Spotlight on Driver’s License Restoration

It may seem obvious that if you lost your driving privileges, you would have difficulty traveling to work, taking your kids to school, picking up groceries, or getting to a doctor’s appointment. Depending on public transit, taxis, and Ubers can be both unreliable and costly. But for Black and brown drivers, who are significantly more likely to be stopped, arrested, and convicted than white drivers, a suspended driver’s license can be so much worse than these inconveniences.

“Ashley” is a 42-year-old, Black, single mother who lives in the South Ward, one of the poorest communities in Newark. She failed to appear in municipal court back in 2017 for moving violations that confusingly occurred while she was living in South Carolina. Unaware of these charges and any missed court appearance, Ashley continued to drive, until one day in March 2021, while back home in New Jersey, she was pulled over for failure to wear a seat belt. The traffic stop didn’t just end in a summons and fine. No, instead, Ashely was arrested and her license was revoked. When she lost her license, she was unable to get to work, and she lost her job as a private home health aide.  

In fact, 42% of people in New Jersey lose their job after their license is suspended, even when driving is not a responsibility of the job. Without a driver’s license or a job, Ashley had difficulty providing food and housing for her and her child – she even struggled to get her COVID vaccine without a valid ID. With the economic fallout from the health pandemic, removing barriers to employment has never been more important. 

Fortunately, Ashley connected with VLJ and received the legal help needed to overcome her suspensions, dismiss the tickets, and get her license fully restored. Unfortunately, there are more clients in Ashley’s position right now who face municipal court suspensions, open bench warrants, and mounting fees and fines that could lead to financial ruin. Legal advocacy has the power to change that outcome into dismissals and vacated fines, and restore not just driving privileges, but also livelihoods.  

To learn more about available pro bono opportunities, please visit: https://www.vljnj.org/pro-bono-opportunities

November 2021 Volunteer of the Month: Joann Mazur Kielblock, Esq.

We are thrilled to feature Joann Mazur Kielblock as our November 2021 Volunteer of the Month! Joann is Vice President and Corporate Counsel for Prudential’s Group Insurance Business Unit, where she is responsible for advising Group Life Insurance on the delivery of products, services, and benefits to customers and covered employees/ members.

Joann first became involved with VLJ in 2010 through her participation in Prudential’s Pro Bono Committee. As part of the committee, she also led “Wills for Heroes”, a free program established by the Young Lawyers Division of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Wills for Heroes offers free wills, financial power of attorney documents, and living wills to New Jersey’s first responders, veterans, and active military members and their spouses/partners.  

In 2017, Joann first volunteered with VLJ’s Divorce program and since then she has never looked back. Over the years, Joann has volunteered with VLJ’s various legal clinics, including but not limited to the following: Divorce clinic, Debt Relief Clinic, Expungement Clinic, and Tenancy clinic. She has donated over 50 hours of pro bono time and has assisted 25 clients with their various legal needs/issues. 

In the summer of 2021, sensing a need to further expand collaboration between Prudential’s Pro Bono Committee and VLJ, Joann and Co-Chair Amy Woltman joined VLJ’s Veteran’s Program. Thanks to Joann’s efforts, Prudential volunteers contributed to veteran’s clinics by conducting holistic legal interviews to determine root causes of their legal issues, providing advice and limited service, and making meaningful referrals.

Joann mentions that she enjoys volunteering with VLJ and having opportunities to resolve legal issues she does not normally encounter in her work. Joann loves to see the immediate impact her assistance has and shared,

“It absolutely makes my day when I see the hope that I am able to instill in my pro bono clients that their legal issue is not impossible; that there is a way out, a way through, or a way forward.”

Joann has helped a number of different clients, but a particularly compelling expungement client looking for a fresh start stands out most to her. She shared, “This is why I volunteer with VLJ – to help others who, like NR, just need a chance to start over with a clean slate –whether that is in the form of an expungement, a divorce, resolving a debt, or a tenancy issue, etc.” Joann is passionate about Pro Bono work and believes that “access to competent legal counsel should be available to anyone who wants it or needs it – not just the few who can afford it.” 

