Special Projects

I.  Transitioning Dependent Youth Project

Our Transitioning Dependent Youth Project offers free legal assistance to dependent children and young adults in Pinellas County. 

Whom do we help?

We help dependent youth including children within the foster care system aged 13-18, or 19 if they are still dependent.  Our mission is to help these children with their legal needs as they transition into adulthood.  These services supplement assistance provided by their Department of Children and Families (DCF) caseworkers or Guardians ad Litem.

What do we help with?

Examples of legal issues we assist with include:

  • Placement in or enhancements in special education and other public education needs;
  • Access to medical care;
  • Access to mental health services;
  • Access to disability and other public financial benefits;
  • Securing meaningful and appropriate housing; and
  • Other legal assistance designed to ensure that these youth are better equipped to be self-sufficient upon entering adulthood.

Why is this additional assistance necessary?

According to information received from DCF, as of August 2006, 23.8% of the 3,008 dependent children within this age group are disconnected and at risk for homelessness. Although there are Guardians ad Litem assigned to most of these teenage foster children, they may not have the specialized skill or authority to represent children in independent legal proceedings.  In these circumstances, these children are eneitled to and/or should be represented by their own attorney who can advocate for the child's wishes.

How do we help?

Community Law Program has a full-time attorney devoted to serving as an Attorney ad Litem to represent these children.  We also hope to encourage private attorneys and law firms to represent these children pro bono (for free).

Where are we?

Our Attorney ad Litem is located at the Community Law Program office at 501 First Avenue North, Room 512, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.  Please contact us at (727) 582-7480 or clp@lawprogram.org for more information on the Transitioning Dependent Youth Project.

II.   Community Counsel Program

The Community Counsel Program is a collaborative partnership of Community Law Program, Bay Area Legal Services, Legal Aid of Manasota, and Gulfcoast Legal Services.  This program provides legal assistance for eligible community-based non-profit organizations.  The Community Counsel Program provides pro bono transactional services to organizations that are working to better the economic and social conditions for low-income residents and communities in distress.

We strive to help non-profits more effectively address the legal and risk management issues that arise in connection with their operations.  Our goals are to help eligible nonprofits build and maintain their capacity to serve the needs of our community as well as provide a credible source through which transactional lawyers may offer pro bono services.

Our clients serve low-income youth; seniors and families; the homeless; low-income neighborhoods; victims of domestic violence; and the disabled. 

Typically, the organizations we serve have fewer discretionary dollars in their budgets and generally cannot afford private attorney fees. When organizations are unable to afford attorneys, they either do not address their legal issues or hire attorneys with programming dollars, thereby reducing the services they deliver to the community.

The Community Counsel Program leverages its limited staff resources by matching eligible nonprofits with volunteer attorneys in the following areas:

  • Corporate
  • Tax
  • Labor
  • Contract
  • Land Use
  • Real Estate
  • Insurance
  • Trademark
  • General CCP
  • Regulatory

For more information on the Community Counsel Program, please contact us at (727) 582-7480 or clp@lawprogram.org.

III.  Self-Help Center

The Self-Help Center, which opened in October, 2007, is a collaboration of the offices of Ken Burke, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Pinellas County, the Sixth Judicial Circuit, and Community Law Program.  The Center offers affordable legal services to the citizens of Pinellas County.

Unlike CLP's legal advice clinics, there are no income requirements in order to use the Center.  The Self-Help Center is available to everyone.

Services

At the Self-Help Center, citizens are able to:

  • Schedule an appointment to consult with an attorney for $1 (one dollar) per minute at a minimum of 15-minute increments and a maximum of one hour.  Payment must be made in advance to shcedule an appoinment;

  • Use specialized software to assist in filling out eviction, divorce and/or small claims forms for a $5.00 service fee plus applicable form packet fees;

  • Make copies for $0.15 per page;

  • Purchase forms and packets for family, small claims and landlord/tenant actions;

  • Have documents notarized for a $5.00 fee; and

  • Perform legal research.

Office Locations

St. Petersburg Judicial Building, 545 First Avenue North, 5th Floor, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. Phone: 727-582-7941

and

The Clearwater Law Library, Old Clearwater Courthouse, 324 S. Fort Harrison Avenue, Clearwater, Florida 33756. Phone: 727-464-5150

Office Hours

The Self-Help Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

©Community Law Program 2008