Lindsey - 2009
Lindsey was referred to Legal Aid of Manasota by SPARCC in June of 2008. She has been married for about ten years to the father of her 5 and 6 year old daughters. Her husband had been unemployed for a while and wanted to relocate to Michigan where his family lives. Lindsey did not want to move. Her husband was very abusive. Lindsey is a veteran and suffered some neck injuries during service and she takes pain killers for it but takes much less than she is prescribed. Lindsey's husband has called her mother and other people and told then that she was abusing her medication. Lindsey believed he was "building a case" to be able to win the custody of the children if she refused to relocate.
Lindsey eventually had to file an action to prevent removal of the children from the state of Florida. She received a permanent Injunction with the help of the attorneys at Legal Aid of Manasota Her husband tried to have the IFP reheard, and after another court hearing the injunction stands. Lindsey is now in the process of obtaining a divorce.
"I do not know what I would have done without Legal Aid of Manasota and my Attorney... Priceless."
Debbie - January 2009
When Debbie first came to Legal Aid of Manasota in April of 2008 she had just filed for an injunction due to her husbands Mark's abuse over the last few years. Debbie is 39 years old; she and Mark had been married for 23 years and have two adult children and two minor children. The children have lived with Debbie's parents for the last four years because Mark is an alcoholic but has not drunk for the last four months. Mark has not worked most of his life. Debbie stated that Mark is bipolar and manic depressive and that he has tried to kill himself many times. He is also very abusive verbally and has gotten physical in the last couple of years. Debbie and Mark have "legal custody" of their minor children, however Debbie's mother has been caring for the children and collecting child support.
"Legal Aid of Manasota helped me get the injunction, bring my children home to a safe environment, and begin my life again without the chaos. Thank you so much."
Satisfied Client - June 2009
"I participated in the Iccard Merrill Legal Aid workshop two weeks ago and just wanted to say Thanks so much I have really been run through the ringer by a mortgage company who got a foreclosure judgment three years ago and have discovered some really egregious accounting errors that occurred right around the time of my judgment and I am going back into court tomorrow to ask for a hearing to set aside that judgment and to file a counterclaim.
Anyway, thank you so much for the time that you all took, I really appreciated it and I am sure that everyone that participated did as well. I thought that it was great and wanted to express my gratitude for your community outreach. From one citizen to another, Thanks so much."
Satisfied Client - April 2009
"When I first met my Attorneyat Legal Aid of Manasota I remember that she said that she would take good care of me and I had faith in her because she looks like a real nice person. I wasn't wrong for trusting her; she did more than I expected her to do. She did a great job. She took care of me and helped me like no one else ever has.
It was a blessing knowing her and I thank God for leading me to Legal Aid of Manasota. They have done a lot for me and my family. The Attorney is a great human being, friendly and a great lawyer. She's great. Thank you so much to our Attorney and Legal Aid of Manasota."
Susie - June 2009
Susie came to Legal Aid of Manasota in April of 2009 to obtain temporary custody of her two year old niece. The mother whereabouts were unknown and had been in and out of jail due to her drug abuse. The father resides in another state and was willing to allow Susie to have custody of the child. Susie saw her pro bono attorney who accepted her case. The Attorney was very informative and in less than two months he was ready to attend court. The paperwork was written so well that the case lasted less than 10 minutes. Susie obtained custody. "Thank you Legal Aid of Manasota and my Attorney, without you my family would not exist."
Erica Sirotich - Associate Director, ShelterBox USA
Legal Aid of Manasota's attorney was instrumental in helping our national nonprofit organization better understand the nature of our corporate relationship with our parent organization, which is based in the UK. We were so pleased to meet with out Attorney and to be received so warmly and professionally by Legal Aids' entire staff. After clarifying our questions during this initial meeting, the Attorney prepared a thorough memorandum outlining the various issues we discussed in a plain style that we presented to our Board of Directors. Additionally, the Attorney introduced us to other Sarasota attorneys who now assist us with tax and other matters on a pro bono basis. Since we operate on a very small budget, we could not have sought this type of counsel without the help of Legal Aid of Manasota! Thank you!
Brain B. - Board Member, "The Gratitude Club"
The Gratitude Club is a non profit clubhouse for 12 step program meetings. We did not have the means or the funds to pursue the 501 (C) 3 on our own. Our Attorney's help was indispensable and we could not have done it without him.