Outside of her work with VLJ, Joann is a dedicated mother of two deeply involved in her children’s activities. She is actively involved in her local Parent-Teacher Organization, Boy Scouts of America and Boy Scout Troup. Recently, Joann became a member of the Friends of Nutley Singers (FONS): a non-profit organization that fundraises for Nutley’s music and performing arts programs to offset costs for choir trips, purchasing music, funding productions, and sponsoring annual scholarships for Nutley High School seniors. Joann will serve as treasurer for FONS for the 2022 term starting in June.  

We are immensely grateful to Joann for her volunteerism, leadership, dedication to VLJ’s clients, and to Pro Bono work as a whole. Congratulations to Joann, our November 2021 Volunteer of the Month!

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Success Story: David

Stock image* Names and dates have been altered to protect client’s identity.

In 2003, “David” was arrested for purchasing marijuana. He was not jailed and was allowed to return home after being questioned and processed at the police station. Two years later, David pled guilty to “possession with intent to distribute”—a conviction that, according to his attorney, would make it easier for him to find a job.

Prior to his arrest, David was a college senior studying computer science. He looked forward to completing an internship and getting a job after graduation. However, with a 4th degree felony on his record, David’s relationships and employment opportunities fell through. In fact, his record would gravely impact the next decade and a half of his life. In David’s words, “A half ounce of weed affected my life for almost 17 years.”

According to Karen Robinson, Managing Attorney at Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) and coordinator of VLJ’s ReLeSe (Reentry Legal Services) program, 

“A criminal record punishes a person long after their sentence has been fulfilled. There is a lifelong stigma is attached to those who have been convicted of a crime—even if that crime was low-level and nonviolent. This is neither fair nor does it make society safer. That is why criminal record expungement is such an invaluable service.”

In 2017, after being prevented from applying for a commercial driving license training program, a friend recommended that David contact VLJ. His case was accepted, but it took an additional two years for David to finally overcome the consequences of a decision made in his twenties. One afternoon in 2021, he received an email from his volunteer attorney. After saying a prayer and preparing himself for possible bad news, David opened the email and finally read the words he’d hoped to see: "Let me be the first to congratulate you."

Following the clearing of his record, David was able to apply for a job without having to “check the box” to indicate he was a convicted felon. Moreover, as a single father, he could now pursue work that allowed him to spend more time with his son. David reports that he currently enjoys a fulfilling career working in education. VLJ is honored to have played a role in helping David reclaim his life.

A Message from Cathy Keenan: The Mission of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice Is...

Hello friends,

October is a big month for VLJ. On October 20th, we’ll gather virtually to celebrate VLJ’s 20th anniversary.The night will feature an inspirational spoken word performance from Sheika ‘Purple’ Norris, director of the NJPAC’s Hip Hop Education Program. We’ll also view a powerful testimonial from Michael –a VLJ client who cleared crushing medical debt by working with our bankruptcy program. Finally, we’ll honor three giants in the legal field: Karen Sacks, Founding Executive Director of VLJ, Merck & Co., and Former US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch. Surely this will be a night that causes our collective passion for justice to burn brighter. Be sure to purchase your tickets.

The following week is National Pro Bono Week. Legal organizations across the county will draw attention to the need for pro bono help and will celebrate those who volunteer their time. We have a lot planned, including timely trainings to prepare volunteers to address the growing list of legal issues stemming from the pandemic. We are also asking the greater VLJ community to help us answer this question: “Justice Is___”

We’d like you to tell us what justice means to you, and how pro bono work helps to achieve that justice.  Please join us by sending a photo, video, or email answering the prompt “Justice is___” to aahiabor@vljnj.org. Check out our Pro Bono Week activities here.

With a focus on justice, VLJ’s Board of Trustees and staff finalized a new mission statement!

VLJ mission statement:

To ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty

As you can imagine, at an organization comprised mostly of lawyers, we had some spirited debates about the essence of VLJ’s work and purpose. We aligned upon an ambitious mission that doesn’t merely set out to provide free legal services, but strives to ensure justice is accessible to all .

The words “people experiencing poverty” were carefully chosen to emphasize our enduring belief in the agency our clients possess. We believe that poverty can and should be transitory. We believe that socioeconomic status should not limit one’s access to justice. We believe that our work has a  profound impact on individuals, families, communities, and generations. With this in mind, we fulfill our mission by mobilizing volunteers and staff to address critical legal needs and advance racial, social, and economic justice in New Jersey.

I hope October’s activities and the revamped statement of our mission will inspire you to ask not only what justice means to you, but what you can do to help further justice in New Jersey.

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