firm Coia & Lepore.
Attorney recognized for work with homeless
Attorney George L. Santopietro has been doing pro bono work at
Coia & Lepore LTD law offices for more than 20 years. But it was the kind
of pro bono work he started two years ago – providing legal counsel to the homeless
– for which two Rhode Island organizations have honored him.
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Santopietro, who has been working at the law firm for 24 years, received the
Dorothy Lohmann Community Service Award from the Rhode Island Bar Association,
its highest honor, and Attorney of the Year from the Rhode Island Coalition
for the Homeless for his work at Travelers Aid in Providence.
Santopietro volunteers for the Homeless Legal Clinic program, set up at six
shelters including Travelers Aid, established by the coalition in 1990.
“In the two years since Santopietro joined the Homeless Legal Clinic program,
he has volunteered faithfully at Travelers Aid, seeing as many as 12 people
in a single evening, and staying as long as needed so no one is turned away,”
said Noreen Shawcross, executive director of the coalition. “His expert legal
representation and dedicated service is invaluable in helping the homeless.”
Once a month, Santopietro acts as attorney, psychiatrist and crusader for
dozens of homeless people. Their problems are varied, which is a challenge the
attorney welcomes. He pursues two-thirds of the complaints, but almost all of
his cases are resolved without litigation.
“They may not have corporate issues, or injunctive relief or banking problems,”
Santopietro said of the homeless, “but they have other issues and problems that
are no less serious.”
Santopietro was attracted to working with the people at Travelers Aid after
a stint on the Judicial Tenure and Discipline Committee. He had volunteered
at other clinics, but the plight of the homeless was especially compelling.
“I used to handle a lot of landlord/tenant disputes years ago, civil litigation
and a variety of cases,” he said. “I realized going into the program that their
problems were diverse and challenging, and that’s what I was looking for.”
As many as 15 people line up to speak to Santopietro every month, and the
attorney has an office for them to speak privately. His counseling takes anywhere
from a few hours to five or six, and Santopietro has been known to stay late
just to see everyone.
“It’s less intimidating (than going to a law office) and they’re much more
confident,” he said.
Their problems vary, from the return of a security deposit and eviction to
record expungements, social security issues, child support and divorces, he
said. The problems Santopietro isn’t qualified to handle he refers to a variety
of other legal offices.
“Clients come in with multiple problems because some of them have never been
afforded the opportunity to talk to a lawyer, so they’ve been dealing with them
for a number of years,” he said.
The result: “The people – they’ve been ecstatic at the fact that an attorney
has been willing to go there,” Santopietro added. “Sometimes they just need
someone to speak to, and now they have a voice and are willing to be heard.”
Santopietro said the awards aren’t why he started volunteering at Travelers
Aid, and the results of his work are reward enough.
“They’re very warm, friendly, very unselfish individuals who welcome the opportunity
to meet with an attorney who’s willing to further their cause,” he said. “The
most satisfying experience is how you deal with your client.”
During his two years working at Travelers Aid, Santopietro has dealt with
a multitude of issues that homeless people face every day – even seemingly mundane
annoyances, once resolved, can make a difference in a person’s life.
One client had gone to the hospital for an examination, and misplaced his
dentures after removing them for an exam. The hospital was avoiding the issue,
but when Santopietro intervened, the hospital reimbursed the man for the money
it would cost to have them replaced.
“You should have seen the smile on his face,” Santopietro said. As thanks
for his work, Travelers Aid nominated Santopietro for the bar association’s
award.
“He has the ability to help our clients feel comfortable about the legal process,”
said Anne Nolan, executive director of Travelers Aid. “The hours of time, the
dedication to clients are remarkable. When there were clients remaining to be
seen at the end of the night, he would stay as long as necessary.”
“You don’t realize the magnitude of their problems they’re dealing with on
a daily basis,” the attorney added. “You don’t realize the number of people
subjected to so much hardship, financial and other(wise). I never thought the
right to an attorney was predicated upon your ability to afford an attorney.
Everyone should have the right to counsel, regardless of their social or economic
status.”
