By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Larry’s Story – Pro Bono Volunteers in Action
A will is something a lot of people think about now and then, but the time when you need it always seems so far in the future.
Larry was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal cancer last year, and naturally, his first thoughts were of his family.
How would things look for them in the future? He wanted to take care of them and sort out potential issues.
One immediate thought crossed his mind: He needed a will.
Another issue: His wife is not his daughter’s biological mother, but he wanted her to be able to take care of her without any obstacles. He wanted to make sure his wife could adopt his daughter.
“I’m not feeling so well as far as going to work,” Larry says. “So, financially, I had to take leave. I don’t get paid for that.”
With all this in mind, he wasn’t quite sure how to get started. But Larry knew his daughter’s school is one of the locations where Legal Aid of WV’s Lawyer in the School program has a regular presence. He looked up the program information and reached out to see if he could get some guidance.
When the Lawyer in the School attorney heard Larry’s case, she thought he would be a perfect candidate for help through the Pro Bono Program, where attorneys volunteer their time to help clients.
Attorneys Angela Beblo (left) and Jenna Fonner (right)
Jenna Fonner and Angela Beblo, two attorneys with the firm Jackson Kelly, took on Larry’s case.
Jenna helped Larry and his wife quickly begin the adoption process for his daughter, and Angela worked with them on creating a will. Within a couple of months, Larry had a new will, and his wife had successfully adopted their daughter.
“They were very good, and very helpful every step of the way. They did an excellent job,” says Larry. “It was a huge relief. And financially, it was a tremendous help for us. The expedience they did things with was a great help. We just want to say thank you.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Aaron’s Story
Aaron (right) with his attorney, Kaylie, at an event at the WV State Capitol
In January 2021, Aaron walked into New Beginnings Home for Men in Logan, WV. The name promised something Aaron desperately needed: a new beginning.
He had been struggling for years with substance use disorder and its consequences.
“I’ve been using drugs most of my life,” he says. “It’s caused me a lot of issues—everything from a derailment of my military career to divorce to incarceration.”
Aaron had just finished his last period in prison before New Beginnings. He spent 8 months at the recovery house in Logan, where he started building something for himself.
He got a stable job at Collegiate Recovery, where he helps others in recovery, and moved into a place of his own. In 2022, he applied for early dismissal of his parole, and it was granted.
He kept building.
One step of his recovery he hoped for was expungement, or sealing of his criminal records. For Aaron and many others, expungement creates new opportunities, but the most important part is the relief.
“I’d stolen a vehicle, and I got charged and convicted of grand larceny,” Aaron explains. “I got connected with my attorney, Kaylie, through Jobs & Hope WV. I wouldn’t have known where to start with an expungement. I’m not a dumb guy, but that would have been a really hard process to enter into without some legal counsel.
“Having an expungement for your record—well, that could mean the difference between success in the rest of your life or being stuck in the same rut for the rest of your life. That’s a big deal.”
Kaylie started working with Aaron in early 2025. Together, they started gathering examples of Aaron’s progress in recovery, which can help secure an expungement.
Aaron had been working at the same job for three years. He was able to finish his associate’s degree at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. He then went on to Concord University for a Regency Bachelor of Arts, with an emphasis in social work. Now, he’s working on a master’s in social work at Marshall University.
Aaron and Kaylie put together a significant packet of accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and other information about his rehabilitation and applied for expungement in January 2026.
It was granted.
“I really want people to be free—to be free of the mistakes of their past and enter an era of hope,” Aaron says. “I’ll continue to refer people to Legal Aid to get expungements.”
Aaron has translated his success into a life of sharing his blessings with others.
He met his wife, Amber, at a Celebrate Recovery Ministry, and they both work in recovery today. Amber is a Peer Reentry Program Coordinator for The REACH Initiative. She with navigators across West Virginia to help people get back into their communities after being in prison.
“We both work with nonprofits and share our stories so people can draw hope from it,” says Aaron. Both Amber and Aaron volunteer with their local recovery ministry and their church ministry. Aaron has sat on prevention boards, reentry councils, and advisory committees for local groups.
They both do whatever they can to give back and heal their communities of the pain brought on by the opioid epidemic.
Aaron is dedicated to the message that recovery is possible. Everyone deserves the chance to chase after the life they imagine.
“If we would just approach every interaction with other human beings with love and compassion and not be judgmental of what people have carried in their lives, we would begin to see the change that everyone wants so desperately in the people they love and their communities that we all live in and some serve.”
“Stigma causes so many people to not feel worthy—not worthy of living, let alone getting treatment. That hopelessness causes a deadly cycle of addiction and chaotic living. This has led to death, destruction, and despair that have been unmatched in the history of our society. However, if there is one thing I have seen that can help us break through this terrible situation, it is the power of hope.
“Hope can move that needle of life to one I think we can all be proud of, and it starts with non-judgmental approaches and real support for people who still suffer from a clinically diagnosable disease of the mind known as a substance use disorder.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Shawn’s Story
Shawn was ready for a fresh start for his family. He and his wife were raising their children together, including Shawn’s son, DJ, from a previous relationship.
They had been to West Virginia and thought it would be a good place to make a life for the family as a whole. While Shawn worked on getting a job, they applied for benefits to get health coverage for the family set up in West Virginia, but there was a problem.
Shawn’s son, DJ, didn’t have a birth certificate.
When DJ was born, his birth mother didn’t finish paperwork for him. She never got copies of his birth certificate or social security card. When Shawn got full custody of DJ a year later, he found out his son did not have any official identification.
Shawn spent years trying to fix the problem on his own.
“I was getting sent around in circles. I was working on this by myself for four years,” he says. “I forget who introduced me to Legal Aid of WV, but they blessed me.”
Shawn applied and was assigned an attorney from Legal Aid of WV (LAWV), who got to work on the process right away. It was complicated, but the attorney and his paralegal slowly made progress getting DJ’s documents from his birth state of Tennessee.
“It was so stressful,” Shawn says. “I was getting worried due to the fact that my son is getting older with no birth certificate or social. I was going to bed wondering if we had to go to the hospital if they would reject helping him because he didn’t have any records or insurance or anything.”
After about a year of back-and-forth with various offices in Tennessee, LAWV got a birth certificate for DJ. He also got a social security number and card, and Shawn got him health coverage and added to their housing paperwork and set up in school.
“Four years of the same thing over and over and you not getting what you need—it tends to make you on the angrier side instead of the patient side. My attorney took that off my shoulders and helped me a lot.”
Now, Shawn has a new job and his family is getting established in West Virginia. He doesn’t have to worry about whether DJ will miss out on opportunities because he doesn’t have the right paperwork.
“I’ll never forget what my attorney told me. He said it’s crazy that a man that wants to be a father and is doing everything he can but can’t get any help with his son’s documents,” Shawn says. “He told me step by step how it was going to go, and it did. Now my son has an official name, health benefits, and he can go to school. I’m so thankful.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Bethany’s Story
Bethany moved into a rental apartment last year, and she loved her unit and her landlords, an older couple. But soon, she got the surprising news that she had a new landlord.
“The first time I met my landlord, he actually came to visit my apartment with my friend Sophie’s brother,” Bethany says. “I texted her and said, ‘Your brother is here with my landlord.’ She said, ‘Who’s your landlord?’ And when I told her, she said, ‘That’s my father.’”
In a smaller West Virginia community, coincidences like this aren’t necessarily out of the ordinary.
But Bethany’s landlord wasn’t just Sophie’s father—he had gone to prison for crimes against her. Sophie was terrified, especially of seeing him.
The situation got complicated quickly.
One day, Sophie was helping Bethany out by dropping off her grocery order, but her landlord was also planning to drop by to collect her rent.
“I called him twice to ask when he was coming by. I told him, ‘There is someone here that I don’t want to be here when you are.’ I didn’t say any names, but it was pretty obvious who I was talking about. He said he’d send his son to get the rent instead.”
The next day, Bethany got a text from her landlord. He said his probation officer wanted him to evict Bethany because she “set him up” with a situation involving the victim in his case.
She was confused and surprised and thought to herself, this couldn’t be legal, right?
That’s when she found Legal Aid of WV online and applied.
“The first advice I got was to tell my landlord I wanted a legal eviction notice so it could go through the courts,” Bethany says. “I did that, and I was assigned an attorney who went with me to the eviction hearing.”
Bethany says the hearing was not as straightforward as she thought it would be.
“It seemed like the judge agreed with my landlord that it was my responsibility to keep my friend away from him,” she says. “But my attorney defended me. The judge dismissed the eviction. I definitely think I would be homeless right now if he wasn’t with me.”
Like many other renters, Bethany did not realize before applying for legal help that renters have certain rights in the eyes of the law. As she worked with her attorney, he explained each right he felt was violated and what steps they would take to fight the eviction.
“I didn’t feel like my attorney was just trying to win the case. He actually wanted success for me and had my best interest at heart.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Tamara’s Story
Tamara is only 24 years old, but she has already taken on a tremendous responsibility—keeping her family together.
Unfortunately, like many families, Tamara’s immediate family suffered from substance use disorder.As a result, during her childhood Tamara conducted most of the caretaking functions of a parent for her two younger siblings. When she was only 17, Tamara’s mom passed away suddenly.
“They found drugs in her system,” she explains. “Ultimately, they tested our dad, and he had drugs in his system.”
Because of this, Tamara and her siblings were taken from their father and placed with another relative. Shortly after, their guardian became ill and couldn’t care for them anymore. Their great aunt and uncle finally took custody of Tamara, her younger brother, and her younger sister.
Tamara, along with her siblings, faced a difficult dynamic while living with their great aunt and uncle, where mental abuse was common and their basic needs for food and care were neglected. During this time, Tamara took on the role of a parent, stepping up to provide for and protect the children. When Tamara was 18, they kicked her out of the house. She had no way to support herself and luckily had friends who took her in until she could get on her feet. Tamara worked tirelessly to support herself and build a meaningful life, her determination shaping her into a strong woman. During this time, her younger siblings were adopted by their great aunt and uncle.
Tamara started her relationship with Legal Aid of WV (LAWV) shortly after that.
Her first step was becoming the adoptive mother of her niece, who was at risk of being taken into State custody by Child Protective Services (CPS).
After a successful adoption, Tamara, her niece, and Tamara’s fiancé became a functional family, but her siblings were still in a bad situation. That’s when Tamara met Amber, an attorney with LAWV’s Lawyer in the School program.
“Amber gave me hope, which I didn’t really have at the time,” Tamara says. “I was really worried. My fiancé works, but a lawyer is just so expensive. It felt like a miracle that LAWV had a program like this, especially when it felt like no one could help us.”
Tamara made every effort to maintain a relationship with her great aunt and uncle so she could continue spending time with her younger siblings. Most weekends she brought them to her home, where she provided the care and attention they lacked, all the while deeply troubled by the neglect she witnessed. Her siblings also began reporting incidents of physical and severe mental abuse. Tamara gently questioned her great aunt about concerns her siblings shared, but her attempts were met with anger. Eventually, and they cut off all contact between Tamara and her siblings. Not long after, her 17 year old brother was forced out of their home—just as Tamara had been—conveniently before the state subsidy checks would end.
Amber first helped Tamara get minor guardianship of her brother, as he was 17 years old and getting ready to start his senior year of high school.
“I officially got guardianship of my brother late last year,” Tamara says. “My younger sister was still living with my great aunt and uncle, and they kept us from seeing her. I hadn’t seen my sister in 10 months, and I knew they weren’t treating her right.”
Amber listened to Tamara’s concerns and tried to manage expectations.
“She said, I can’t guarantee you’ll get guardianship, but I’ll do what I can. She worked hard to get everything together. She did promise me that me and my brother would at least be able to see my sister again.”
This spring, after a long contentious hearing, Tamara and Amber were able to secure custody of Tamara’s sister. Now, they are a family of five, excited to have been reunited and have a chance to thrive. Both children are succeeding in school and in a happy, caring home environment.
“We’ve got the entire family together again. We were all separated from each other after we were taken. It’s amazing having everyone here and watching everyone grow up together. Our mother always wanted us to be together. That was a big motivation too.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Annette’s Story
Over 10 years ago, Annette had a strange run-in with her local authorities. She was driving home, and police cars with their lights on were blocking the road. It was dark and hard to see, so when Annette thought she was being waved through the area by an officer with a flashlight, she slowly proceeded.
The officer reacted by jumping on Annette’s hood and yelling at her to stop! Annette was confused and frustrated, and the officer ultimately wrote her a ticket for noncompliance with an officer and not having her driver’s license with her.
At the hearing for the ticket, the officer did not show up, and the charges were dismissed. Annette didn’t think about it again after that.
But after she decided to go to nursing school, she was about to complete her final steps when the incident presented some trouble.
“Part of becoming a nurse means you have to be able to pass a background check to take the NCLEX-RN exam and get your license from the WV Registered Nurse Board. This comes up on my background check, saying I was non-compliant with an officer,” Annette explains. “I couldn’t believe this goofy event, where that cop didn’t even show up, was causing a problem. I’m trying to move on with my life, and bam! This again? Since it was dismissed in court, I never really thought about it coming up on my record.”
At the time, Annette was getting SNAP and WV WORKS benefits because she was a student, and one of the staff members at the West Virginia Department of Human Services told her about Legal Aid of WV (LAWV).
“That’s how I came to meet my attorney, Kira,” she says. “I thought, I have to get rid of this fast. Kira emailed me back right away. Everything she did was so fast. It was incredible. She knew the importance for me of getting that off of there so I could move forward with everything. I don’t even know how she did it. She was talking to judges in elevators. She got it off my record in 3 days—72 hours.”
“I wasn’t chasing down judges,” Kira explains. “But I did work quickly with law clerks to try to accomplish the expungement for Annette.”
If Annette had not been able to get the charge off her record quickly, she would have been forced to take—and pay for—another class before her exams.
But she passed her exam and was granted her nursing license.
“I’ve been a nurse for about two years, and I work at a hospital for WVU medicine as an RN on their med surge unit. Kira saved me time and money. Being able to finish and get my license advanced my career. I’m not on any benefits anymore. And since then, I’ve gotten married, bought a home, and I just bought a car.”
Not only was Kira diligent, but she says law clerks and the prosecutor’s office were both efficient and understanding.
“Annette didn’t even have a conviction, but two dismissed charges showed on her background check that could be prohibitive for her future as a nurse,” says Kira. “We need nurses in West Virginia, so it worked out.”
Annette says she also shares her experience with LAWV with nursing students who may run into similar issues.
“I also called Kira’s supervisor. I feel too many people just want to share negative experiences. I wanted to say something positive.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Joe’s Story
On a West Virginia summer day more than 50 years ago, Joe was at the local swimming pool when he was pulled out by police and charged with a crime he didn’t commit.
“It happened to me in 1968. A guy I knew wanted to get with my sister, and I didn’t let him associate with her. He and two other guys, they may have robbed a truck, and they needed an alibi, and they chose me as a fall guy.”
Ultimately, Joe was found guilty of assault and battery and got a year on probation.
He tried to move forward with his life, but the felony on his record haunted him, creating obstacles to jobs and opportunities.
Joe joined the military, where he first heard about getting his record expunged from staff at the VA.
“I wanted to be a chef. I had opportunities, but I couldn’t get there because this thing was on my record weighing me down,” he says. “I went to this lawyer, that lawyer—I needed money. I couldn’t afford it. I almost gave up, but I never did. I would just let it go for a while then start up again.”
The breaking point for Joe came after he was honorably discharged from service. He tried to visit the commissary and was denied entry because of his record.
“I couldn’t go. I said, ‘What?’ Me saying I didn’t do it meant nothing. They said this is what’s on your record so that’s what happened. We need proof that this isn’t on your record.”
Last year, Joe heard about Legal Aid of WV (LAWV) and decided it was worth a try. Though he now lives out of state, the initial charge was in West Virginia.
He called and was assigned to LAWV attorney, Abigail, to help him start the expungement process. She then referred him to Andrew, an attorney who specializes in helping veterans with legal issues.
“My wife has Parkinson’s,” Joe explains. “It’s hard for me to leave my house. I couldn’t leave her to get down there to West Virginia.”
Abigail and Andrew worked with Joe and his niece to get together paperwork. He filed for expungement, with hope it could be granted without an in-person appearance for Joe.
On another summer day, 57 years after the first, Joe’s expungement was granted.
“When Abigail and then Andrew, face unseen, said they would help me, I just couldn’t believe it. Then they called me and told me it was done—they had done this for me—I was just so elated. Andrew did everything he could do. And I’ll appreciate it until the day I die.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Rebecca’s Story
As a mother, grandmother, and volunteer in her community, Rebecca is no stranger to stepping in and stepping up for others. But when her oldest daughter, Thea, passed away after a long history with substance use disorder and mental health diagnoses, she was not prepared for what followed.
“The more I found out, the worse it was. I didn’t realize I had raised someone to do the things that she did.”
Two years ago, Rebecca recalls dropping her youngest daughter off at work in the morning.
“Not long after, she calls me screaming and crying, and she said, ‘I think Thea’s dead.’ Thea’s husband at the time had posted on Facebook that he was going to miss her,” she says. “I had no way to get ahold of anyone to find out if this was true, so I called the police and gave them all the information. An officer called me back and confirmed, yes, that is what had happened.”
Rebecca was devasted but not surprised.
Like all parents, Rebecca and her husband wanted the most for their daughter, but by the time Thea passed in 2023, they were all but strangers. Over the years, Thea cycled through relationships, spent time in and out of prison, and made decisions her family couldn’t support. Throughout those years, Rebecca would always care for Thea’s two young daughters, taking care of them while their mother was incarcerated. Although she lost touch with Thea because of her addiction, she had a close, special bond with her two granddaughters, Amaya and Savanah.
“I would check in with family,” she says. “Every time I would ask someone else in my family—everyone told me everything was fine. The children always told me it was fine. She knew how to play the system so well.”
Rebecca found out Thea passed on a Saturday and worked quickly to go pick up her granddaughters and take charge of the situation. She contacted Child Protective Services (CPS), who also told her she was doing everything right.
“When I got the children, they had their backpack, two shirts, a pair of pants, and what they were wearing. Neither girl had shoes even,” Rebecca describes. She had to build a foundation to a home for the girls. “I started with the schools because they needed to be in school, of course. They had already missed 22 days by the time I got them. The school told me about the Lawyer in the School program (LIS) where an attorney comes each week.”
The following Wednesday, Rebecca went to the Lawyer in the School (LIS) clinic at her granddaughter’s school to ask for advice in getting custody of Amaya and Savanah, along with questions about food security and appropriate housing. The LIS attorney Amber agreed to assist Rebecca and filed for minor guardianship of Amaya and Savanah.
“I told her the story from the beginning—and it’s a long story from the beginning. Amber was amazing!”
When Rebecca went to the first guardianship hearing in family court, the result was unexpected.
“Thea’s ex-husband showed up,” she says. Thea’s ex-husband had a long history of criminal activity, including repeated domestic violence against Thea, and Amaya and Savanah were scared of him. In fact, there had previously been a long-term restraining order against him to keep him away from the girls.
“The first words out of his mouth were, ‘Their grandmother can keep Amaya, but I want Savanah.’ I think he didn’t want to have to pay child support.”
The family was terrified of being pulled apart in a custody battle.
Rebecca and her husband didn’t just want custody of their granddaughters to brag about a victory to her family. They loved their granddaughters and wanted to create a safe environment for them to heal and grow.
Amidst everything else, Rebecca was diagnosed with cancer, and Amaya was suspended from school.
“We were really struggling with this legal stuff, and quite frankly, I was losing my mind over it,” Rebecca says. “Amber went with me anywhere for anything. I could message her when I remembered stuff.”
Amber also referred them to a LAWV attorney that specializes in special education needs. They worked with Amaya to work through the complicated situations high school presented for her.
Finally, after numerous hearings, Rebecca and her husband were granted full-time custody of both Amaya and Savannah.
“When I finally got custody, it changed things for the whole family. I almost fell out on the floor when Amber called me. It had been two years.”
Now, the girls are both attending school and counseling sessions regularly. The family has moved into a bigger apartment, and they are making plans for the future.
“I just know that without Legal Aid, we wouldn’t have these kids. My husband and I live on a fixed income. I would not have been able to afford an attorney, but like the judge said to me, they are in the best place they could possibly be. They are thriving for the first time in their lives.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Jennifer’s Story
Jennifer is used to advocating for her son, J, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.
Two years ago, she hit a wall she just did not know how to climb herself. Enter Legal Aid of WV (LAWV).
Jennifer applied for the West Virginia Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities Waiver (IDDW) for her son when J was 15. The program is part of Medicaid’s services in West Virginia and was created to help keep those with intellectual disabilities in their homes and communities rather than an institutional setting.
IDDW “provides services that help to teach, train, support, guide, and assist members reach the highest level of independence possible in their lives,” according to the West Virginia Department of Human Services (WVDoHS).
“To be J’s advocate—first of all, I’m honored. Nobody is else is going to do it,” Jennifer says. “On the flip side, even in the school system or life itself, we have to fight for everything. I won’t always be around. I have friends with experience in special education who first told me about IDDW and told me to get it for J because the benefits will stay with him for his lifetime.”
Jennifer set up J’s first evaluation for IDDW after reviewing the requirements for IDDW on the WVDoHS website. A week or two later, they received a letter in the mail saying J was not considered eligible.
Jennifer followed the steps to set up a second evaluation, this time using Zoom.
“We got another no after the Zoom evaluation,” says Jennifer. “The third option was a hearing, and a friend of mine had my attorney help before, so she gave me her information. I called and told her my story. After she reviewed my information, she said, ‘Yes. We’d like to represent you.’”
Jennifer and her LAWV attorney prepared for the hearing in front of WVDoHS in the months leading up to the scheduled date. Finally, they arrived at the hearing, ready and hopeful.
Unfortunately, the hearing proved to be a frustrating experience for Jennifer.
“They told me the evaluation found that J has an intellectual development disorder, not a disability,” she says. “They explained that was all they needed to say, but they would explore their reasons since we were at the hearing. They went on to say the evaluation found J was not eligible because they were judging him based on new criteria that would soon take effect. That didn’t make sense to me. I checked, and he met the eligibility. I just wanted to know why.”
After the hearing, Jennifer and her attorney discussed the outcome, and they decided to appeal the decision. J’s determination should not have been made using rules that were not in effect yet.
Through the appeal, J was granted a third evaluation, where he was determined eligible for IDDW.
“This March, we got the letter saying he was now on the waitlist,” says Jennifer. The process took almost two years from the date of her application. “My attorney actually went back and asked that we be moved up the list to reflect the date I originally applied, and they agreed. We are still on the waitlist for services, but we are much closer now.”
Even though Jennifer is thorough about finding services and learning about J’s needs, she says she probably would not have kept going without LAWV’s help.
“I don’t think I would have known on my own to appeal and get a hearing as a person representing myself and my son,” Jennifer says. “From the first no, I hesitated. I thought, ‘This is a psychologist. Maybe J doesn’t have a disability.’ But after the second no, I kept thinking, ‘He meets the requirements.’ I was not understanding, and having an attorney affirm that he seemed to meet them made a big difference.
“I think of the ones who get a no from the get-go and don’t appeal it. It breaks my heart that they get that no and just stop. I think, what if I would have stopped trying?”
Both Jennifer and her LAWV attorney are pleased she found the chance to keep trying.
“Jennifer is an amazing advocate for her son,” says her attorney. “When Jennifer received the initial evaluations and determination, she knew right away that they did not match with what she knew about her son’s abilities. We were thrilled to be able to help her ensure a more secure future for J.”
By Legal Aid WV | Categories: Client Story | Comments Off on Quentin’s Story
“I’ve never really needed a lawyer. I didn’t even know how to go about getting a lawyer,” Quentin explains about trying to find legal help.
When he moved into his apartment on a six-month lease, he didn’t expect issues with his landlord. But soon, he was trying to defend himself against eviction. It was clear immediately he would need help from a legal professional.
“They were threatening me with eviction because I had my emotional support animal here,” says Quentin. “His name is Cuddles, and he’s a senior cat. I’ve had him for about five years so since before I lived here.”
Quentin started by walking into the law firm across the street from his apartment. He told them what was going on and says they agreed with him that it didn’t sound right. The firm directed him to Legal Aid of WV, where he applied for help.
“I actually worked with two staff at Legal Aid, Tricia and Ed,” he says. Tricia, a paralegal, and Ed, an attorney, specialize in helping clients with housing cases. “Working with them was great. I feel like they really went to bat for me. I feel like they did everything they could for me not to lose my place.”
Together, they worked on the concern the landlord had about the proper paperwork for Cuddles. Tricia and Ed had extensive back and forth with Quentin’s landlord, including a conference call where Ed had to walk through every aspect of Cuddles’ legitimacy. Finally, Quentin’s landlord dropped the eviction.
Quentin didn’t have to find new housing quickly—a tremendous relief for him. And, of course, he didn’t have to worry about losing Cuddles.
“I just knew when Quentin came in that we had to help him,” says his Legal Aid of WV legal assistant. “He was a great client, and our office loves the story of Cuddles the cat.”
