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FREE Legal Assistance Available for Central and Eastern Kentucky Flooding Survivors in 31 Counties
Free Legal Assistance Available for Central and Eastern Kentucky Flooding Survivors in 31 Counties
 
Contacts:
Robert Johns, Executive Director AppalReD Legal Aid- robertj@ardfky.org
Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic; An Interview with LABG's Executive Director

Like many organizations, Legal Aid of the Bluegrass (LABG) has faced a unique set of challenges over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on to learn more from my interview with Executive Director, Joshua Crabtree, on how LABG has developed new ways to continue providing high quality legal representation to the Commonwealth’s vulnerable.

What sorts of shifts has LABG undergone in the past 14 months amidst the pandemic?

Introducing The Elder Justice Program

Seniors are often isolated, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Loss of mobility, mental capacity, family, and financial independence all contribute to a higher risk of mistreatment.  Roughly 1 in 10 people aged 60 and older who live at home experience elder abuse according to the CDC. Family members and caregivers of the elderly are most likely to commit elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. Elder abuse is a growing problem that comes in many forms. Some seniors will face emotional abuse from people they trust and others will fall prey to scams. 

Kentucky’s Access To Justice Commission and Four Legal Aid Programs Announce Covid-19 Civil Legal Helpline

Kentucky’s Access to Justice Commission and the four Kentucky civil legal aid programs, AppalRed Legal Aid, Kentucky Legal Aid, Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, and Legal Aid Society, introduce

New Short Video Guides Kentuckians How to go to Court Alone

Going to court without an attorney is intimidating and can be confusing. Yet, as many as seventeen million people represent themselves in civil cases each year.1 This number is expected to increase as more Kentucky families experience civil legal issues as a result of Covid-19. Legal Aid of the Bluegrass (LABG) is releasing “Your Day in Court: Representing Yourself in Kentucky Courts” a short animated video that educates self-represented litigants on court basics. 

LABG Housing Counselors Top of Their Field

In August 2017, the HUD Housing Counseling Exam became the new standard of certifying HUD housing counselors.  Regardless of one's years of experience in the housing field, the exam has gained a formidable reputation. Across the nation, only 26% of counselors have passed the exam and a passing grade is needed to continue representing clients with housing counseling dollars from HUD.  All counselors need to be certified by August 1, 2020.

Updates to Kentucky Expungement Law

A fresh start is available to more people this year with the passing of Senate Bill 57, which expands the list of expungable Class D felony convictions and lowers the costs associated with felony expungements.  While a person can still only expunge one lifetime Class D felony conviction, there is an exception or loophole that allows a person to expunge a second lifetime Class D felony, but only if they expunged the first Class D felony conviction prior to June 27, 2019.  In addition to the specific list of eligible Class D felony convictions found in K

A Reason to Appeal
Often times at Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, we find ourselves running into new frontiers of law and at the forefront of changing laws and interpretation of statutes.  In January 2016, some of those new laws took shape in Kentucky as an expansion of our ability to provide protection to the victims of domestic violence.  This change expanded the reach of our domestic violence laws to create what is called an “interpersonal protective order” - allowing victims of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking to receive orders of protection as well.  
Legal Aid of the Bluegrass Receives Technology Grant from the Legal Services Corporation

WASHINGTON – The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has announced that Legal Aid of the Bluegrass (LABG) will receive a $176,966 Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) to reinvigorate and improve the Kentucky statewide legal information website, kyjustice.org. Established in 2000, LSC’s TIG program supports legal aid organizations in developing and replicating technologies that improve efficiency and provide greater access to high-quality legal assistance.

LABG Announces New Operations Director, Adam Shastid

Legal Aid of the Bluegrass (LABG), a Kentucky non-profit legal services organization, has welcomed its new Operations Director, Adam Shastid, to the organization.  Shastid succeeds Brenda Combs, who is retiring as Business Director at the end of 2019. Shastid will lead the non-legal operations of LABG including overseeing technology, project implementation, grants administration, and financial and human resources.

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