Hiscock Legal Aid Society (HLA) is pleased to announce the promotion of Lucero Saldana Mistry to Supervising Attorney of HLA’s immigration program.

Lucero, born in Lima, Peru, moved to Florida as an infant. She lived in Hollywood, FL and attended high school there before doing undergraduate work in Boca Raton. She then attended Florida Coastal School of Law. 

Lucero said when she was young she wanted to practice immigration law as she went through the process herself. When she grew a bit older, her thinking evolved and she began to lean toward Family Law though she says that when she graduated, she found that the demand for immigration attorneys was high and the fact that she was fluent in both English and Spanish made her well suited for immigration work. 

She moved to New York State in 2016 and has been working with Hiscock Legal Aid Society since that time. 

“I went through the process myself,” said Lucero. “I came here without status and I went through the whole system so I understand the stressors involved and I want to help people for those reasons.”

Hiscock Legal Aid Society (HLA) is pleased to announce the promotion of Kristen McDermott to Co-Supervising Attorney of HLA’s Appeals Program where she co-supervises with Phillip Rothschild. 

Kristen has been with HLA for nearly a decade, beginning as a staff attorney  in 2010 before being promoted a few years later to Senior Attorney in HLA’s appeals program. 

She attended Cardozo School of Law where she received her Juris Doctor. 

Before arriving at HLA, Kristen gained valuable experience working with the New York City Human Resource Administration and the Innocence Project. 

Her tenure at Hiscock Legal Aid has been marked by significant victories both in the 4^th Department and the Court of Appeals.

The NYS Office for New Americans has awarded the Hiscock Legal Aid Society a substantial amount of new funding that will allow HLA to dramatically expand the size and scope of its immigration legal services in 2019.

“For years, in communities around the nation including here in Central New York, there has been a crushing, unmet need for this sort of representation,” said Linda Gehron, Executive Director, President and C.E.O. “With this additional funding, we can serve more people and help them emerge from the periphery of society to contribute to our community more fully, and without fear.”

Hiscock Legal Aid continues to collaborate with the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County (OnVLP). OnVLP will assist with supporting this project in CNY and in the North Country.

The expanded services are slated to begin in May.

Read more about this in the press release issued by the New York State Governor’s Office:

Governor Cuomo Announces Selection of 19 Full-Time Immigration Attorneys to Help Immigrants Across State

Congratulations are in order for the promotions of the following HLA staff members:

Gregory W. Dewan, Esq. has been promoted to the position of Deputy Executive Director & Vice President. A graduate of Emory University School of Law, Mr. Dewan says the collaborative passion that his colleagues bring to work each day is the best part of his job.

Nicole E. Talev, Esq. has been promoted to Managing Attorney of Civil and Family Court Programs. She is a graduate of SUNY Buffalo Law School and notes her favorite part of working at HLA is “being surrounded by others who share my passion and dedication for achieving the best outcome possible for our clients.”

Tara L. Trammell, Esq. has been promoted to Supervising Attorney in the Family Court Program. Tara attended Syracuse University for her undergraduate degree where she also played basketball. She went on to get her law degree from SU College of Law. Tara has been with HLA since 2009, working for both Family Court and Civil Programs and providing leadership in our domestic violence projects.

Danielle Blackaby, Esq.  has been promoted to the position of Senior Attorney for her excellent Family Court appeals work. She has been extremely hard-working and highly successful with her work. She graduated with a BA in Political Science from Gettysburg College in 2011 and went on to receive her JD from Syracuse University College of Law in May 2016.

Alexa D. Parcell, Esq. is originally from Austin, Texas but Syracuse has been home since she graduated from Syracuse University College of Law. She’s been promoted to Senior Attorney and notes that “being able to advocate for those in our community who otherwise would not be able to have representation” is her favorite part of working at HLA.

Amanda M. McHenry will continue to serve as a Supervising Attorney for the Family Court Program including our Parent Defense practice that handles Article 10, TPR and Child Support cases. Amanda will also serve as our OVS Project Attorney, representing victims of domestic violence who face neglect charges.

