LOCAL LAW FIRMS and WELLS FARGO Provide Pro Bono Assistance to East St. Louis Residents Seeking a Second Chance

Volunteer attorneys and paralegals from Wells Fargo & Company, Sandberg Phoenix, Greensfelder, and Brown & James, P.C. accepted pro bono cases as part of this project, all aiming to help clients obtain better jobs and safer housing. The volunteers completed cultural competency, poverty law and substantive law training in preparation for this representation.

“Pro bono advocacy is a part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to community service, volunteerism, and diversity and inclusion,” said Ashlin Mosby, Senior Counsel in the legal department at Wells Fargo. “Wells Fargo volunteer attorneys and paralegals are excited for the opportunity to give East St. Louis residents a second chance by helping them with their legal needs.”

Land of Lincoln hosted an Expungement and Sealing clinic at the District’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center this past March, and more than 60 individuals showed up for the event. Land of Lincoln staff performed intakes and provided a brief legal analysis for each new client in attendance. Clients were then assigned to pro bono volunteers whose firms were already onboard with the project.

Project volunteers are invited to participate in weekly Zoom Office Hours during the drafting and interviewing phase of their case representation. During office hours, experienced Expungement and Sealing attorneys from Land of Lincoln are available to answer case questions and provide mentoring and advice.

Land of Lincoln Senior Staff Attorney Julie Poplstein spearheads the project’s pro bono recruiting efforts. She recruits local firms to volunteer with the project, and coordinates training and CLE for pro bono attorneys and paralegals.

Poplstein said, “I am so impressed with our Justice in Schools Pro Bono Project volunteers. They visited our East St Louis office for an in-person orientation, enthusiastically participated in the training process, and accepted Expungement and Sealing cases on the spot, with no hesitation. These pro bono attorneys and paralegals really care about our East St. Louis clients and are providing them with top-notch legal services.”

Studies show that 92% of low-income households faced a civil legal issue last year and received little or no legal help. Thus, nearly a third of East St. Louis families faced a legal problem – or multiple legal problems – last year alone. Because of this, the project’s goal is to better address the civil legal needs of the residents of the District, which serves 5,000 students and their families.

If you or your firm would like to participate in the Justice in Schools Pro Bono Project, contact Julie Poplstein at jpoplstein@lincolnlegal.org.

Land of Lincoln Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to low-income persons, senior citizens, veterans, and active military in 65 counties in central and southern Illinois, with the belief that all Illinoisans should have access to justice, income security, adequate housing, quality education, healthcare, safety from violence and exploitation, and the opportunity to improve their own lives.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is a leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 41 on Fortune’s 2022 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy.

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