June 16, 2004: Headlines: COS - Dominican Republic: Law: The Tribune, San Luis Obispo: Dominican Republic RPCV Michael Blank works in California Rural Legal Assistance: "I am a free lawyer for poor people."

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Dominican Republic: Peace Corps Dominican Republic : The Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic: June 16, 2004: Headlines: COS - Dominican Republic: Law: The Tribune, San Luis Obispo: Dominican Republic RPCV Michael Blank works in California Rural Legal Assistance: "I am a free lawyer for poor people."

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-45-115.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.45.115) on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 11:45 am: Edit Post

Dominican Republic RPCV Michael Blank works in California Rural Legal Assistance: "I am a free lawyer for poor people."

Dominican Republic RPCV Michael Blank works in California Rural Legal Assistance: I am a free lawyer for poor people.

Dominican Republic RPCV Michael Blank works in California Rural Legal Assistance: "I am a free lawyer for poor people."

Inside Business Column

Jun 16, 2004

The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

by Katherine Ann Rowlands

Jun. 16--NAME: Michael Blank

JOB: Directing attorney

AGENCY: California Rural Legal Assistance

ADDRESS: 1160 Marsh St., Suite 114, San Luis Obispo

WEB SITE: www.crla.org

RESIDENCE: Santa Margarita

AGE: 56

BACKGROUND: Michael Blank graduated from Chico State University in 1970, worked in the Dominican Republic with the Peace Corps, and then earned his law degree from UC Davis in 1979. He worked on behalf of farm workers in New Mexico before moving to San Luis Obispo County about 15 years ago.

MOTIVATION: When Blank was harvesting tomatoes on the night shift near Sacramento after returning from the Peace Corps, he got fired after signing a union membership card with the United Farm Workers of America. His reaction was to become a union organizer for two years and then go to law school. "I have a duty to make the world a better place," he said.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA RURAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE: Started about 35 years ago, the agency has 22 offices statewide. It specializes in the rural poor, with a focus on farmworker cases. It is funded by the federal government. The local office, which serves about 500 clients per year, has one attorney, 1.5 clerical staff, two community/ paralegal workers and volunteer lawyers, law clerks and a retired judge. The staff, including the judge, Allen Minker, speak Spanish to better assist clients.

Michael Blank ventures into the complicated realm of labor law, landlord-tenant disputes and farmworker rights every day, but the way he describes his job is simple: "I am a free lawyer for poor people." Blank has been working on behalf of the poor his entire career, driven by a desire to give back to the community and to help immigrants and others who are trying to move up in society.

As directing attorney for California Rural Legal Assistance in San Luis Obispo County, he and his staff provide legal services for clients facing discrimination or conflict in property rental, financial, employment and government benefit cases. They do not assist with criminal or family law matters.

Blank talked with The Tribune this week about these issues and others that affect workers and employers in the county.

QUESTION: Have you seen demand increase for the services provided by California Rural Legal Assistance?

ANSWER: It has increased massively. The housing market has gotten extremely tight here. There is a recession, the economy is in the dumps, so people don't have decent jobs, and the jobs they do have are minimum wage jobs, which don't support a family. If you're a single mom and working at Denny's and your transmission goes out, you wind up homeless with your two kids. That's not fair, but that's how close to the edge so many people live.

Q: Is there anything in between private attorneys, who can charge from $200 to $500 an hour, and the free services you offer?

A: There are certified document preparers who will fill out certain legal forms for you for a fee and not give legal advice, theoretically. There is a wide variety of quality. Many of them give legal advice, which is wrong, and others are very, very good. There is also lawyer referral, which for $30 will get you a half hour with an attorney.

Q: What are the factors that lead up to cases like the maids or the strawberry pickers who are allegedly cheated out of wages and benefits?

A: There are a couple of different pressures. For one, employers are under pressure to make more profit, competition is tougher. Over the years, employers have often tried to avoid liabilities for their employees -- the old employee contractor scheme where you don't have to take care of your employees. There are always these schemes to insulate yourself from paying for the employee by misclassifying them. Most business people are very ethical. Most agricultural people play by the book. But the unethical fringe keeps morphing and it's hard to stop it. There will always be somebody who's trying to avoid the law to make more money.

Q: Does it make a difference if an immigrant client is working legally or illegally?

A: The law is very clear that whether somebody is undocumented or not they are entitled to minimum wage and all the deductions. The federal courts have held that for very good reason. If you could pay undocumenteds less, there is no reason to hire someone who is documented. There is a disincentive and it pulls us all down.

Q: What is the biggest challenge in this community?

A: In San Luis Obispo City, poor people are transparent. You don't think of this as being an agricultural county. My biggest frustration is an inability to effect societal change and change the institutions.

Q: Do you worry about future funding of your organization given that you used to have three attorneys in your office and now have just one?

A: The Bush administration has kept the budget the same for legal services but it is always under attack and there are increasing restrictions on who we can serve. Legal services is highly politically volatile. There are people who believe low-income people should not have access to justice.

Katherine Ann Rowlands is the Business Editor at The Tribune. Reach her at 781-7932 or krowlands@thetribunenews.com.




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Story Source: The Tribune, San Luis Obispo

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Dominican Republic; Law

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