This is inevitable in a system that allows judges to serve in
courts where they have already worked for decades.
We vote judges into office at the
Common Pleas level without really knowing how they will perform. This is
the level where your assets are most vulnerable and accessible to
the courthouse opportunists. After being guaranteed a job for ten years,
with “sovereign immunity” protecting them against liability for misconduct,
judges more often than not, become at best arrogant, and at worst corrupt.
Attorneys who come before them every day in Court are their friends and
colleagues. If you cannot afford to hire one of these attorneys, you are out of
luck. No better illustration of this was the “Kids for Cash”
scandal at the Common Pleas level of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
THERE
IS NO SUCH THING AS PRO BONO
- After trying to find a pro bono (volunteer) lawyer, and contacting numerous “legal aid” societies, I found that help did not really exist- at least not if you had any assets to lose. Most of these “nonprofit” services provide about one hour per month of services for each client. I tried numerous organizations such as the Pennsylvania Bar, the Montgomery County Bar and the Legal Aid society. I was told that basically I needed a real lawyer, and therefore did not qualify for any free or pro bono services. Nor did I qualify for reduced fees. I was given no reason- no forms to fill out for eligibility—nothing.
- After trying to find a pro bono (volunteer) lawyer, and contacting numerous “legal aid” societies, I found that help did not really exist- at least not if you had any assets to lose. Most of these “nonprofit” services provide about one hour per month of services for each client. I tried numerous organizations such as the Pennsylvania Bar, the Montgomery County Bar and the Legal Aid society. I was told that basically I needed a real lawyer, and therefore did not qualify for any free or pro bono services. Nor did I qualify for reduced fees. I was given no reason- no forms to fill out for eligibility—nothing.
These organizations only help you after
you have nothing left to lose. Most only do such innocuous filings such
as uncontested divorces, and filing for government entitlements for the
indigent and welfare recipients. I started to research the insanity of this and
was more than appalled by what I found and also just how our elected officials
are failing at addressing these issues.
MILLIONS
OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS SUPPORT ATTORNEYS OVERSEAS -A
prime example is a “nonprofit” organization called the “National Center for
State Courts.” They reported in 2009 on their IRS Form 990 having
received $11,184,843 - the majority of which was grants from taxpayer dollars.
Not one citizen was helped by their organization- well at least not
in this country. This organization paid $5,433,125 for “justice reform” in
Europe (including Iceland and Greenland). They spent $2,646,885 in the
Middle East and Africa, along with millions more sent to a total of seven
countries outside the U.S totally $9,804,592. They also list nine
“independent contractors” of “justice reform” who received more than $100,000
each- with some very notable expenditures: over $241,000 was paid to some
fellow named Phillippe Lamarche in Beirut; $608,180 to another “nonprofit” Amid
east in Washington, DC and $226,482 for “contract services” to the Hay Group in
Jakarta India. The Form 990 revealed this organization had over $32
million in revenue- mostly from federal, state and other government
contracts. They then shelled out $15 million dollars in salaries and
other compensations for the attorneys that work for them.
Another organization called “Judicial
Watch” populated by a needy group of attorneys-received $10,978,152 in 2009 in
grants and “contributions.” This is another organization that provides NO
SERVICES to the public. You can view their website at judicialwatch.org
and see that they basically write articles-which I doubt anyone reading this
has ever noticed. And their lobbying efforts are a direct conflict of interest
-as for one, they are attorneys lobbying against attorneys, and secondly, they
are lobbying against the government with government money. Their Schedule
B was not viewable on line- which would have revealed the exact sources of
their grants and contributions. They paid out close to $2 million for
fundraising packages and consulting (you have to wonder who owned those fundraising
companies or what kickbacks it generated).
The above was just a small sampling of
attorneys running “nonprofits.” How many Americans went without legal
representation in 2009, 2010 and this year? It would be difficult to
estimate, because many families just give up. They lose their homes, they lose
tuition saved to put their children through college, and they lose their
retirement funds..Please copy this article and find out who your
representatives are at both the State and Federal level at http://www.usay.org/
and send this article to them with your signature. More than 50% of
us will be affected by a loss due to the legal system- a mechanical failure
perpetuated by conflicts of interest of your elected officials- most of whom
are attorneys.
