The Rutland Pilot Project, funded by the VBF, is a judicare-type project established by the Rutland County Bar Association in partnership with the Vermont Bar Association and Vermont Legal Aid. Grant funds are used to pay individual lawyers $60 per hour up to a maximum of 5 hours in each collection, foreclosure or landlord/tenant case, and up to a maximum of 3 hours in each involuntary guardianship case. Over 50 Rutland County attorneys serve on the panel. In fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, the Project handled 103 cases for indigent Rutland County clients.
The following stories are authored by S. Scott Smith, Esq.
Father pays child support.
In some Rutland Pilot Project cases, the attorney acts as counselor as well as advocate. Attorney Scott Smith was assigned to represent a defendant in a child support collection matter brought by the Vermont Office of Child Support. Defendant had been delinquent in payments, and was facing jail time for his continued failure to support his children.
Attorney Smith counseled his client to get a job; the client’s new employer loaned him some money to bring to hearing. With that money to show his client’s good faith, Attorney Smith was able to negotiate with the OCS attorney for a favorable child support payment plan through wage withholding. The client avoided incarceration and is now regularly supporting his family.
Debt issues resolved.
Attorney S. Scott Smith was honored by Rutland County attorneys for his dedication to the Rutland Pilot Project and its low income clients. Since the Project’s inception in February of 2008, Scott has represented over15 Rutland Pilot Project clients.
In one recent collection case, Attorney Smith’s work made the critical difference for his client, who had been trying to represent herself against a debt buyer’s attorney.
Scott was assigned the case after it had been on-going for several months. He immediately obtained a continuance of an upcoming hearing, reviewed the substantial filings from the purported creditor’s attorney, and sent out discovery requests. Several months later, at hearing on the merits, Attorney Smith successfully blocked much of creditor’s evidence, and raised serious doubt about the underlying ownership of the debt. The superior court judge ruled in favor of Debtor.
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