SIDEBAR Summer 2017 - 33

YOUNG LAWYERS

MONTGOMERYBAR.ORG

Legal Aid of Southeastern PA Hosts
Driver's License Restoration Clinic with
State Senator Daylin Leach and MBA
Young Lawyers Section Volunteers
By Barbara Overholser, Legal Aid of Southeastern PA, and Andrew Levin, Esq.,
MBA Young Lawyers Section

M

ontgomery Bar Association partnered with Legal
Aid of Southeastern PA to hold a Driver's License
Restoration Clinic on May 11, 2017 at the Carver
Center in Norristown. The clinic, made possible by the generous
support of State Senator Daylin Leach and his dedicated staff,
was designed to provide education to residents of Montgomery
County who were experiencing difficulty completing the license
reinstatement process. For low-income people, the loss of a
driver's license can lead to a spiral of greater loss - it can become
harder to get to work, which results in a loss of income, which
can potentially lead to the loss of one's home.
Volunteer attorneys attended a lesson taught by Managing
Attorney of Legal Aid of Southeastern PA Michael Kelley and
MBA Vice President Gregory Gifford on the basics of restoring
driving privileges. Those in attendance learned the requirements
of license restoration and driver eligibility for a Probationary
License or Occupational Limited License ("working license").
Thirteen pro bono attorneys then graciously volunteered
their time to help identify barriers to license restoration and
provide advice regarding eligibility to more than 30 residents
of Montgomery County. The hope of this effort is to give
participants the knowledge needed to advocate for themselves
so they can safely return to the road, whether to get to work, to
school, or to the doctor.
Michael Lyon, Secretary of the Young Lawyers Section,
saw the clinic as an opportunity to benefit the residents of
Montgomery County. He commented, "We had a great turnout

LASP and pro bono volunteers prepare for the Driver's
License Restoration Clinic at the George Washington Carver
Community Center in Norristown.
Photo by Councilman Hakim Jones (4th District),
acting Executive Director of the George Washington
Carver Community Center.
of community members and YLS volunteers for the Clinic. It
was a great opportunity for YLS members to give back and meet
members in the community who might not otherwise have access
to our services. Our volunteers did an excellent job listening to the
concerns of the community and responding to them with a smile."
Many of the residents expressed their gratitude to local attorneys
and found the clinic beneficial in their effort to obtain driving
privileges for use in employment and family care.
"Everyone - even those with little money - should have
access to quality legal assistance," said State Senator Daylin Leach.
"Whether you're in a dispute with your landlord, defending
yourself against criminal charges, or simply need to get your
driver's license back, you should have the chance to tell your side
of the story with the help of a trained advocate. That's why I
partnered with Legal Aid of Southeastern PA on this clinic. They
do important work for those who are most in need, and I am
eternally thankful for that."

SUMMER 2017 33
https://montgomerybar.org/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SIDEBAR Summer 2017