HLA is proud to announce that Amanda Higuchi, LMSW has passed her licensing exams in February. Amanda grew up in LaFayette, NY and received her BSW from Keuka College. She graduated from Syracuse University in May 2018 with her Masters in Social Work.

Hiscock Legal Aid Society is proud to announce the promotion of Nickie Trice to the position of Client Services Coordinator.

Ms. Trice is the first face many people see when coming to our offices and her interactions are marked by professionalism and compassion.

Ms. Trice has been with HLA since 2009 when she joined as an intern through the Jobs Plus program. After her internship, she was offered a job as receptionist, then promoted to senior receptionist before assuming her new role as client services coordinator.

Congratulations, Nickie.

Cancer Legal Advocacy and Services Project Re-opens

On June 1, Hiscock Legal Aid Society and Legal Services of Central New York reopened the Cancer Legal Advocacy and Services Project (CLASP), a collaborative partnership between the two legal services providers.

Since its inception in 2006, CLASP had been funded by the New York State Department of Health.  In May 2017, the Department of Health abruptly eliminated funding.

With generous support from the Allyn Family Foundation, Saint Agatha Foundation, Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York, and Dr. Jeffrey Kirshner, as well as numerous donors from HLAS’s Justice for All fundraising program, LSCNY and HLAS were delighted to officially reopen CLASP  June 1, 2018.

“CLASP empowers cancer patients, ensures their access to medical treatment, and improves their quality of life by offering free civil legal services to individuals and their families who are going through what is often one of the scariest periods of their lives,” said Linda Gehron, President and C.E.O. “We are most grateful to be able to again offer this valuable program with our colleagues at LSCNY, the lead partner in this effort.”

CLASP offers comprehensive legal services, including: lifetime planning (power of attorney, healthcare proxy and living will, last will and testament, future care of minor children); access to healthcare (Medicaid/Medicare, private insurance, medical debt); income maintenance (SNAP, public assistance, disability benefits); family law (guardianship, child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, divorce and separation agreement); employment (unemployment insurance benefits, medical leave, disability accommodations); and housing preservation/eviction prevention.

Low-income individuals and families affected by cancer should contact CLASP at 315-703-6599 to request free legal assistance.

Hiscock Legal Aid Society is pleased to announce the appointment of President and C.E.O. Linda Gehron, Esq. to serve on a new Commission on Parental Legal Representation.

This commission will examine the current state of mandated Family Court representation and determine how to ensure the future delivery of quality, cost-effective parental representation.

Ms. Gehron was appointed to this post by the New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.

“I’m honored to be given this opportunity to collaborate with legal scholars, judges and expert practitioners from around New York in continually improving programs that serve our clients,” said Linda Gehron, President and C.E.O. “The Hiscock Legal Aid Society has served thousands of clients in our mandated programs over the years so we have much to contribute, and much to gain, in being a part of these critically important conversations.”

The Commission will be headed by Judge Karen Peters, former Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department. The Hon. Karen Peters will work with the Office of Indigent Legal Services – particularly Director of Quality Enhancement, Angela Burton – to build upon the groundwork being done across the State to improve the quality of parental legal representation.

Various members of the legal community, including our very own President & C.E.O. Linda Gehron, sat down for a round table discussion with WAER’s News Director Chris Bolt about the effects poverty has on someone facing legal issues.

Also featured in the discussion were:

Ron Boxx, Head of Reintegration, Center for Community Alternatives,
Langston McKinney, Retired Syracuse City Court Judge,
Richard Ellison, College of Law Professor at Syracuse University,
Sally Fisher Curran, Executive Director, Onondaga County Volunteer Lawyers Project and
Dennis Kaufman, Executive Director, Legal Services of Central New York.

http://waer.org/post/city-limits-talk-round-table-legal-assistance

Hiscock Legal Aid Society is pleased to share that several attorneys and staff are being recognized for their work in promoting justice for all in the CNY community.

