LAWYERS with HEARTS

A Brief Peek at the Neighborhood Legal Services Association

An interview with Robert V. Racunas Executive Director Neighborhood Legal Services Association

By Jack Etzel

What can you do when you need an attorney, and know that you can’t afford one? In Southwest Pennsylvania that question is easier to answer than in some other parts of the country. The short answer is Neighborhood Legal Services Association (NLSA). A man who is a true believer that everyone should be able to have access to an attorney when needed is Robert V. Racunas. Racunas worked for Neighborhood Legal Services Association for two years while still in law school, became a staff member in 1971 and has served as the Executive Director since 1980. He has been active in the bar associations at the local, state, and national levels. He is also the immediate Past President of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

Robert Racunas was kind enough to give us his personal perspective on what has turned out to be his life’s work.

North Hills Monthly Magazine: Who, exactly, does the Neighborhood Legal Services Association help?

Robert Racunas: We provide non-criminal legal assistance in civil matters to low-income residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence Counties. We also provide assistance to the elderly and to victims of domestic violence.

NHMM: How many people do you serve in a year?

Racunas: We serve in the neighborhood of 12,000 individuals, and that affects between 25,000 to 30,000 people when you include the family units.

NHMM: Has Neighborhood Legal Services Association always served this four-county area?

Racunas: No. Neighborhood Legal Services was established as sort of a derivative of the War on Poverty in 1966, and was originally only in the city of Pittsburgh, but within the first few years it spread beyond the city limits. In 1974, we expanded to the four counties we now serve when the legislature began to provide some monies for statewide legal aid services.

NHMM: Obviously since this is basically a free service, where do you find the attorneys willing to work probono? Or, do they?

Racunas: We have our own group of attorneys on our staff. They are full-time attorneys who are not permitted to have a private practice. As you might imagine, they are very, very dedicated to the mission that is known as “equal justice under law.” Our average attorney has been in the program for more than 20 years. But, given the cutbacks in recent decades, with the shortage of staff, the increase in the demand of clients, plus the increased elderly population, we have called on the private bar to help us in our mission.

NHMM: I take that to mean private law firms.

Racunas: That’s exactly right. We have a cadre of lawyers who are performing legal services and clinics for us and doing work on a pro-bono basis. But, having said that, in addition, we also have a program called “Lawyers on Loan,” and this is what I meant about calling on the private bar. This is a remarkable program, and I think that in the whole country only Atlanta has anything similar.

Law firms will have associates with at least three or four years experience, and these firms are willing to lend their own associates to our program who then will work full time for either a six-month or one-year period. During that time they will continue to get credit from their firm for the work they do here. Those lawyers end up getting an incredible experience. In these cases, our clients win, we win, and the law firm that lent us their associate gets back a better-seasoned and experienced lawyer.

NHMM: You mentioned earlier that you provide assistance to the elderly, and I’d like to get back to that. Could you expand on how that program works?

Racunas: We have a rather ambitious program with a three-way partnership, which includes our own organization, the Allegheny Bar Association and the Pennsylvania State Legislature. We conduct regular seminars for the elderly and their families. The legislators pick the topics and the forum, while the Bar Association provides the free lawyers, especially from its Elder Law and Probate Trust sections. Coming together we are able to provide community educational programs on issues affecting the elderly, their families and their caregivers.

NHMM: Such as?

Racunas: Some of those matters might include choosing the proper nursing home, issues of Medicare and Medicaid, power of attorney and living wills. It’s an hour and a half power-point presentation designed to really help the general populace who are facing issues themselves or those of their elderly parents or relatives.

NHMM: Here’s a personal question. You could likely earn more in other fields of the legal profession. Why do you do what you do?

Racunas: I think all of our lawyers would have an opportunity to make more money doing other kinds of work, including private practice. I went to law school because I wanted to do public service work. I had exposure to Neighborhood Legal Services while I was still in law school, and I enjoyed helping the clients and soon became well aware that I wanted to do something along those lines. There was a real personal and professional satisfaction, but at the time, I wasn’t aware that it would become a lifelong career.

You can contact NLSA at 412-255-6700, toll free at 1-886-761-6572, or online at: www.nlsa.us.