Nonprofit Assistance

Community Councel Brochure.pdf

Attorney Brochure JDCCLC.pdf

                       Judge Don Castor 
                       Community Law Center

The Judge Don Castor Community Law Center provides legal and technical assistance to local non-profit and community-based organizations that are working to improve the lives of low-income communities.

The Community Law Center acts as a centralized link between needy groups and capable attorneys who want to give back to their communities. In addition to advice and direct legal services to our clients, the Community Law Center also coordinates training events to assist non-profit clients and potential clients with recurring issues that arise in their daily operations. During its years of operation, the Community Law Center has had a positive impact in community-based housing initiatives such as Self-Reliance, Inc., Good Samaritan Mission - a migrant housing initiative, CDC of Tampa, and Homes for Hillsborough among many others. The Center has also benefited domestic violence victims by assisting in their effort to gain transitional housing. Another segment of the Center coordinated assistance to Faith-Based Organizations such as Metropolitan Ministries, Tampa Habitat for Humanity, and others. Most often, it assisted newly formed non-profits with tax matters, organizational issues and risk management concerns.

The Community Law Center has recently expanded the scope of its program and brought a new program director on board.

The Judge Don Castor Community Law Center is now partnered with neighboring legal aid providers to broaden their capacity for services to non-profit groups fitting within the programs' priorities. This regionalization includes the Judge Don Castor Community Law Center of Bay Area Legal Services, in Hillsborough and Pasco counties, the Community Law Program in St. Petersburg, Gulf Coast Legal Services in Pinellas County and Legal Aid of Manasota in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Together, these organizations will coordinate pro bono legal services to groups in those counties. The Community Law Center plans to share its experience in community economic development with its partners to maximize pro bono assistance to eligible non-profits.

In January 2004, Susan Steinberg Sandler became the new Program Director of the Judge Don Castor Community Law Center. As a former state assistant general counsel, her legal practice areas include consumer protection, business law, financial fraud, and governmental regulation. She will continue to promote the projects of the Community Law Center, which include advice and direct legal services to the Center's clients, recruiting volunteer lawyers, matching eligible groups with willing volunteer lawyers and coordination of training events for non-profits.

The Judge Don Castor Community Law Center continues to need the support of volunteer attorneys. If you have experience in corporate, real estate tax, land use, zoning, insurance, employment, or non-profit matters, please consider adding your name to the list of willing volunteers

Author -
Susan Steinberg Sandler

In 2006, the JDCCLC:

•   generally assisted more than 110 individuals, groups or nonprofits with one-on-one business related information and advise
•   placed more than 49 matters with volunteer attorneys or firms
•   made presentations to groups and attorneys on nonprofit issues and CCP assistance
•   partnered with Pfizer, Inc. and the law firm of Holland & Knight to offer free national/local training to our nonprofit clients on key issues
•   enlisted the volunteer assistance of local attorneys to assist in CCP with presentations to nonprofits on the issues most affecting their
    business.

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