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link to children's health care

link to education funding and quality

link to disabilities rights

link to evironmental heath and justice

link to fair housing

link to employment discrimination

link to urban policing

 


CONTACT US

Contact Information
Consultation Services
Request for Legal Representation

CONTACT INFORMATION
 WE'VE MOVED! Please make a note of our new address:
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
United Way Building
1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-627-7100 (tel)
215-627-3183 (fax)
www.pilcop.org
If you have general inquiries, suggestions or concerns, please email us at general@pilcop.org 
 


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PARKING
In addition to street parking in the surrounding area, there are two local lots that offer reduced rates to those visiting the United Way Building. In order to receive the rates, you must request a validation coupon from the front desk at the United Way Building. Please note that United Way is not responsible for these arrangements, which are offered at the sole discretion and initiative of the parking lot owners. United Way will make every effort to ensure that the required coupons are on hand, but cannot guarantee that parking lot owners will replenish the supply in a timely way.

Central Parking System
Three Logan Square (formerly known as the Bell Atlantic Building). Entrance to this underground self-park lot is from Cherry Street, west of 17th Street, just past Mace’s Crossing. Reduced rate with coupon: $12 for up to 5 hours (50% discount from standard rate)

Patriot Public Parking
17th and Vine Streets outdoor self-park lot
Reduced rate with coupon: $8 flat rate for the day; $5 for up to 4 hours

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CONSULTATION SERVICES

The Law Center offers consultation services and opinion letters to families seeking to understand and advance their child's rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Services are available by appointment only for the first Monday and third Thursday of every month. A consultation is an opportunity to have a lawyer review your child’s records, discuss legal options with you, and give you a written opinion about these options.

Families are asked to pay $225 to cover the Law Center’s costs, payable at the time of the meeting. However, we do not turn any family away if they cannot afford this payment. We will discuss the rates and other procedures with families when we set up an appointment.

A consultation is not the same as an agreement to take your case. We a small number of lawyers and can only take some of the cases. Currently, most of the cases we are taking are in the Philadelphia and Lower Merion school districts.


At this time, due to a high volume of consultation requests, we are only able to offer consultation to parents who are residents of Pennsylvania. If you are not a resident of Pennsylvania, please refer to the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. We do offer consultations to out of state attorneys.

To request an appointment for consultation services, call the Law Center at (215) 627-7100 ext. 232. If you reach a voicemail, leave a message with your name, phone number and best time of day to reach you. A Law Center staff member will return your call as soon as possible to explain the process and make an appointment. You may also send your inquiry by email by clicking here. Include the same information in your email as requested for the voicemail.

Before your consultation meeting you will need to fill out and submit a Consultation Questionnaire. You may submit it at the time that you request your consultation if you wish, or wait until your appointment is scheduled. Please follow these instructions to complete and submit your questionnaire:

Instructions:
1) Right click on the link below that says “Download Consultation Questionnaire”
2) Save as a new document, and title it “Consultation Questionnaire_LastName, FirstName.doc”
3) Complete and save the form
4) email it as an attachment by clicking here. You are also welcome to print the form and submit it by mail.

Download Consultation Questionnaire


PLEASE NOTE: Requesting an appointment by phone or email will not establish an attorney-client relationship. We are not agreeing to take your case. We do not represent you at this time. Due to the number of people requesting assistance, an appointment may not be available for many months. Therefore, you remain responsible for any and all deadlines. If we do not have your consultation questionnaire and records at least one week prior to your scheduled consult, your appointment will be canceled.

Should you require immediate assistance and cannot wait for a consultation, please feel free to contact one of the attorneys on our reference list.

The federal special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004 version) limits the time that parents have to bring special education claims against their school district. The limit is two years. This means parents or guardians of a special needs student should request a special education due process hearing promptly when they become aware the school district is not providing an appropriate education for their student.

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REQUEST FOR LEGAL REPRESENTATION

The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia is dedicated to advancing the Constitutional promise of equal citizenship to all persons irrespective of race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender or poverty. We use public education, continuing education of our clients and client organizations, research, negotiation and, when necessary, the courts to achieve systemic reforms that advance the central goals of self-advocacy, social justice and equal protection of the law for all members of society.

The Law Center accepts high impact litigation and other legal strategies that have the potential to affect large numbers of people, particularly those in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. We are currently focusing on these subject matters:

1)  Quality public education (including services for children with disabilities; access to high level courses for minority children; protection from policies which push students out such as unnecessary expulsion, truancy policies.)
2)  Access to medical and dental care for low income people, particularly children.
3)  Improving low income neighborhoods and protecting people from the adverse impacts of industrial activities.
4)  Housing, most particularly access to community services for people with disabilities;
5)  Jobs, for people with disabilities and for ex-offenders.


To request legal representation, please follow the instructions below to submit a Request for Legal Representation questionnaire. Please request LEGAL REPRESENTATION ONLY if you have a legal problem in any of the above areas. Please do not use this form if you are seeking consultation services.

Instructions:
1) Right click on the link below that says “Download Request for Legal Representation Form”
2) Save as a new document, and title it “Request for Representation_LastName, FirstName.doc”
3) Complete and save the form
4) email it as an attachment to general@pilcop.org.

Download Request for Legal Representation Form

Please note: submission of a questionnaire will not establish an attorney-client relationship. We receive an overwhelming number of requests for assistance and can only undertake representation in a very small number of cases that fall within the scope of our project areas. Due to the volume of complaints, the legal staff will not be able to respond personally to each request it receives. Therefore, you should not submit any confidential information to us until a formal attorney-client relationship has been established, and you remain responsible for any and all of your filing deadlines.
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