SWPA Legal Aid merging with Laurel Legal Services
Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Aid and Laurel Legal Services are merging to become Summit Legal Aid.
With additional resources and a greater geographic reach, officials with the two agencies said Summit Legal Aid will be able to provide even stronger representation to those with urgent legal concerns needing help to navigate distressing family, housing, financial security and domestic violence matters.
Summit Legal Aid will be serving individuals’ legal needs in Armstrong, Cambria, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. As Summit Legal Aid, advocacy and education projects such as the Fair Housing Law Center, which focuses on housing discrimination and the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, which assists in federal tax issues, will also increase in scope.
“Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Aid and Laurel Legal Services share the same mission,” said Brian Gorman, executive director of Summit Legal Aid. “For this reason, we believe this merger makes perfect sense. We’re excited to see the results our united organization can achieve, and we look forward to working together to address the increasing needs of the communities we collectively serve.”
Since its inception, SPLA has assisted individuals with free community legal services, believing it should never be too costly or stressful for an individual to obtain personal representation. Meanwhile, Laurel Legal Services has remained committed to ensuring every individual has equal access to legal expertise since 1967.
“When barriers infringe on those basic needs, whether barring someone from a job or restricting victims from leaving their abusers, Summit Legal Aid is committed to representing these individuals using our collective knowledge and passion for justice,” Gorman said.
He added that every person, regardless of financial ability, should have fair representation in court.
“The outcome of any case should not be determined by the ability to afford an attorney,” Gorman said.
The cumulative experience of its attorneys is over 300 years. The roster of attorneys includes specialists in protection from abuse orders, parents’ rights, housing, and economic legal services.
Last year, SPLA handled 3,662 cases, while Laurel Legal Services represented 2,513 clients.