| Sign up | Log in | Forgot Password |
As Americans if we feel that one of our fellow citizens or even our government has wronged us, we chave the right to sue. We can have a trained legal scholar--a Judge--review what happened and decide our dispute according to what the Law says is right. But unfortunately many are denied their share of the fairness and protection offered by our Courts because they can't afford a lawyer.
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP) seeks to make the benefits of the Courts available to groups who lack the means to pay for legal representation. For example, PILCOP used the Courts to enforce poor children's right to basic medical care. Under Federal Medicaid law, states are supposed to provide poor children with immunizations, a yearly check up, glasses. In several states, Pennsylvania among them, only a tiny fraction of those eligible are getting these services.
PILCOP grew out of the Civil Rights movement in the late sixties. President John F. Kennedy challenged lawyers in private practice to do something to fight discrimination. In 1969 Ned Wolf, whose grandfather founded the powerful Wolf Block law firm founded the Philadelphia Committee of Lawyers for Civil Rights. In 1974 PILCOP was incorporated as a not-for-profit law firm. In the years since 1974, PILCOP has fought to get our City, State and Federal governments to do right by the public, especially the weakest and most vulnerable citizens. PILCOP's accomplishments include:
PILCOP's clients include:
Hallwatch is able to offer to the public a variety of public records at low or in many cases no cost. It wasn't always so. Initially the City was very reluctant to provide Hallwatch with the public records it asked for. For example, the City's Records Dept. wanted to charge Hallwatch close to $5,000 a year for real estate records. With PILCOP's help, Hallwatch was able obtain these records and offer them to the public for as little as $6 per day.
After a lengthy legal battle with the City Hallwatch secured the release of the Revenue Department's addresses for absentee landlords. Many people had asked Hallwatch for help contacting the owners of abandoned or nuisance properties. The case went all the way up to Commonwealth Court with PILCOP representing Hallwatch every step of the way.
PILCOP Co-Chief Legal Counsel Michael Churchill.
PILCOP lawyer Michael Churchill has represented Hallwatch in all four of its Right to Know actions against the City, throughout all phases of the legal process: appearing in Court, writing legal briefs, assisting in negotiations with the City's Law Dept. etc.
As a not-for-profit law firm, PILCOP is not permitted to charge its clients. It depends entirely on donations to make ends meets. Please make a donation so that PILCOP can continue working to make our City and Country a better, fairer place for all. The suggested donation is $50, but I hope you will consider giving more if you can afford it. Send your donation to:
PILCOP
125 S. 9th St., Suite 700
Philadelphia, pA 19107-9310
Ed Goppelt
webmaster@hallwatch.org
More info: