May 3, 2018 by Clarissa Ayala
LSLA’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Held an Offers in Compromise Pro Bono Clinic on Saturday
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, together with volunteer attorneys from BP America and Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease LLP, hosted its first-ever – Offers in Compromise Pro Bono Clinic this past Saturday at Baker Ripley’s Tax Center.
LSLA has a relationship with BP and Vorys as they are the sponsors for Lisa Virgen, an Equal Justice Works fellow hosted by LSLA. Virgen’s EJW project entails advocating for underrepresented populations in matters involving tax preparation fraud as well as to increase access to tax legal assistance through educational outreach to refugees and immigrants.
Pictured above (L-R): Front: Jessica Strauss (BP), Rosa Jasso (LSLA), Karyna Lopez (LSLA), Donna Hayes (Vorys), Ruth Pacherz (BP), Emily Leung (BP), Heather Kabele (Vorys), Carrie Ford (Vorys), Jackie Ford (Vorys), Lisa Virgen (LSLA), Natalia Kissell (BP), and Mark Crawford (BP). Back: Mary Ferguson (BP), Jose Rodriguez (BP), Jeremy Harrison (Vorys), David Louie (Vorys), Art Bieser (BP), Susan Baur (BP), Patt Hajovsky (BP), and Monica Oathout (Vorys).
LSLA’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic was ecstatic to have such a great pro bono turn out. In all, 8 BP attorneys along with 3 paralegals and 7 Vorys attorneys attended the event ready and willing to assist clients. Client attendees were assigned to an attorney/paralegal or attorney/attorney pair to discuss their legal issue(s), alternatives, and specifically – whether an Offer in Compromise may be right for them.
Low Income Taxpayers are usually eligible for our assistance in these matters and would not have to do this alone. Although the forms are available via IRS.gov, an attorney can help fill them out for you, communicate with the IRS on your behalf, and help you better understand what is going on. If you are low income or speak English as a second language, our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic can evaluate your situation and provide help at no cost.
For more information about Offers in Compromise, visit our blog post – Trouble with the IRS? An Offer in Compromise May Be Right For You.
Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy on behalf of low-income and underserved populations. Lone Star Legal Aid serves the millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines that reside in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties of southwest Arkansas. Lone Star Legal Aid focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety and stability, health and well‐being; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those who have disabilities, or who are elderly, homeless, or have limited English language skills. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.lonestarlegal.org.
Media contact: Clarissa Ayala
