News from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network
PLAN Seeks Nominations for 2018 PLAN Excellence Awards
Advocacy Exchange: Tax Law for Legal Aid Lawyers
The Clearinghouse Community, part of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, will be holding its October episode of the Advocacy Exchange webcast, entitled Tax Law for Legal Aid Lawyers, on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 from 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm Eastern. The Advocacy Exchange is a monthly conversation hosted by the Clearinghouse Community with advocates advancing change.
Health Law PA News - September 2017
The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the September 2017 edition of Health Law PA News.
Health Law PA News is a free newsletter containing the latest news relating to Health Law in Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to receive the PHLP eNews, which links to the Health Law PA News on the PHLP website at www.phlp.org.
Jim DeAngelo Honored With PBA’s Jeffrey A. Ernico Award
The Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Legal Services to the Public Committee is pleased to honor Harrisburg lawyer James P. DeAngelo with its Jeffrey A. Ernico Award at the September 27, 2017 annual fall membership meeting of the Dauphin County Bar Association.
Attorney DeAngelo is Chair of the Litigation Group at McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC in Harrisburg. He joined the firm as a business litigator in 1992 after his clerkship with the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
Oct. 16 Application Deadline for Statewide Loan Repayment Assistance Program
Lawyers employed by the IOLTA-funded civil legal services organizations providing free legal services to low-income Pennsylvanians have until Oct. 16 to apply for student loan repayment assistance from the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), which is administered by the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (PA IOTLA) Board and the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation.
Proposed New Court Rules - Comments Requested
Several proposed procedural rule changes significant to legal aid practitioners were announced in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on August 12, 2017. The changes relate to the handling of confidential information pursuant to the new Public Access Policy: Case Records of the Appellate and Trial Courts adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on January 6, 2017.
Attorney General Shapiro Announces $6.7 Million in Debt Relief for PA Students at For-Profit Colleges
Attorney General Josh Shapiro has announced a proposed settlement with Aequitas Capital Management, a defunct investment firm, that provides $6.7 million in debt relief for 1,200 Pennsylvanians who attended for-profit colleges.
Aequitas holds student loan accounts related to the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges, a large for-profit chain of 30 schools that filed for bankruptcy in 2015. In Pennsylvania, Corinthian operated the Everest Institutes in Bensalem, Bucks County and Pittsburgh and WyoTech, later bought by an unrelated entity, in Blairsville, Indiana County.
Fair Housing News - Late Summer 2017
The Fair Housing Law Center has released the latest edition of it quarterly newsletter, FAIR HOUSING NEWS.
The Fair Housing Law Center was launched and is operated by Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services. It provides the first and only coordinated effort in the 24-county region of Western Pennsylvania to affirmatively promote through testing, legal advice, counsel, and representation the rights of the protected classes delineated in the Fair Housing Act.
U.S. Supreme Court Institutes New Electronic Filing System
The U.S. Supreme Court is instituting a new electronic filing system that will begin operation on November 13, 2017. A quick link on the Court’s website homepage will provide access to the new system, developed in-house to provide prompt and easy access to case documents. Once the system is in place, virtually all new filings will be accessible without cost to the public and legal community.
Registration Open for 2017 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Conference - September 28-29
Registration is now open for the 2017 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Conference. The Conference will take place on September 28-29, 2017 at the Hilton Harrisburg Hotel, One North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.
Registration is free for staff and board members of Pennsylvania's network of legal aid programs. Registration for staff of non-PLAN public interest, government or other nonprofit organization is $275.00. The cost for all other registrants is $450.00. Registration includes meals and conference materials.
PLEASE NOTE: THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR THE CONFERENCE IS SEPTEMBER 15, 2017.
Free Webinar: In-Kind Support and Maintenance in the Supplemental Security Income Program
Justice in Aging is offering a free webinar entitled In-Kind Support and Maintenance in the Supplemental Security Income Program on Wednesday, August 16, 2017 from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern.
This webinar will examine the “in- kind support and maintenance” rule and provide advocates with the tools to successfully navigate the rules on behalf of their clients.
2017 MLK, Jr. Program Interns Honored at Reception
The 2017 Class of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Interns recently completed their summer of service. The class was honored at a reception held July 25, 2017. The featured speaker at the reception was Sharon Lopez, Esq., President of the PA Bar Association and a member of the first MLK class of interns twenty-five years ago.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro Announces Consumer Financial Protection Unit
Attorney General Josh Shapiro has announced that he is creating a Consumer Financial Protection Unit to better protect Pennsylvania consumers from financial scams, and appointing an experienced consumer protection attorney to lead the initiative.
Attorney General Shapiro announced the appointment of Nicholas Smyth, who helped create the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), as Assistant Director of the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection with a dedicated focus on financial initiatives. The effort will focus on lenders that prey on seniors, families with students, and military service members, including for-profit colleges and mortgage and student loan servicers.
Health Law PA News - June/July 2017
The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the June/July 2017 edition of Health Law PA News.
Health Law PA News is a free newsletter containing the latest news relating to Health Law in Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to receive the PHLP eNews, which links to the Health Law PA News on the PHLP website at www.phlp.org.
PUC Seeks Additional Comments on Chapter 56 Revisions; Proposed Changes to Utility Reporting, Medical Certificates, Friday Terminations and Security Deposits Among Highlights
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is requesting additional comments on proposed revisions to Chapter 56 of the Public Utility Code (Chapter 56).
Revisions to Chapter 56 relate to the standards and billing practices for residential utility service. Act 155 of 2014, which reauthorized and amended Chapter 14 of the Public Utility Code (Chapter 14) and partially superseded Chapter 56, directed the Commission to revise Chapter 56 and promulgate regulations to administer and enforce Chapter 14 (Responsible Utility Customer Protection).
