Two regional legal aid services join forces

Monday, August 1, 2011

 

By James F. Lowe, Staff Writer

DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE

jlowe@gazettenet.com 

 

NORTHAMPTON — Two agencies providing legal services to elderly- and low-income clients have joined forces.

 

Community Legal Aid combines the roughly 50 staff members of Western Massachusetts Legal Services and the Worcester-based Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts.

 

“We thought we could have a bigger impact with a more unified regionalization of the offices,” said Jennifer Dieringer, managing attorney of the agency’s Northampton office, at 20 Hampton Ave., as well as its Pittsfield office.

 

The nonprofit provides free legal representation to eligible residents in matters of government benefits and unemployment compensation, housing and job discrimination, family law involving domestic violence victims and immigration law.

 

Community Legal Aid also offers training programs for social services on legal issues affecting low-income and elderly people. Its main offices are in Northampton, Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester, with satellite offices in Greenfield and other cities. For more information, visitlaccm.org.

 

Western Massachusetts Legal Services was founded in 1972. In fiscal 2010 it provided legal services to more than 2,500 clients.

 

Dieringer, who has been involved with the organization since 1996, recently took over as managing attorney from Katherine “Kitty” Callaghan, who is now the office’s senior housing law attorney. ▪