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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 2 F O C U S L AW "Navigating the court system was difficult for her," says Kuhns. "When I started working for her, I was able to do things like file a request for records with the Department of Health and Human Services. I helped her better understand what her options were." Ultimately, Kuhns, said she was able to get a pro- tection from abuse order for her. Kuhns has continued to talk with her client. "She said that, especially with her children, she's seen massive changes," she relates. "ere used to be behavior problems and they didn't want to do anything. Now her son wants to play basketball and they're doing their homework." She continues, "Just being there to help her navi- gate the process and check all the right boxes along the way, and helping her understand her options, has been life-changing for her and the kids. at's why we do this." Navigating the system Before 2020, VLP served 2,000 to 3,000 people per year, most through walk-in clinics throughout Maine. Walk-in services closed in 2020 and shifted to electronic communications, with about 2,000 cases processed in 2021. Since then, Stout has added two part- time positions and streamlined the intake system. "But we're still not as fast as we were when we could do walk-ins," Stout says. Recently, the Volunteer Lawyers Project was working on about 265 open cases and Stout pre- dicted the overall number for 2022 would be about 2,000 clients. "Instead of walking in or calling on the phone, we now have them contact us electronically," with an eventual goal of resuming walk-ins, she adds. Stout says difficulties unrepresented people face include unresolved legal problems and more com- plications down the line. ose trying to navigate the system on their own risk making mistakes and returning to court repeatedly – costing money and time for both litigants and the court. Stout recalls being in court on another matter and witnessing a case in which neither side had an attorney. "e judge was trying to explain procedure to them," she recalls. "It took the judge an hour to process that case. I and my clients and the other attorney and their client and their six witnesses were waiting in the hall and you could hear the money run. Lawyers bill at $300 per hour to start, the court's backed up and they don't have enough time for my case. e whole system gets bogged down because of the need to manage people who don't know what they're doing. Whereas if they could just talk with someone, it would save so much time and money." Expand the volunteer pool Canarie is looking to expand the volunteer pool. Part of the message is that pro bono work isn't all-consuming. "One of my goals for 2023 is to be part of the outreach through the VLP to in-house counsel A Division of Hammond Lumber Company Revitalize the Heart of your Home. F R I E N D L Y A N D P R O F E S S I O N A L S A L E S S T A F F C O M P L E T E S H O W R O O M W I T H F U N C T I O N I N G D I S P L A Y S F R E E 3 D D E S I G N S E R V I C E S W I T H P U R C H A S E O F M A T E R I A L S AUBURN • BANGOR • BAR HARBOR • BELFAST • BELGRADE • BLUE HILL • BOOTHBAY HARBOR • BRUNSWICK BUCKSPORT • CALAIS • CAMDEN • CHERRYFIELD • DAMARISCOTTA • ELLSWORTH • FAIRFIELD • FARMINGTON GREENVILLE • MACHIAS • PORTLAND • ROCHESTER (NH) • ROCKLAND • SKOWHEGAN 22 LOCATIONS ACROSS MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE HAMMONDLUMBER.COM C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F P I E R C E AT WO O D Allison Kuhns, an associate with Pierce Atwood who works with the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project, says the navigating the court system can be difficult for clients.

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