HLA Family Court Supervising Attorney Nancy Farrell and Assistant Supervising Attorney Amanda McHenry are the 2018 recipients of the Ella B. Family Justice Award.  This award honors attorneys or professionals who work to advance the quality of representation received by low-income parents in child protective and/or termination of parental rights cases.  Ms. Farrell and Ms. McHenry will travel to Albany to accept this award on April 20.

Senior Attorney James P. (Pat) Tracy was recognized by the Onondaga County Volunteer Lawyers Project (OnVLP) at their Volunteer Recognition Celebration April 19 as one of their Pro Bono Champions.  Mr. Tracy has worked at HLA for nearly 20 years and has focused his practice for the last several years on immigration law.

Client Advocate Jean Shirley will be receiving the Liberty Bell Award at Law Day 2018 being held on May 1.  The Liberty Bell is a prestigious award given to a non-attorney who promotes justice in an extraordinary way in their community.  Ms. Shirley has worked at HLA for more than 40 years.

“Nancy, Amanda, Pat and Jean exemplify the commitment, the professionalism and the dedication HLA attorneys and staff bring to work each day to carry out our mission,” said Linda Gehron, President and C.E.O. “They are dynamic leaders who serve our clients and our community extraordinarily well.”

In January, the Hiscock Legal Aid Society Board of Directors said good bye to long time and dedicated board members.  Collectively, these members have served on the board for more than a century.  They have each left their mark on the Board as well as the agency.  Pictured: Anita Cottrell, JoAnn Wallace, Anthony J. Malavenda, and Samuel C. Young.  Not pictured: Carl Pesko.

“We are grateful for the energy, enthusiasm, and passion that each of these members brought to the Hiscock Legal Aid Society over the past decade,” said Linda Gehron, President and C.E.O. “Their efforts have helped us to promote justice for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

HLAS is saying farewell and good luck to Mary Tiby George, a senior law assistant who has been with the agency for more than four decades.  Mary witnessed the organization move from typewriter to computer, then to laptop with cloud-based software to seamlessly and confidentially handle cases.  Over the course of 44 years, Mary served thousands of HLAS clients, often in very tenuous circumstances, with compassion.  During her tenure, Mary saw the organization more than double in size, add new programs and expand from one building to two.

“We are profoundly grateful for the years Mary has spent with our organization” said Linda Gehron, President and C.E.O. of Hiscock Legal Aid Society. “During her time with us, Hiscock Legal Aid Society has evolved to meet he ever changing needs of our clients. Through all of this change, Mary has worked to promote justice for all with professionalism, kindness and compassion.”

HLAS welcomes a new Law Associate to our Appeals Program, Brittney Clark. She is from North Carolina and attended Gardner-Webb University, graduating in 2014, and Syracuse University College of Law, graduating in May 2017. She is currently awaiting admission to the New York State Bar. She came to HLAS because of its relationship with the local Syracuse community, and its mission to provide advocacy for those who are marginalized and underserved.

Shannon McGlew is a new Staff Attorney in our Civil Program. She is currently handling Unemployment Insurance cases. She attended school at Saint Bonaventure University graduating in 2014, and Syracuse University College of Law, graduating in May 2017. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in January 2018. She chose to work at HLAS because of our focus on helping the community and underserved populations. She also feels that there are many different learning opportunities here which are ideal for a new attorney.

HLAS is very happy to announce that Alison Oropallo has joined our Family Court Program.  Ms. Oropallo has a strong familiarity with and has developed a passion for Family Court work through the last year or so working with attorney Christina Cagnina.  She is a May 2014 graduate of the Florida Coastal School of Law where her team won a 2014 trial competition being named the “Best Criminal Team Overall.”

On December 6th we had our 4th annual Justice For All event.  Thank you to all who came.  We had a record number of people!  Thank you to County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney for speaking.  Thank you to all who donated so that we can continue to promote justice for all in our community.

A special thank you to our sponsors: