By Sam Gilkey
For The News-Gazette

For more than 40 years, Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida has provided help for thousands of people who otherwise would be unable to obtain legal assistance because of their incomes.

With main offices in Daytona Beach, the organization has nine regional offices and serves 12 counties. The $8 million budget this year is funded primarily by federal grants from the Legal Services Corporation and interest on attorney trust accounts maintained by the Florida Bar Foundation.

“The Kissimmee office generates more cases than any other in our coverage area,” said Roberto Cruz, the local managing attorney.

“We have three attorneys, three legal assistants and a receptionist,” he added. “And we also have staff attorneys from Orlando and Ocala who help out as well as some interns.”

The organization provides free civil legal services to residents whose income is at 125 percent of the U.S. poverty level. The agency says there are more than a half-million people in its service area living in poverty. Additionally, agency officials said they feel that 50 percent of the children in the region fall within the poverty level.

Offices also handle cases involving domestic violence, consumer issues, veterans’ benefits, Social Security, tax matters and wage claims. Offices do not handle criminal, traffic or immigration cases.

Cruz, an attorney for 13 years, joined Community Legal Services a year ago. He previously worked for a legal service based in Sanford after having his own law practice and being associated with other law firms.

Brenda Jones, of Kissimmee, has been a legal assistant with the local office for 25 years. While she does numerous tasks in the office, Jones has been working for the past year with clients facing mortgage issues and foreclosures.

“I do in-takes for clients who want loan modifications,” she said. “I prepare the files, walk them through the process and negotiate with lenders on their behalf.”

“About 12 percent of Osceola County homeowners are now in need of assistance,” Cruz said. “And we also are helping tenants who rent and are being caught up in foreclosures.”

Cruz concentrates on housing cases, while another staff attorney specializes in cases involving education. A third attorney works in family law.

Larry Glinzman, director of communications, said that in 2009, legal services were provided to almost 10,000 clients with $1.48 million recovered in disability, unemployment, child support and government benefits.

“The Osceola office saw about 700 clients last year,” he said. “In the first three months of 2010, there were 415 people who came to us in Osceola County, although some may not have been eligible for our help.”

Glinzman said there are no plans to increase the number of offices or paid staff this year. When a person calls Community Legal Services, a representative in Daytona Beach routes the case to the proper office once clients have been qualified.

“We have a couple of hundred volunteer attorneys who each do from one to dozens of cases a year for us,” he said. “Many of our cases can be handled with paralegals and legal assistants.”

Community Legal Services, Glinzman said, is positioned to play a crucial role in keeping the doors to the courthouse open to those who would not be able to access assistance.

At the end of the day, Cruz said he often leaves work feeling he has made a difference in someone’s life by giving them help and encouragement.

But there are days when he leaves the office disappointed and angry, he said, because there were people he “just couldn’t help.”

The Kissimmee office of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida is at 800 N. Main St. The phone number is 407-933-1791. The group's website is www.clsmf.org.